Why I will vote for the Democratic Slate this Election by Gaurang G. Vaishnav (Part 4 of 4)

Continued from Part 3: Trump’s Leadership Failures

Trump’s Leadership:

Pandemic: Colossal failure on handling the pandemic. He knew about its seriousness in January and did absolutely nothing for months on end. He gave false assurances to the public. He sneered at the idea of wearing mask, he forced states to open up prematurely, he held rallies without insisting on masks or social distancing, he disregarded recommendations of CDC, he belittled Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID the infectious disease expert of his own government, he threatened schools with loss of funds if they didn’t open up- the list goes on and on- Many thousands of 204,000 deaths today (and counting) could have been prevented if Trump had the leadership qualities. The blood of many dead Americans is on his hands. I had only read in history that Nero fiddled when Rome was burning. Now we have seen that happening with Trump’s behavior.

Economy: 8.4 % unemployment, double what President Obama left him with just before four years, 18 to 25 million people unemployed; hundreds of thousands small businesses are closed, never to reopen. Stock market numbers do not represent real situation on the ground. But Trump only knows stock market. He does not understand the pain of average Joe who has a family to feed and has lost job.

Health Insurance: 44 million people are without health insurance and Trump has tried everything possible to gut the Affordable Care Act because of his insane hatred of President Obama. His Justice department is fighting   to eliminate coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Protests, Violence: Trump keeps blaming Democrats and Democrat run cities for all the protests and violence, but he conveniently forgets that this is all happening under his watch. He is the President; Joe Biden is not. He added fuel to the fire by gassing unarmed, silent protesters in a park near White House just so that he could have a photo-op in front of a church. He takes sides in a situation that is volatile and a national problem. He refuses to condemn the shooter in Kenosha, WI and instead speaks in his defense.

When militia armed with AR15 and other assault weapons stormed the Michigan capitol building, it should have been a matter of great concern to the top leadership of the country since It bordered on anarchy and lives of the lawmakers were under threat. Trump, instead of condemning the incident or arranging for Federal troops to guard the Capitol building, suggested that the governor of Michigan should negotiate with the militia!

Trump’s open exhortation to his rabid racist followers at the first debate–  “Proud Boys Stand Back and Stand By” should concern every Hindu. Let us not pretend that this is only for Mexicans and Blacks. We are all just a shade above them. When they come shooting, they will not differentiate between a Trump supporter or Biden supporter Hindu. They will only look at our skin. These racist zealots are itching for violence and egged on by Trump himself, are a present and clear danger than anything else. According to FBI report hate crimes and White Nationalism are rising rapidly under Trump. That should be a matter of great concern to all of us. Our temples have been under attack and that would accelerate under another term of Trump (Biden has made safety of places of worship a poll promise.) Safety and security of our families will be at the mercy of White Nationalists and KKK who will feel further emboldened by Trump’s reelection.

Revoking Citizenship of naturalized citizens: This is a hanging sword. Under Trump’s orders Homeland Security Dept. is going through files of naturalized citizens. If they find something questionable, even as innocuous as a wrong spelling in a name or a birthplace, they can hound a person out of the country. There is every possibility of misuse of this dictate. Those who think Trump is a friend of NRIs should think twice.

Challenge to the Rule of Law and Constitution: Trump has made many incendiary statements and some of them are dangerous as they encourage his followers to break the law. He has asked his followers to vote twice. Once by mail and then if they do not find that their vote is registered then vote in person. This is patently illegal. Trump has sown seeds of doubt on the validity and integrity of voting by mail without any proof. He has gone on record saying that he would not accept results (if he is defeated) if the vote by mail is counted in deciding a winner. This is a recipe for a constitutional crisis. Trump’s appointee and a crony the Postmaster General Louis DE Joy has hobbled post offices by removing sorting machines, eliminating overtime, etc., ostensibly to cut costs but in reality to impede votes by mail to reach the election offices in time to be counted. This is clearly a voter suppression.

At other time, I would have perhaps said that I might vote Republican if they had someone other than Trump as their candidate. But having seen firsthand the true character of all the Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Joni Ernst, Shelly Capito, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Kelly Loeffler, Rand Paul, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Ric Scott, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan and David Nunes, I conclude that the whole basket of apples is rotten and needs to be flushed down the drain. While voting for senators and Congressmen, we have to remember that each one of the Republican office holders has been an enabler of Trump for all his misdeeds and assault on democracy  and each one is equally guilty and deserve to be defeated.

 I consider Trump not only a danger to the USA but the whole world. He has systematically weakened democratic institutions; he has treated White House as his personal fiefdom. His recent utterances that “we want to get rid of the ballots” is a giveaway of his dictatorial ambitions. If he has the second term, we may officially say goodbye to democracy.

I have lived through Indira Gandhi’s tenure and witnessed how under her Emergency Rule she destroyed democracy when everyone, including the president of Bharat, fell in line (similar to the current scenario with Republican Senators, Congressmen, and Governors) and the whole country lived in hell for 19 months. The damage she did to the media, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy was permanent and we suffer its ill effects today even 36 years after her death.

I have also very carefully studied American journalist William Shirer’s epic scholarly book The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich detailing how Hitler came to power, how he consolidated it, how everyone became subservient and how millions of Jews were massacred and how a World War was thrust on all with its horrendous consequences.

I hope all right-thinking individuals who root for Trump will give a serious thought to what I have penned here and do right by USA of whom they are sworn citizens. While we hold Bharat dear, our children and grandchildren will spend their life in USA, so for their secure future in a flourishing democracy and not under an autocracy or dictatorship, one should not vote for Donald Trump. Do not think of this as a single issue- Hindu Vs. Muslim election; it is much more than that. Let us not be on the wrong side of the history at this crucial time which will decide the future of our children and their children.

No matter how you vote, I urge you to read this epic work. It is a 1200-page book so it will take patience and perseverance to read it from beginning to end. But it will help the reader understand how a populist leader can lead them to ruination like the pied piper, how a democracy is killed by creating divisions in the society and how tyranny takes hold in a formerly free society.

It is an important read for anyone interested in the future of our society and country  irrespective of one’s political preference.   

(Concluded, Part 4  OF 4)

Gaurang G. Vaishnav, Tampa, FL

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