A New Year’s Resolution
Like many people, at the beginning of 2024 I made New Years resolutions. One of those resolutions was to do all that I could to make sure Donald Trump is not re-elected to the presidency. Since then, I have donated money to the campaign first to Joe Biden and now to Kamala Harris. I joined the group Choose Democracy, a website designed to help us understand the ramifications of the presidential election regardless of who wins (see my blog What We Learn from the Venezuelan Election. I have watched the debates and listened to speeches by the candidates and opinions from pundits galore. While all these things have been helpful, what has been most enriching is talking to voters about how they see the election.
Over the last month, I have been canvassing for Kamala Harris in different neighborhoods of Delaware County and also talked with my neighbors. Most of the homes I have been sent to canvass identified as either Democrat or Independent, but there were few Republican households as well. I also talked with a neighbor who is a loyal Trump supporter. In the process I have heard and learned some interesting things I would like to share.
Donald Trump’s Biggest Barrier is Donald Trump
The people I have talked to from both parties admit Donald Trump is a liar who makes outrageous statements with no basis in fact. He demeans and dehumanizes people he does not like or agree with, calling them all sorts of names. He belittles the United States as a country, promotes fear of the other side and speaks of his opponents as the “enemy within.” Some even wonder about his mental health. But what I have heard most in talking to people who plan to vote is the disgust with Donald Trump as a person.
The discussions generally go like this. I ring the doorbell and if someone answers, I introduce myself as a volunteer for the Democratic party and ask if they would mind discussing the election. If they agree to it, I first ask how they are planning to vote on election day. Then I follow up by asking what issues are important to them. Almost to the person, when folks say they are planning to vote for Harris, one of their first statements is that they can’t stand Trump as a person. When people say they are planning to vote for Trump, they mention immigration or the economy but nothing about Trump as a leader or his personal character. Many of the Trump voters I have encountered don’t take his outlandish statements or threats seriously; they don’t think he will do some of the fascist-like things he threatens to do. They think he is just trying to shock people.
It seems clear Trump is his own worst enemy. Even many of his supporters don’t like him as a person. Even if they like some of his policies, they don’t like him. And those who don’t support him, see him as crude, erratic, and despicable.
White Men Who Distrust Trump are Hesitant to Vote for Harris
At one home, I talked with a white woman who said that her greatest concern was that many of the white men she knows, even though they are politically progressive, are hesitant to vote for Harris because she is a woman and perhaps because she is Black. Instead, these men are choosing not to vote for either candidate. Recent articles I have read have suggested that young men in the Gen-Z generation are also hesitant to vote for her. In fact the woman I was speaking with, was concerned her two twenty-something sons might vote for Trump.
Trump has clearly tried to appeal to men with constant belittling of others, especially women, saying Harris is mentally ill, and demeaning her with sexist-laden epithets. His ads stoke fears of migrants, gays and transsexuals as “them,” i.e. the enemy within”. He even referred to Arnold Palmer’s sexual organs in a recent campaign speech.
While in the Black community, there is a concerted effort to encourage Black men to vote, white men have been largely ignored. It is no secret that a majority of men are leaning toward Trump. That is why there are groups like White Dudes for Kamala Harris are trying to get men, especially white men, to look at the bigger picture.
Men, we need to step up. Do we want our daughters to grow up in a society that prevents them from caring for their own bodies and where men are given license to degrade them and treat them as sex objects? Do we want our sons to look up to someone like Trump, a man who lies rampantly, who refuses to take responsibility for his actions, even in a court of law, who is so afraid of criticism that he promises to go after anyone who challenges his ideas and actions? Men we need to talk with each other and consider the message we are sending to our children nd grandchildren and other men.
We owe it to our children to vote for someone who while not perfect, has integrity and truly cares for people. I don’t agree with everything Harris stands for, but I believe in her integrity and honesty. I believe she wants to be the president for everyone and not just those who agree with her. She is a leader that girls and boys, men and women can look up to. Trump is the worst role model we could offer. Many of the people who have worked most closely with him, say he is narcissistic, undisciplined, and unfit to be president… and most of those people are white men who know Trump best. What message are we sending if we vote for Trump? Think about it.
Fear of Violence
The third thing that has become clear as I have been going door to door talking about the election, is that no matter who wins the election, there is fear that there will be post-election controversy and violence. I have volunteered to be a poll chaplain and peacekeeper on Election Day assigned to the voting station at the Houseman Recreation Center in North Philadelphia. My role, like that of other chaplain/peacekeepers at other poll locations, is to be a calming presence and one whose presence will make people feel safe in going to the polls and to look out for and call attention to those who might be trying to intimidate voters. I am not there to influence how people vote, but rather to make sure they are safe in doing so. Barbara Williams-Skinner and others who have organized peacekeepers around the country have done so because of the threat of violence at the polls. We must be prepared for it and that is why I volunteered.
But on November 6 the real work will begin. We must be ready to speak up, to march, to demonstrate, to let Trump and his minions know they are not in control. We the people are. That is what democracy is about. Win or lose Trump will challenge the elections and offer bold threats. While we may be afraid, we must muster our courage and move forward in spite of that fear.
A Sign of Hope
Despite the troubling conversations I have had as I have knocked on doors, I have learned that as people have gotten to know who Kamala Harris is and what she stands for, they are excited about the possibility of a Harris presidency. She is empathetic, personable, and one who can stand up to Trump’s barbs, name-calling, and lies. He casts aspersions on her from afar, but in their one debate, he found out she is not intimidated by his bluster. Though I am as concerned as the next person about a Trump presidency, I am hopeful that Kamala Harris will prevail in the election. Even if she wins, we will have to be prepared to resist and challenge Trump’s lies, bluster and potential violence. But in the end, I believe Trump will be held accountable. He is not fit to be president and we must do whatever we can to keep him out of office.
Drick, you haven’t learned a darn thing except what you want to hear. All you can do is call Trump a liar and a threat. There is very little policy in any thing you spout. Inflation and the open borders are seriously hurting the middle and working class Americans. We don’t give a rats ass what gender or color a candidate is. We care about policy. You still haven’t responded to my last post to you for direct quotes about the outlandish things you accused Trump of saying! Why not?
So if we vote for Trump we are harming our daughters and will be sex slaves or whatever bullshit you’re are trying to pin on us Trump supporters. How about you deal with the hundreds of thousands of unaccounted for children crossing the border under the control of the Cartels. These poor kids are sex trafficked and forced into slave labor. Tell me I’m wrong. If you really believed in Christ you would fight like hell to stop this. I hear nothing from you, you phony. The Millers give thousands to help these poor kids. These are God’s children and God will deal severely with those who don’t take care of them.
Thank you SO much for the work you do. I am also campaigning for Harris and have vowed to do everything in my power to be certain Donald never gains a position of power in this country ever again.
Hello Drick,
Thank you for writing words of TRUTH.
My sadness and anger in this election are the lies that Trump is dispersing. Numerous people want to believe that he will not destroy our country. We cannot take a chance voting for someone who does not believe in democracy. People of color, whites, and immigrants helped build America.
Watching people on Jan 6 try to destroy the government was not play-acting. It was real; people lost lives because of words from a leader who does not want our country to live where all people are treated with respect and dignity.
I am afraid for my family and grandchildren.
Thanks for sharing