November in America

November 1, 2020

Dear Dad,

Please don’t vote on Tuesday. Not this year.

I realize this is a bold request. Please understand I am not asking for your daughter or me. We are in our mid-fifties, and our ships have sailed. I ask on behalf of your six grandchildren because your grandchildren will pay the ultimate price for your vote.

As 2020 slowly comes to a merciless end in America, there is wreckage everywhere. The Covid virus is surging, the economy is in tatters, racial unrest remains, and our country faces the most significant internal division since the Civil War.

As the election nears, I struggle to understand why you will likely vote contrary to the values you taught me over five decades.

Your grandchildren will live in the aftermath of four more years of sheer incompetence, never-ending lying, and the destruction of the Democratic principles our country was founded upon.

They will live in a country where decency and shared values have been replaced by selfishness and tribalism.

They will continue to live on a dying planet that soon will pass the point of no return.

They will live in a country where science is regularly ignored and openly scorned by your party.

They will live in a country where the government controls a woman’s body.

They will live in a country where that very same government denies its citizen's basic health care.

They will live in a country where intolerance for others is tolerated and encouraged. A country where inequality continues unabated.

They will live in a country where assault weapons remain widely available to commit mass murder. You do know that the Second Amendment was written back when muskets were the only guns? You know..those old-fashioned guns that took 45 + seconds to re-load.

Please don’t vote. Not this year.

Dad, you first voted for President 66 years ago in 1954. I’m pretty sure you voted for Eisenhower. And why not? Ike was a five-star general, served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II, and was an ideal Republican.

But where has that Republican Party gone?

What happened to family values?

What happened to fiscal conservatism and reducing deficits? You always told us we could not spend more than we made.

What happened to America’s global leadership? Remember that Shining City Upon a Hill. Where did that go? The rest of the world has no clue what happened to the USA. Their angst and frustration have turned to pity. That makes me sad. Why doesn’t your party care any longer?

What happened to condemning authoritarians and confronting Communism? It was a Republican President that defeated the Soviets. Guessing Ronnie might have handled Putin a bit differently. There are confirmed Russian bounties on American soldiers, and it’s not even a top story in the daily stream of chaos. Certainly not on Fox News.

What happened to requiring character and integrity in our elected officials?

What happened to believing in science? NASA was a government program formed in 1958 and became an example of American innovation and excellence.

What happened to sacrifice for the common good? The President has single-handedly made wearing a mask a political issue. I wear my mask for others. Today he ripped Dr. Fauci as being overtly political.

How do you explain that the United States accounts for 4% of the world’s population but 20% of the Covid cases and deaths?

And in our wildest dreams, did anyone worry that a US President might not transfer power peacefully? That is pure madness. It’s also entirely possible.

The entirety of the Republican Party seems hell-bent on returning to the dark ages across every category of public life. From education, immigration, and healthcare to foreign policy and climate change, the party of Reagan finds itself adrift on almost every issue. The party that I proudly supported from 1988-2016 no longer exists.

The party I supported for almost 30 years has been hijacked by a cult of selfish and bitter Americans who care about either the mighty dollar or maintaining cultural division. “Look at the stock market. My taxes will go up” Perhaps look out the window occasionally. You might find raging wildfires, weekly hurricanes, record droughts, and a rapidly shrinking Arctic ice shelf.

By the way, where is that Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act? For ten years, conservatives have been loudly railing against the ACA, trying to tear it down and repeal it. Well, we have all been waiting. And we are still waiting. What is the alternate solution to a core issue that affects every US citizen? We are three days from Election Day, and the silence is deafening. There is no plan: Nada, zero, zilch. McConnell and Graham never pretended to have a plan. Their only strategy has been to decimate Obamacare in the courts and take away coverage for millions.

Dad, you have been a role model for me, and I am incredibly thankful for your guidance and wisdom. I grew up under your roof in the ’70s. Your Republican roof. Here is what I learned at the dinner table every night.

You and Mom were married for 43 years. No divorce. No affairs.

You are self-made and worked your ass off to provide a better life for your family.

You taught us to be kind and empathetic to others.

You taught us to respect those with different views and opinions.

You shared your love of travel and took us to many foreign countries.

You taught us always to help those that were less fortunate.

You proudly served your country in Korea.

You were loyal to one company for 30+ years.

Nothing was ever given to you.

None of these values now exist in the President or your party. None of these essential human qualities are exhibited on Fox News. Instead, they feast on division. It’s always us vs. them. Forget discussing the issues. Let’s destroy the other guy. I invite you to watch the Roger Ailes documentary. Divide and Conquer, The Story of Roger Ailes.

The right has such vitriol and utter contempt for any liberal view and the “radical” ideas they bring to your town. The idea that all government is bad makes no sense. If looking out for the weak and poor, providing affordable housing and healthcare, and confronting climate change is socialist, then sign me up. And of course, sign up your daughter and six grandchildren too.

Both parties share blame for how we arrived here. Term limits, campaign finance reform, and a wall between government employment and lobbying would be easy and measurable fixes. We agree on these issues. We agree that there should be fewer guns, fewer abortions, fewer white supremacists. ANTIFA people should be jailed and prosecuted for property destruction. On the other hand Proud Boys should probably not attempt to kidnap an elected Governor. But only one party works non-stop 24-hours a day to return America to the 1950s. I understand that you yearn for a simpler time. You want the time when personal responsibility and family values mattered—a time when a hard day's work was rewarded with economic security. You also yearn for the days when white males still ruled the world. Just kidding, they still do!

And your team happily crammed through a 6-3 Supreme Court majority in less than a month. Hypocrisy has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years. Why is the minority in this country making all the rules? Gerrymandering and voter suppression have become the primary strategy. Why worry about governing and creating effective policies when tearing everything down is so much easier.

Thankfully, your grandchildren are engaged just as you taught them. They will vote for the positive values you helped instill in them even though you will vote differently. That irony is not lost on me. We support the other side because you and Mom raised your family with love, compassion, respect for others, and a desire to treat people as we wanted to be treated.

Dad, I love you and thank you for all you have given me over the years. I understand and respect that you will vote this year. It is your right, and I’m guessing you may have already done so.

Thank God you live in California.