Down to the Wire

It's now coming on two o'clock in the morning. The polls open in a little over four hours. Silent night. I wish I could tell you that all was calm and bright, but that's hardly the case. On the night of the 2004 election I retired for the evening, thoroughly convinced that John Kerry would defeat the halfwit from Crawford, Texas. My nephew was staying with me at the time. When I woke up at around three AM to get a bottle of water out of the fridge, he was still awake. "He won" he said to me. I could tell by the look on his face and the tone of his voice who "he" was.

 

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

 

H.L. Mencken

 

And to think it has come to this. I'm not-at-all certain who is going to be declared victor at the end of what I know will be a very long day. I've so little faith in the civic intelligence of my fellow countrymen and women that a Donald Trump victory late this evening won't phase me in the least. In fact I'll be able to make some tasty lemonade out of those nasty lemons. If the Donald wins this thing, I'm the only person I know of who makes under a million dollars per year that will benefit handsomely.

 

I have always been somewhat ambivalent whenever comparisons are made between the GOP of today and the Nazi Party of yore. Are they fair comparisons? It all depends upon what year we're talking about. Comparing the Republican Party of 2016 to the Nazis of 1938, the year of Kristallnacht and the opening of the first concentration camps, is not only unfair, it's quite absurd - and I'll be the first to admit it. But how about the Nazis of 1928, when they were just getting their feet off the ground? Not only is the comparison apropos - it's unavoidable. If the American people are stupid enough to go down that road at day's end, it will be a comparable jump from 1928 to 1933, which was the year that Hitler came to power. If the American people are stupid enough to go down that road at day's end, they'll deserve everything that happens to them. EVERYTHING.

I'm not crazy about Hillary Clinton. She was not my first choice to be the nominee - in fact she wasn't even on my list. I believe that she is, at heart, a plutocrat. But when placed in juxtaposition with a sociopathic Neanderthal like Donald Trump, what choice does anyone with an IQ above room temperature have? Jill Stein??? Please. This is not the time for third party experimentation.

Again the comparison to 1933 needs to be made. I've never been a fan of Communism, but if I had been living in Germany then, and been forced to choose between the Nazis and the Communists, the choice would have been a no-brainer. And, no, I'm not implying that Hillary is a commie - Chill!

Everyone needs to get out and vote for Ms. Clinton today. It doesn't matter if you're in a safe "blue state" or a hopeless "red state". Her victory in the popular vote needs to be decisive. If you live in New York and are thinking: She'll win here, why bother? or if you live in Mississippi and are thinking: She'll lose here, why bother? - then you're missing the point entirely. We need to send a clear message to the Tea Partiers that her victory will be the unquestioned will of the people. (By the way, we really do need to get rid of the electoral college - seriously. Without it, more people would vote. Without it, Al Gore would have been elected in 2000. Something to think about).

The message also needs to be heard loud and clear by the far right politicians presently polluting the halls of Congress. These people have become too weird for their own good. Expect at least four more years of obstruction and procedural chaos if they are able  retain control of the House and/or Senate.

Now is not the time for apathy, folks. I don't give a damn who you are or where you live: If you believe that there is a future for progressivism in America, get down to your polls and vote today as if your life depends on it. I am not sure whether or not Hillary Clinton will be a good president. I hope that she will be (that's assuming she wins). All I can tell you with any degree of certainty is that America will survive her administration. The alternative is too horrible to even talk about.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED LISTENING:

America The Beautiful
by Ray Charles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBVejwZt8Q

A little ditty we all need to hear today.