Clear contrasts in the upcoming presidential election

In any election, it is important that voters understand the differences between the candidates. In the upcoming presidential election, the differences are very clear.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate will support the rule of law and our free and open election system; honor and protect women’s right to reproductive health care; protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; continue to provide Affordable Care Act support; and work to generate a stronger border security policy, as was negotiated by a bipartisan group of Senators in the current Congress but blocked by Donald Trump and his congressional Republican enablers.

On the other side of the ballot will be Donald Trump. He has attacked every one of the above positions, with no clear response as to how he would handle these issues. When he does take a position, it is unclear whether he is telling the truth, since he is a habitual liar. One estimate by an independent fact-checker following the June 2024 debate is that he lied 50 times.

Trump is an admitted authoritarian, who has often expressed admiration for ruthless dictators like Vladimir Putin of Russia. I submit that if Trump is elected this time, it will be the last free and open election for president we will ever have. He has had practice defying electoral results (to wit, Jan 6, 2021) and if he regains power, he will find a way to move from term to term or select someone to be ordained as his replacement.

Remember one thing, Trump will succeed in these goals only if we let him. We need to use our votes to prevent him from destroying our democracy.

Ed Shaffer

Galien