Election related essays by others
7 November 2024
There are the most interesting essays that I found:
A ‘republic if we can keep it.’ Perhaps we cannot, by Jennifer Rubin
In sum, when a country deliberately rejects decency, truth, democratic values and good governance, the problem is not a candidate, a party, the media or a feckless attorney general. Democracy is not self-sustaining. It requires a virtuous people devoted to democratic ideals. Whether we can recover the habits of mind — what we used to call civic virtue — will be the challenge of the next four years and beyond.
The Resistance Starts Now, by Robert Reich
Millions of people must now live in fear of being swept up by Trump’s cruel mass deportation plan — documented immigrants, as he has threatened before, as well as undocumented, and millions of American citizens with undocumented parents or spouses.
Women and girls must now fear that they’ll be forced to give birth or be denied lifesaving care during an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage.
Americans were conned by disinformation (my title), by Heather Cox Richardson
[Biden’s] system worked. It created record low unemployment rates, lifted wages for the bottom 80% of Americans, and built the strongest economy in the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, setting multiple stock market records. But that success turned out not to be enough to protect democracy.
In contrast, Trump promised he would return to the ideology of the era before 2021, when leaders believed in relying on markets to order the economy with the idea that wealthy individuals would invest more efficiently than if the government regulated business or skewed markets with targeted investment (in green energy, for example). Trump vowed to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and to make up lost revenue through tariffs, which he incorrectly insists are paid by foreign countries; tariffs are paid by U.S. consumers.
How to protect yourself and each other regarding a future abortion ban - 5 things to do right now, by Jessica Valenti
Before I get into it, please remember that the laws haven’t changed overnight and you still have the same access you did yesterday (for better or worse). These aren’t urgent action items—but suggestions.
Order abortion medication
Donate to an abortion fund or organization
Protect your digital safety
Know your legal rights
Check in with your community
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The index to my prior essays on civics is here.
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