People wait in line to vote at a polling place on the first day of early voting on October 22, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Beto O’Rourke is running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the midterm elections. (Photo: Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
by Roy Eidelson
It makes sense that Donald Trump is worried about an approaching caravan. But it’s not the one you’re probably thinking of: the few thousand desperate Central Americans who’ve banded together and are slowly making their way through Mexico toward the U.S. border. These migrants have broken no laws in undertaking their difficult and dangerous journey, and seeking asylum here is their legal right.
No, the caravan that’s actually giving Trump and the GOP panicky night fevers is comprised of tens of millions of U.S. citizens. Committed to countering the horrors of the past two years—and the past week—they’re heading to polling places across the country with a single goal in mind: to vote some of the president’s fondest enablers out of office.
Comparing the two, the voter caravan is the only potentially disruptive force, the one powerful enough to upend a political agenda that primarily nourishes the rich and the racist. Trump’s focus on the migrant caravan is simply pretense, a craven way to galvanize the GOP base—especially the white nationalists within it.
Central to this strategy is the use of manipulative and deceitful psychological appeals that have been used throughout history by self-serving demagogues. Here are four examples:
“It’s a Dangerous World”: Trump falsely portrays the migrant caravan as a dire threat to the United States, a hostile invasion that requires sending thousands of military troops to the border to keep us safe.
“No Injustice Here”: The White House falsely claims that its inhumane immigration policies—prolonged detention, obstruction of asylum claims, family separation—are neither unwarranted nor unfair.
“They’re Different from Us”: GOP leaders falsely argue that these migrants don’t share our values, our aspirations, or even our humanity, and should therefore be treated with suspicion rather than compassion.
“Pursuing a Higher Purpose”: Trump falsely insists that even long-cherished principles and basic human decency are legitimately sacrificed at the border in order to advance his master plan for restoring America’s greatness.
These claims from the president and his accomplices are all as empty as a conman’s promises. The migrants aren’t plotting to harm us; they’re escaping horrific violence and trying to protect their children. Our government’s hostile and brutal response to their plight isn’t reasonable—it’s unjustifiable. These men, women, and children are no different from us—in their struggles against adversity or their desire to live with dignity. And certainly, any country’s greatness is diminished by its refusal to help those in need.
But Trump and other GOP leaders believe that stoking fear, anger, suspicion, and contempt toward the migrant caravan is the best way to counter and undermine the voter caravan now massing against them. They recognize that a narrow base, agitated by lies and distortions, is their only hope against a broad electorate that sees the country lurching to new depths every day.
Don’t let their manipulative ploys succeed yet again. On Election Day, join the voter caravan and be part of the national course correction we urgently need.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
All over the world, we are seeing the rise of authoritarianism that is rejecting the norms of democracy, freedom of the press and individual rights. In many countries, we are seeing leaders using political position for personal gain and watching the deliberate instigation of bigotry and intolerance toward the “other”. We are witnessing the undermining and imprisonment of public officials, opposition leaders and journalists. Russia, China, Hungary, Brazil and Saudi Arabia are only a few of the countries moving in this direction.
Most of us who live in democracies believe “it cannot happen here”. But, for many of us in America, it has been stunning to see how quickly President Trump and his administration are shattering the cultural norms of the world’s oldest and most powerful democracy.
All of this is not happening by accident. European and American right-wing factions are in close contact with each other, share tactics and goals, and are organised, led and sometimes even funded by some of the same people.
Democracies, such as ours, that assert equal protection under the law and government accountability to its citizens are foundational to a healthy and humane society, must comprehend the scope of the ultra-conservative movement if we are to effectively confront it.
These organised groups are actively tearing down a post-second World War global order and replacing it with autocratic leadership based on self-interest. Unfortunately, the establishment is defending the existing order and ignoring the fears and insecurities of the people that this outmoded status quo has wrought.
Neither is conducive to a positive future, as neither will provide what so many are asking for: simply put, a decent quality of life. If we are to prevail, we must clearly articulate a vision of shared prosperity, personal freedom, economic fairness and, most importantly, human dignity – the basic tenets of a vital democracy.
That means creating policies that effectively tackle economic, environmental, racial and social justice issues. We must not be satisfied with incremental, transactional change that makes little progress and carefully avoids affecting those in charge or offending their lobbyists and large donors.
We must fight for transformational change that shifts the balance of power back to ordinary citizens and makes a real difference in their lives. The United States and Ireland have each had recent successes in terms of individual rights and economic justice.
These victories were hard won by people standing up and fighting back together – the only way real change ever takes place. We need to build on these successes and expand our partnerships on both a local and global basis.
The issue of war and peace is central to this fight for democracy. The United States has long used “democracy” as a reason to wage regime-change wars which have resulted in serious “unforeseen” consequences – whether it was overthrowing Mosaddegh in Iran, Allende in Chile, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, or a whole range of clandestine operations, interventions all over the world.
Many of these military actions might not have taken place if the public had been educated about the issues, if those with different ideas and foresight had not been marginalised, if there had been a civil debate of ideas rather than a group-think acquiescence.
I’m an educator. And I believe democracy depends upon an educated populace. Some of the important elements of education – inclusive with respect to human rights, accessible regardless of economic status, and essential in preparation for global citizenship – are also some of the most important aspects of a strong democracy.
Recognition that public funding for pre-school through university is not only an investment in the individual, but an investment in the future of the country, could shift the spending priorities of a nation while enhancing democratic values.
As we prepare our teachers, doctors, childcare workers, economists, lawyers and other professions for their chosen careers, we should also educate them for democracy. Perhaps we could learn from the Native American culture and cultivate a practice for our students – and our policymakers – of determining how today’s decisions will affect the next seven generations, impact the environment, and influence the growth and development of our children. Perhaps the media could assist by offering broader perspectives and fostering more debate on the facts, ethics and morality of particular stances regarding the economy, income inequality, budget policy and democratic principles in general.
In our schools and colleges, we need to put greater emphasis on economists working with students on global inequality and poverty. We need more scientists exploring the root causes of the planetary climate crisis and the necessity of sustainable development and renewable energies. We need greater focus in teacher-education programs on sharing the latest neuroscience discoveries and considering their implications for nurturing curiosity, creativity and confidence and cultivating a thirst for lifelong learning.
“We need to set the bar higher for our elected officials, candidates, the media and ourselves…”
A consistent interdisciplinary approach could bring students in various fields together to work collaboratively, in teams, in respectful civil discourse. And, since we’re discussing democracy, there could be discussions about why policies that are best for the largest number of people, fairer for all, are – or are not – adopted in our nation’s capitals. Perhaps we could incorporate real-world case studies that review policies and actions not just from a what happened perspective, but why, what were the results, and how could we have done better?
Educating for global citizenship requires the ability to think critically, write clearly and communicate effectively. It requires media literacy and analysis. It requires an understanding of sustainable development, and the ability to identify and research complex issues. And it requires ethical behaviour.
Which brings me to our current electoral process. In today’s politics, the conventional wisdom is that it is no longer enough to defeat your opponent in a contest of ideas. According to the omnipresent highly paid consultants, the politics of today requires you to destroy them.
Negative television ads and mailings, paid for by special interests and large donors, bombard voters with reasons not to vote for this one or that one. The result is, they often decide not to vote – at all. We need to get money out of politics and, in the meantime, we need to not listen when money speaks. Don’t believe the negative messages. Demand that candidates give reasons to vote for them, not against their opponents.
In terms of civil discourse, we need to set the bar higher for our elected officials, candidates, the media and ourselves. We need to voice our opposition when we see the harsh, divisive and partisan rhetoric or the politics of personal destruction at work – regardless of whether we support or oppose the speaker or the target.
We can ask, and ask, and ask again that they all actively resist this coarsening of our culture whenever they observe it. We can let the candidates and the media know that we expect in-depth questions and answers about issues that affect our lives and that we expect them to engage in issue-oriented civil debate.
Published on Tuesday, October 09, 2018 by The Irish Times. Republished in Common Dreams, Tuesday, October 09, 2018.
Veterans for Peace at an anti-war protest. This is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Author: Fibonacci Blue from Minnesota, USA.
by Patricia Daniel
Do you know any veterans who were disabled in one of this country’s many wars? That injury affected them personally. Could they use some support in exercising the democratic values for which they fought–ask them if they would like help getting a ballot in November or demonstrating outside polling stations.
How about someone (perhaps yourself) who was the victim of sexual assault? Take it personally. Offer a ride to the polls.
What about those individuals whose economic and personal wellbeing has been undermined by the billions of dollars invested in warfare and foreign conflicts rather than in education, the environment, and health care? Talk to them about how they’ve been affected. Encourage them to vote.
Do you know people who feel so disenfranchised and despondent about the state of the world that they think voting doesn’t make a difference? Help them to understand that taking action helps to overcome despair—and that the most important action this fall is to get out and vote on November 6.
Who in your community has been affected by gun violence—your neighbor, the high school in the next town, the family going through divorce? These people have been forced to take gun violence personally. Get them to the polls. Learn about relevant ballot measures.
Do you know immigrants whose lives have been uprooted by government-sponsored hatred and family separation? They didn’t ask for maltreatment , but they have to take it personally. Make sure they are registered to vote.
We must take this election seriously, and personally. War and violence are not things that just happen in faraway lands and affect people we don’t know.
On the contrary, look around at people in your community and you will see that a large number of them have been affected by violence and injustice in some way. We can and must do something about it.
Learn about the candidates and issues. Share what you learn with others and ask them to exercise their democratic right to vote.
Many states have early voting and the polls are already open. Take advantage of this to help your friends and neighbors find the time and place to fit voting into their schedules. Start the conversation now and inspire others to engaged citizenry.
Take it personally. Get out the vote.
Note from Kathie MM: What are you doing to get out the vote? Please send us your action stories.
Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Flarakoo
By George Cooper:
Assuming she could get a visa, a visitor to the US from abroad would find, with some exceptions, a prosperous country with friendly, gregarious, and industrious people. She would see occasional political bumper stickers on cars and trucks and a few residual political yard signs. Conversations in coffee shops might indicate whether she was in a blue or red area. But, if she stayed away from cable news, she would likely come away thinking that America is doing well.
Underlying this façade are deep fissures. Many, justifiably, feel left behind in an economy where a disproportionate amount of wealth flows to those who already have the most. Tepid growth in wages leaves most people with little to show for their efforts. Some can keep pace financially, but far too many are falling inexorably behind. For them, the American Dream appears out of reach.
Distrust is rampant. Distrust of government, distrust of the media, distrust of foreigners, and– most concerning–a distrust of one’s fellow citizens. Demagoguery, along with coarse and fallacious public discourse, encourage this distrust.
Most agree with the statement: “Our country is going in the wrong direction.” Agreement ends abruptly there. The “wrong” direction is entirely different depending on whether one breaks to the right or left politically. Rampant tribalism encourages a stiffening of views enhanced by one’s echo chamber of choice and the respective bubble in which one lives. Technology has played a significant, yet little understood, role in this. Virtually everyone can become a talking head, myself as a point in case. Add bots and trolls to the equation, and you have a seething maelstrom of genuinely held views alongside the mischief spread by said bots and trolls, creating a witches brew of epic discontent.
What divides us can be distilled down to the politically toxic trifecta of money, religion, and guns. These are the three pillars of twenty-first century American tribalism; currently, there is no end in sight to their destructiveness.
America has perhaps never seen itself as others do. Maybe that’s why we so little understand the rest of the world. No doubt, America is going through a rough patch. Which reminds me of the pithy line, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” We will, but we won’t be the same on the other side.
Tell us: What are you wondering about? Where will be if our hypothetical visitor see us in ten years’ time? Still heading straight for hell, or on another path?
