To be persuasive, we must be believable;  to be believable, we must be credible;  to be credible, we must be truthful.
                                                                                                             Edward R. Murrow

 


Are we a fearful people?


In the next three months we will find out if America is a country of anxious, angry, ignorant, suspicious and frightened people or if we are willing, even anxious, to face the uncertainties of our future with optimism, determination and joy to make a better world for ourselves and those who will follow us.


I have a red cap. Unlike the one you see on the heads of those following the cult of the former president, mine says, “Make Lying Wrong Again.” We have become so used to blatant lies, we often fail to react to them. During his four years in the White House, Trump (who, in my eyes, never earned the right to the title President of the United States of America) told more than 30,000 documented lies/misleading statements (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-fact-checker-tracked-trump-claims/2021/01/23/ad04b69a-5c1d-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html). He clearly lacks the ability to discern the truth and, even if he knows the difference between what is truth and what is not, he chooses to ignore truth if it achieves his goal of deliberate deception to achieve his personal goals. A recent New York Times graphic article focuses on jobs, immigration, inflation, tax cuts, Ukraine, crime, tariffs and debt (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/opinion/trump-lies-charts-data.html?searchResultPosition=3). It’s one-page and worth reading and also worth keeping if someone you know promotes some of the lies. When someone scoffs and mockingly questions the veracity of these sources you might remind them there have not been any successful libel suits about any of this. Whatever their policies, the New York Times and the Washington Post both remain models of journalistic veracity. 


Trump, and his running mate JD Vance, have told blatant lies about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Mr. Vance did spend four years in the Marines as a combat correspondent but not as a warrior, and never saw frontline combat; his service consisted of six months in an air-conditioned office. He was tasked with writing articles about the happenings in his unit. There’s nothing wrong with that except why would he attack the service of Tim Walz? In contrast, Governor Walz spent more than two decades in the National Guard, retiring in order to run for Congress. Further, despite Vance’s untruthful allegations, he applied for separation from the Guard before the unit was called up for combat duty. By almost every account, his service was exemplary. I have not yet read Vance’s bestselling book but many commentators indicate that it fosters mistruths. 


But Vance will never be able to keep up with Trump in terms of his capacity for lies. Trump lambasted ‘Coach’ Walz for his purported mishandling of the riots during the George Floyd turmoil, despite there being written and audio evidence that, while in the White House, Trump praised Walz for his leadership and effectiveness at that time. A few days ago, the liar-in-chief erroneously claimed that it was he who called in the National Guard (yes, the same organization Vance attacked when maligning Walz). The evidence shows Walz activated the National Guard two days before Trump called to praise Walz for his actions.


There are so many troubling things about the current onslaught of lies, not least of which is the fact that Trump/Vance are too incompetent to check their own records and other documents before proceeding with their mistruths. Considering policy issues, the misogyny, dishonesty, criminal behavior (Trump) and other awful qualities these two men share it is difficult to understand how their backers think it’s fortuitous to support such reckless, imprudent, ignorant and malevolent men?


Is it just another lie that Trump can’t remember who he was traveling with on that helicopter ride (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/us/politics/trump-helicopter-crash-willie-brown.html?searchResultPosition=3)? There is no evidence that the other occupants of the ride spoke against Kamala Harris. 


Yet, at least at this point, the despicable duo could still be elected. To watch them speak is to watch angry, unsmiling, unthinking individuals without morals.


Yes, they are weird. Worse, they are incompetent.


In contrast, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are messengers of joy who are trying to lead us to a better future. They are also inspiring orators, compassionate humans, experienced in governing, know the meaning of diplomacy, knowledgeable about history and current events and eager to make the world a better place for everyone.


In recent days, they have each been called “happy warriors,” a term first used in the 1920’s for the then Governor of New York State, Al Smith. For almost 40 years I lived in California where (as a political junkie) I had ample opportunity to observe Kamala Harris in her statewide roles as Attorney General and then as United States Senator. She was not perfect, but she was excellent!


One of the whispered issues is whether a woman can be elected President of the United States. It is astonishing that is still a matter of concern, but it is. We should do our best to assure that it is not relevent.


We are descended from generations of decent and courageous women and men.


I grew up in the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. When I first became old enough to vote I was privileged to be able cast my ballot for John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In the years since I have voted for Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton (Kate and I attended his first inauguration celebration), Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I have not voted for outright crooks (Nixon and Trump), borderline incompetents (Reagan, George H.W. Bush) and outright incompetents (George W. Bush, Trump).

Donald Trump should be held accountable for his illegal activities and never hold public office again.

Kamala Harris should be our next President.