Words should be truthful because rhetoric based on lies has real implications.
I sit here a few weeks removed from the 1st (and maybe only) presidential debate, and I am overwhelmed when I look back at not just the debate itself but all the events and news that has transpired since then. Writing about politics on this blog or espousing my takes and opinions on social media is pretty limited because it’s painfully clear that too many people have forgotten or unlearned how to converse with anyone they don’t have any significant alignment with. It also seems obvious to me that not enough folks want to accept when something is true despite it making them uncomfortable because it conflicts with existing worldviews or what we would like to be true.
Anyone who watched the presidential debate with honest eyes would agree Kamala Harris won, as far as how we score winning debates. Looking back, we should also agree that Biden lost the debate in June, despite my support for him. (It is possible to admit when a candidate or person you support doesn’t live up to desired performance or expectations.) Her answers and policies overall that night and on the campaign trail were and continue far more substantive and focused on the needs of most Americans. In contrast, Trump was his typical self and focused on himself and his personal grievances, lacking in details about most anything and unable to communicate ideas that would benefit the majority. Most importantly, his words and responses to moderator questions were riddled with lies and dangerous rhetoric that has led to real physical safety concerns for residents of Springfield, Ohio, and arguably for anyone who could be considered “other than American.”
Not backing down from lies and unsubstantiated claims that end up causing physical safety concerns to our fellow neighbors cannot be made acceptable. Making up a story to “make a point” is not the leadership we should want for this country. The ongoing othering is doing the opposite of bringing a country together, as is being a political candidate distracted enough to post you hate a celebrity simply because they stated support for your opponent. Focusing on yourself or a small minority of supporters with a narrow view of what America should be is not a winning strategy.
The past several years have made it abundantly clear that words are extremely powerful, and refusing to understand that power, especially for high-profile people, is dangerous.
And yet, throughout all the news, it is easy to fall into the laughable moments from a debate or the outlandish statements posted online or in a news interview. We want to laugh. We also don’t always want to deal with the reality of the moment and get into and understand the ramifications of what is being said. Real consequences and issues are on the line, and every wild new thing that is said aims to distract us from what’s important. Yes, immigration and border security are legitimate issues, but placing blame (especially at this moment) on one group of (legal) Haitian immigrants as the representation of all the ills of American immigration is hardly fair at best and dangerous to those human beings at its worst. We have heard about threats to schools, to government buildings, and the Haitians in Ohio that I am quite certain would not have occurred were it not for the demonization by the people at the top of the ticket of one of our major political parties. And as I sit here, there has been no repentance for their words or actions, nor do I expect there to be.
How is any of this acceptable to anyone, moreso to those who align themselves with that political party? Why do you find this behavior and rhetoric a reasonable representation of your ideals and beliefs for how you think America should be run and governed? Shouldn’t we think about all Americans and people and not only the ones we see eye to eye with politically or with those who look or sound or act like we are used to and want?