I am a lifelong Democrat, and I’m proud to say that. I have no remorse in my private (now public) judgment of anyone, at any point in my adulthood, who told me they were a Republican. I wouldn’t treat them differently, but you can bet I judged them as either rich and selfish, or victims of sheer stupidity who vote against their interests. That kind of ignorance hurts us all.
“Why are you a Republican?” In ye olde days, the popular response was, “I want small government. I don’t want to pay for lazy people to collect benefits.”
Today, these same individuals, many collecting benefits, demand the power to interfere in people’s personal lives. That is more government.
You do not know what anyone outside your household is going through. Mind your business. Get a hobby. Do a good deed. Mow my lawn. (Really)
Single issue voters are the most closed-minded religious hypocrites of them all. What would Jesus do? Not what they’re doing. I regard organized religion today as a cult whose members identify as republican “pro-lifers,” who think they can tell everyone else what to do. There is one on my block who has identified herself with both “Trump” and “Pro-Life” lawn signs. I no longer wave as I drive by.
Allowing the government to police women’s bodies will lead to relinquishing more rights. Women in Iran and Afghanistan would not choose the restrictions foisted upon them. They are hidden behind garments that cover all but their eyes. Non-compliance means violence. They cannot make eye contact, speak to men, they are deprived of education, they cannot drive. Many fathers, husbands, and brothers, who remained silent while these controls gradually took effect, now realize this is no way to live. Today they have no recourse. They’ve taken to the streets in protest and been beaten, arrested, and even killed.
By forcing birth, in a country where rapists are rarely punished, (the United States) our republicans give rapists the opportunity to select the mother of their offspring. This includes children who are also often forced to marry their abuser, or in the case of incest, a random adult. Forced marriage is most prevalent in conservative religious families resulting from parent’s shame in the realization that their child has been sexually active. Children cannot consent to sex, it is rape.
Between 2000 and 2018, some 300,000 children were legally married in the United States. The vast majority of child marriages, between 78% and 95%, were between girl and an adult man, married off before they reached the age of sexual consent, 16 to 18 depending on the state. Four states do not have an “age floor” and girls are bound in marriage as young as age 10.
In some states, girls under 18 cannot legally divorce or leave their spouse, and domestic violence shelters typically do not accept minors.
This practice of policing criminals, by sentencing victims to a lifetime of abuse: forced birth, then giving the rapist the child as a bride or shared custody of the newborn, is a form of misogyny that is most reprehensible.
Abortion bans keep a woman from receiving emergency healthcare as she miscarries, and threaten medical personnel with prison if they help people who need it. This is a Republican ideology that has gone into effect in GOP governed states thanks to Donald Trump. You remember Trump, the adjudicated rapist who has also been accused of sexual assault by over two-dozen other women and children?
Many international agencies, including the U.S. State Department, have declared child marriage a human rights violation, but have yet to step in to end the practice. The consequences of child marriages include sexual abuse, decreased education, early pregnancies, and psychological trauma.
70% of the country was against the Supreme Court’s action, ending the precedent set by Roe v Wade. The remaining 30% got their wish, forcing their ideologies on the population, even if it kills women and girls. This conservative Christianity has no foundation in the teachings of Jesus. The steady decline in church attendance and religious affiliation, particularly among the young, results from blatant hypocrisy. Why are you obsessed with your neighbor’s personal choices? Voting to put the government in the exam room with women is not WWJD.
There are also the self proclaimed “Alpha-men,” misogynists who want to lord over women, but need the government’s help to snag one. Project 2025 (Trump’s manifesto) includes ending no-fault divorce. An abused spouse won’t be able to sever the bondage without sufficient documentation proving abuse. Republican policies disempower women, minorities, LGBTQ, and young people.
The Grand Old Party is blatant in attempts to disenfranchise those groups by making it harder for them to vote. When we all exercise that right, they lose because they focus their leadership on taking away rights and protections, ranging from healthcare to organizing labor. They think the non-rich are here to serve them without recompense.
https://www.newsweek.com/child-marriages-map-1937901
If you haven’t registered to vote your time is running out.
VOTE.GOV
Early voting has begun in many states. Within days, we will all have the opportunity to vote early, in person or by mail. It is important to take advantage of these resources because Election Day has become chaotic, by design. Republicans want you to go home without casting your ballot. They’re preparing for Election Day, November 5, as if it will be their last election and it might be.
Every time democrats propose a bill that would make Election Day a national holiday, republicans vote it down. GOP Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell calls making it easy for eligible voters to exercise that constitutional right to vote, a “power grab.”
Let’s grab that power! They can’t win if we all show up, and they know it.
EVERY VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
When people say “your vote matters” consider this. Iowa’s 2nd congressional district was decided by 6 votes in 2020.
https://apnews.com/article/e3f235f217707a78fcec059f8e0b4ffa
Doctors ‘fight like hell’ against a second Trump admin: ‘Elections do matter for your health’
Doctors ‘fight like hell’ against a second Trump admin: ‘Elections do matter for your health’