I posted this on Facebook today, and I’m sharing it here:
I voted for empathy in this election.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another human. Those who demonstrate empathy usually translate those feelings into doing something to help someone. What a noble concept.We have a vacuum of empathy in Washington, D.C. Whether it’s a president who literally denies the existence of a pandemic that’s killed hundreds of thousands or the Republican leadership that enables him, we need to replace him and his enablers. Now.
The man in office has no feelings for others. He demonstrates no care for the sick and dying as we experience the second (or is it the third?) wave of the cornoavirus and COVID19 disease it causes. The man in office now is nothing more than a carnival barker, a reality TV person concerned with ratings. He says so almost daily. And it’s doubtful that he’s a real billionaire, given the broad spectrum of failed businesses and phony philanthropies he created. It’s no surprise then, that his primary reaction to the pandemic is denial. Recall that he said he “Takes no responsibility.”
I care about the poor Black men, women and children born into a world of discrimination based on something so trivial it’s bewildering: the color of their skin. Black Lives DO matter. My heart is heavy with sadness over what these people have had to endure since the dawn of our nation. In that respect, the Civil War solved nothing, except for keeping a deeply divided country together. The man in office doesn’t care. Join me in caring and doing something.
I care about the application of pure, evidence-based science to the world around us and to our our health. We had plans in place to handle a pandemic. They were dismantled by this man. And each step of the way he spread misinformation that has made the situation worse. A stealthy virus infecting millions around the globe is no time for politics. It’s time to listen to doctors and scientists who have spent lifetimes pursuing achievements that have bettered all our lives. It’s thanks to them our lifespans have nearly doubled in the space of one century. The man in office knew how bad the virus was but as he told all of us, he minimized it to avoid panic. There was no lesson learned from presidents like JFK or FDR who confronted us with with harsh truths we needed to know. We’re a stronger nation because of their bold, direct communication.
I care about having a clean, healthy planet left for our children. Denial of the raw, empirical science behind climate change is to laugh in the face of a tsunami wave accelerating toward your shore. Science is not a belief system or politics. There is no lack of consensus surrounding climate change. It’s an urgent crisis of the highest magnitude. As many scientists say, there is no Planet B. We only have this one.
I care about all of us having access to health care, regardless of pre-existing conditions. Because of his hatred for President Barack Obama, the man in office has used every ounce of his political strength to try and dismantle the Affordable Care Act. He may yet succeed.
I could go on. There’s the tens of thousands of lies the man in office has told over four years, starting with the size of his Inaugural crowd on Jan. 20, 2017. Photographs don’t lie. There’s the bullying of anyone who dares oppose him. I knew bullies on the streets and playgrounds where I grew up in Chicopee, Mass. The man in office is one of those youths grown up to be an adult who never understood the terrible pain he inflicts on others. (Side note to the First Lady: If you’re looking for a place to start your anti-bullying campaign, talk with your husband.)
I seek to have a man or woman in the Oval Office who recognizes all this and more … and who demonstrates care by placing himself in the shoes of someone who is suffering.I’ll close by citing three quotes that have always been at the core of my personal approach to life.
1) In his Inaugural Address, President John F. Kennedy asked that we look beyond our own selfish needs as we struggle with the challenges of daily life: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” I have not always succeeded but I’ve tried to think of that phrase each time I start to do something selfish. The man in office now acts only in his self interest.
2) A personal hero of mine was JFK’s brother Bobby. Sadly, he was murdered while running for president in 1968. Bobby was a man of vision who urged all of us to learn lessons from history and apply them to our lives. He often quoted Irish playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw, who said, “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. Others dream things that never were, and ask why not.” I first heard Bobby cite this quote in 1967. I got goose bumps then. I still do today. The man in office never asks this question. He simply thinks about what can contribute to his own wealth or fame.
3) Nineteenth-century slavery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison was such a fiery orater that those who supported his fight for freeing Black people often asked him to tone it down. He refused. In a line from one of his most-cited articles, which appears on the base of his statue on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, he said: “I do not wish to think, or speak, or write with moderation. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD.” The use of caps at the end was his decision. I’m with Garrision. Silence is assent.
Please join me in voting against and speaking out against the man in office today.There is so much more to cite, but I think you get my point. I do care deeply about others. I wear a mask out of respect and love for my fellow humans, regardless of how “uncomfortable” it might be. These last four years have shaken my faith and confidence in governmental leadership.
I voted for Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris. I love my country. I believe it was ALWAYS great, and will remain so. The authors of the Constitution knew perfection in government was nearly impossible to achieve. That’s why they sought a “more perfect” union. We have our flaws, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
