Platinum-selling millennial rapper Post Malone muses on his latest album, Beerbongs and Bentleys, “Politicians and their lies, tell me what’s the point in pickin’ sides.” Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and Nike luminary Colin Kaepernick admitted in late 2016 that he had not even bothered to vote in the presidential election, despite spending a year protesting police violence against African-Americans by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. The protests seem to have cost Kaepernick his NFL career.
I realize it is quite easy to lapse into apathy and not really care about the political future of the United States, but that’s what charlatans and con men such as Donald Trump are counting on. Americans have often flirted with demagogues–Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy, and George Wallace come to mind–but we never actually elected one president like we did in 2016. Because this appears to be a pivotal moment in American history, I urge millennials and anyone else who cares about our democracy to get out and vote for Democratic candidates across the country this November. Not long ago, I would have supported Republicans, but that time has passed as the party has descended into racism, paranoia and feverish conspiracy theories, not to mention the fact they are spending borrowed money like drunken sailors, in direct contradiction to what they have preached for decades.
I was quite proud to cast my vote in 1980–after voting Democratic in ’68, ’72, and ’76–for Republican Ronald Reagan, who promised to improve the lackluster economy and assert American strength in the world. Reagan’s policies led to economic expansion and the fall of the Soviet Union. I also voted for his successor, George H.W. Bush, who promised to extend Reagan’s championing of free market theories to include the rest of the world. Not surprisingly, America’s economy flourished and its position in the world was amplified.
Unfortunately, although an honorable man, George W. Bush’s policies at home and abroad sacrificed much of his predecessors’ successes. His wars in the Middle East have cost America nearly $3 trillion and still counting. And, while not totally his fault, he also presided over the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression when the floor fell out of financial markets in 2008. Add to that Bush’s silly proposal to privatize Social Security–think of the wealth that would have been lost in the 2008 market crash–and I began to grow disenchanted with the Republicans. It didn’t help when Republican conspiracy theorists floated absurd ideas such as the Sandy Hook slaughter had been a hoax perpetrated by anti-gun advocates or the assertion by Trump that Barack Obama was not an American citizen.
In order to get my vote, Republicans need to return to their roots and once again stand for free markets–Trump’s tariff war is already beginning to hollow out the agricultural center of this nation, a global economy, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was the right step toward furthering our trade goals in Asia while at the same time isolating China; common sense immigration laws–let’s allow for asylum seekers to enter the country to contribute to our economy; and fiscal responsibility–there’s absolutely no reason to bail out farmers with $12 billion in aid when the problem can be solved by ceasing tariffs against our trading partners.
Moreover, Republicans have added more than $1 trillion to the deficit because of unnecessary tax cuts. A positive economy, which we have experienced at least since 2014, should be a catalyst to decrease the deficit. To their shame, Republicans have forgotten their core principles. It’s not surprising that deficit hawks such as Bob Corker in the Senate and Paul Ryan in the House are retiring in the wake of further deficits and a president who espouses policies antithetical to their long-standing beliefs that deficits are a drag on the economy.
For these reasons, I cannot support any Republican candidates this year. And, while I’m sure that Justin Fareed–Republican running for the House of Representatives–is a fine young man, he might think about a run for city council or board of supervisors before aspiring to hold a seat in Congress. Although I don’t agree with Democrats on every issue, I cannot abide a Republican Party that is driving this nation to division, bankruptcy, and a loss of worldwide respect.
Michael Smith is a resident of Santa Maria. Send your thoughts to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 20-27, 2018.