250 Years

I beg you be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.

- George Washington

The dividing lines in American politics have turned into a chasm seemingly impossible to cross. Divisions sown through hate and tyranny, hidden by the guise of morality and "draining the swamp."

The regression in civility across party lines came to a turning point with the presidential run of Donald Trump in 2015, with his iconic slogan, "Make America Great Again."

Through his campaign, he positioned himself as a political outsider, interested in restoring the glory days of the United States and weeding out corruption in Washington. His rhetoric appealed to many who saw the government as ineffectual and anti-working class.

Many warned that the hate he was spreading would negatively impact the country, from his dehumanizing language toward Latin American immigrants to his misogynistic tendencies and his mocking of disabilities. Many others were willing to let that slide, almost appreciative of his filterless, brash nature, in favor of something "new" and "different."

What we experienced was nothing new or different. It was just another man in power who didn't have working-class interests at heart. He lined his pockets with policies benefiting him and his billionaire buddies. He fumbled the pandemic, causing millions of Americans to die unnecessarily. He continues to use hateful and divisive rhetoric, bleeding into public health with COVID denialism and vaccine mistrust. And then he cheered on his supporters to overthrow the government on January 6th, 2020, during the certification of electoral votes for Joe Biden's presidency.

Joe Biden's presidency was much like the others. While the hateful rhetoric scaled all the way back, it was business as usual. Virtually ignoring working-class problems by offering milquetoast solutions and political placating. While the culture calmed down a bit, unemployment went down, and things stabilized slightly in comparison to the Trump presidency, Biden's tenure was lukewarm at best.

Then, despite saying on the campaign trail in 2019 that he would be a one-term president, he decided to run again. Embarrassing himself on the world stage during a debate in which Donald Trump annihilated his campaign, he dropped out and went all in for his vice president, Kamala Harris.

This exchange of power did not allow democratic voters to vote for their chosen candidate, and ultimately, Kamala didn't have enough time to garner the support she needed to win. In the background during the 4 years of the Biden Administration, Trump and his far-right counterparts were working on a plan to come back even stronger conservatively, with Project 2025 drafted and planned.

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump swore up and down he knew nothing about Project 2025 and wouldn't enact the policies within the document. The people who were scared by the realities were gaslit by Trump supporters, labeled dramatic and radical. More moderate voters went out and voted conservative on the promises of peace, financial stability, and the lie that Project 2025 would not be on the table.

Now we're a little over a year into Trump's second term as President of the United States. His administration is packed with authors of the notorious Project 2025. And there are several policies adjacent to Project 2025 that have already been enacted, which you can view in more detail on this website: https://www.naacpldf.org/tracking-project-2025/

The United States Government is an oligarchy, working largely for the interests of the billionaire class. Bolstering oil executives, private health insurance, large tech conglomerates, weapons manufacturers, and the list goes on.

This is not unique to Trump. Complacency and ineffectual policies by the liberal Democrats allowed us to get to this point. Trump has just stoked the fires of division and turned the temperature to an all-time high. People who were otherwise civil are now online, calling each other names. There is violence in the streets and in homes over these political differences. People in the same tax bracket are pointing fingers at each other instead of pointing their fingers upward at the actual problem. The Culture War has permeated American society, and if people are unwilling to admit they may be wrong, nothing will ever change.

We need to choose love, compassion, understanding, empathy, charity, and freedom over being "right". We need to acknowledge that our government is working against our best interests, and our Constitution calls for us to stand against tyranny. We don't need to see eye to eye on every social issue but we must have respect for people and their choices as long as their choices are not harmful. We must remember what our founding fathers fought for. We must remember who we are and take our country back from the grips of late-stage capitalism for a more equitable, free, and healthy society.

They say on average it takes 250 years for an empire to fall, and I would be lying if I said I weren't rooting for a rebirth.

I love this country. I love our people. And we deserve better than what we have.