President Trump made a good suggestion the other day: next time you vote, pretend he’s on the ballot. Since he won’t be, consider instead how likely the candidates you select, up and down the ballot, will be to support him and his policies. Will they stand idly by as he pursues his ill-considered war in the Middle East, which has disrupted the flow of oil and fertilizer, causing prices to rise, and weakened national security by draining stockpiles of interceptors meant to protect against incoming drones and missiles? Will they do nothing as he imposes unnecessary tariffs on our best trading partners, squeezing supplies and exacerbating inflation? Will they be able to protect consumers, farmland, and water resources if Trump’s cheerleading for data centers bears fruit? Will they stifle their perplexity as he coddles dictators such as North Korea’s Kim and Russia’s Putin, while alienating our best friends? Will they make no objection when he expresses his gratitude to patriotic sailors who’ve worked long shifts on an aircraft carrier for 9 months without a single day off by suggesting they haven’t stayed at sea nearly long enough? And will they remain silent as he uses tax dollars to enrich himself, his family, and his personal friends (to the tune of billions) through self-dealing, while suggesting that kids can make do with fewer toys if Walmart must raise its prices? Next time you vote, take Trump up on his suggestion, and think about whether your candidate of choice will work to constrain the damage he’s doing to our livelihoods.
Richard Harris
Charlo