Wow! Trying to Make Sense of Voter Gullibility

By Norman Franklin

Norman Franklin

Shamelessness has become the character of the body politic. Values, respect for humanity, integrity, and compassion, it seems, don’t appease the support base; they don’t show American strength.

I’m trying to make some sense of it all.

Politicians campaign under the premise that they care about their constituents, they care about their communities, and they care about the country.

Recent demagogy disparaging immigrants, and legal Haitian immigrants caused disruptions in communities, bomb threats, and hateful acts against innocent people. Xenophobia, prejudice, and discrimination are reactions of fear stirred by disinformation campaigns. Constituents suffer.

Both political parties fall short of the ideality envisioned for governance of “for the people” America. Political discourse has devolved into campaigns of disinformation, conspiracy peddling, sophomoric insults, and audacious lies.

It’s peculiar that the Republican candidates, the party of the Christian right, are the more flagrant violators of disrespect, questionable character, and dehumanizing rhetoric.

Republican don, Former President Trump is chief among them. He sets the tone, the standards of rhetoric, and directs governance of the party. House Speaker Johnson is a surrogate; he neither shows autonomy in leadership nor the intellectual prowess of an original thinker.

Case in point: the House must pass a Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown. Speaker Johnson introduced the Resolution with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act included. Republicans question the integrity of the voting process, they claim illegal immigrants, and non-citizens are voting.

Under the SAVE Act, citizens must provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. States must validate voter status with a valid passport, Real I.D., military I.D., or other birthplace validation.

It’s a stumbling block to the passing of the resolution to keep the government funded through March 2025. The Senate, House leadership, and Biden White House indicate an unwillingness to support stopgap funding that includes the SAVE Act.

Former President Trump has urged Speaker Johnson not to pass a funding resolution absent of the SAVE Act. Trump and his GOP loyalist want to keep immigration fears on the minds of voters.

Leaders must be aware of their voice when on the national stage. What they say influences the thoughts, the perspectives, the values, and actions of those listening. On the national stage, Republican politicians, have framed the identity of immigrants.

They are an invading force, criminals, rapists, and gang members – Venezuelan gangs are taking over a Denver suburb. And here is the most atrocious baseless claim: Haitian immigrants are stealing family pets, cats and dogs, and eating them; we could presume for dinner.

Trump made this baseless claim on the national stage during his debate with VP Harris. There is a large presence of legal Haitian immigrant is Springfield, OH. As a result, schools have closed, and events have been cancelled because of bomb threats. A lot of damage has been done.

Sen. Vance has admitted that he created the claims against the Haitian community to focus national attention on immigration. No concern for the collateral damage to the community, to the lives of his constituents. Vance represents Ohio in the US Senate.

Trump takes no responsibility for the disruptions downstream. He told reporters in Las Vegas, “I don’t know what happened with the bomb threats.”

The Mayor of Springfield, and the Governor of Ohio, neither appreciating the damage to the city, and negative national attention on the state, still plan to vote for the Trump/Vance ticket.

I’m trying to make sense of their loyalty, character and integrity aside, for these who want to be our leaders. I reminded of the message of the song, “The Snake.” A tender-hearted woman takes in a half-frozen snake. She nurtured it back to health. She began to cuddle it, trust it. The venomous snake bites her. She lamented, “I saved you,” but the snake reminded her, “you knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.”

To quote the late poet and activist Maya Angelou, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”