What kind of country do you want to live in?

Character matters

The 2024 presidential campaigns genuinely offer a distinctive choice in how we view our young country and what we want our futures to look like. Since Reagan, political leaders have encouraged us to think only about ourselves and our current prosperity, asking us, “Are you better off today than you were under the previous administration?”

In this current election, a bigger question must be our focus: What kind of country do you want to live in?

One focused on fear, racism, misogyny, loss of freedoms, and a free-for-all for corporations to pillage our planet? Do we want to live in a country where a small group of people have decided that we don’t deserve the opportunity to live freely? Do we want Project 2025—essentially a replacement for our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and historical judicial decisions—to force us under the rule of one man and his power-hungry sycophants? A leadership that will force Christian Nationalism into our government, our media, our education systems, and our culture, using the fascist playbook as its template?

Or do we want a country rooted in compassionate values like dignity, empathy, equality, and respect? Do we want to live by the democratic ideals that have served our young country so well? Do we want the freedoms we have gained: The right to read what we want, love who we want, control our bodies, be treated equally under the law, vote safely in our elections, and create the kind of caring families and communities we want?

Compassion, empathy, and kindness

Without these values, we devolve into our primal animal instincts, rooted in fear. It is these values that helped slavery become illegal, gave women the right to vote, installed labor and safety laws, inspired the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and embraced the legality of same-sex marriage.

These values must drive solutions for people without housing, mental health access, abundance, childcare, public education, and elder care. Compassion and empathy must be extended to other species—we are all part of a greater ecosystem.

Character

Character matters. We must ensure that our leaders have a moral underpinning that shows up every day in their personal and political actions. I want to know that the values of compassion, empathy, and kindness guide their actions. Honesty is often hard to find in the political industry, but the test is simple: If a candidate regularly shows you who they are through their words and actions, believe them.

Would you tolerate a friend who regularly lies, exaggerates, and distorts reality? A friend who insults and calls you names when your opinion is different? Who cares nothing about your life, values, opportunities, and freedoms? Someone who refers to you as a loser, a basement dweller, and not very smart? Why would you accept a political leader who does?

In October 2023, Republican Senator Mitt Romney said, “Donald Trump represents a failure of character, which is changing, I think in many respects, the psyche of our nation, and the heart of our nation. That’s something which takes a long time, if ever, to repair.”

Brave intelligence

Political leadership demands knowledge about our history and philosophical foundations, as well as a moral understanding of what is right and wrong. More importantly, bravery is required to stand by this intelligence. Who is standing up for all of our citizens? Who is listening to us?

Our political leaders are humans who have flaws and make mistakes. Still, to lead a country whose principles are based on democratic ideals, they must demonstrate their character and moral beliefs. Only one candidate and campaign have shown this, and it’s not Donald Trump, MAGA elites and their sycophants. It's the Harris-Walz campaign.

For me, my legacy—the long-lasting impact of particular events and actions that took place in a person’s past —will include a vote against a fascist takeover of America. democracy is not perfect, but we will miss it once it’s gone.

Stop Project 2025. Save our democracy and freedom. Vote for Harris-Walz and Democrats, state and federal, up and down ballot.