Hey, Republican Candidates! Here's How to Get My Vote

For whatever reason, I decided to tune in to the Republican party's Presidential candidate debate last night out of curiosity to see if there's anything they'd say, or can say, to change the disastrous direction the party has gone since the failed 45th President has been its political leader.  There are quite a few candidates still trying to convince voters to support them rather than the former failed President, and I thought there might be an outside chance that one of them might be able to articulate a vision for the country that would be worth considering.  

I didn't hear anything at all that would get even the most remote consideration of my vote.  This was, perhaps, the single most disconnected, disinterested, unimaginative, draconian gathering of politicians that I have ever seen.  They demonstrated zero interest or initiative in trying to get the votes of their fellow Republicans, much less any other voters.  If that group of candidates is the cream of the crop then the GOP is in deep weeds.  

It would be difficult for a Republican candidate to get my vote, I admit, because their party is so far to the right of where I am politically, that they have nothing to offer than interests me.  So if they happen to stumble on this blog, perhaps I can help put them where most of us average, everyday, common people live, work and spend out money.  I'm not hard to please.  Give it some thought and get back to me.  Here's my list...

Admit Trump lied, instigated the January 6th insurrection, and is guilty of attempting to overturn a legitimate election.  Make a public declaration that the 2020 election was legitimate and secure and that Biden won.  

I honestly don't believe there was a single person on that stage last night who actually believes the 2020 election was "stolen" from Donald Trump. They, along with the executives at Fox News who emailed their disgust with Trump and his lies, know the truth. What's wrapped up in their refusal to say it, and make it part of their campaign is courage, or their lack of it is their lack of courage and integrity.  And that's why I wouldn't vote for any of them.  Those are qualities which are foreign to them.  

Well, there's Chris Christie.  An opportunist who sticks his finger up to see which way the wind is blowing, Christie has discerned that Trump doesn't have the nationwide support he will need to win and has positioned himself to get his attention by beating up on the Donald.  He, too, has known this all along but it didn't stop him from sucking up to the mendacious bully when he thought it would give him a boost.  So he wouldn't ever get my vote either.  But it is kind of fun to watch, because he clearly annoys Trump and gets under his skin.  

So come out and say that Trump lied, that he should be prosecuted for using violence to try and overturn a legitimate election, that he incited the riot on January 6th for his own purposes, and that he is responsible for the highly illegal attempt to overturn the legitimate election with a "fake electors" scheme.  Tell your supporters, however few they may be, that Trump should go to prison for this and should not be eligible to run for office and that you are supporting party efforts to keep him off the ballot.  

Then, we'll see. OK? 

The NATO alliance is the cornerstone of all American foreign policy so if you declare your support for America's role in NATO, are 100% supportive of our efforts to keep Ukraine free, refuse to cuddle up with dictators like Kim Jong Un, and understand that Putin is an anti-American, fascist dictator, then that's a condition of my support.

Any candidate who sees American foreign policy resting on an unshakeable alliance with NATO has my vote.  So do those who believe that the freedom of conscience Ukraine is fighting for is worth our wholehearted support and that it should culminate in their NATO membership is on the right track as far as I am concerned.  There was a little bit of that last night, in response to the hateful comments of one of the candidates, and the yawns of a few others.  

This is America's leadership in the world and we are a democracy, always have been and always will be.  We do not support dictators, oligarchs and anti-American, anti-democratic demagogues.  And we need to lead by example.  

The financial interests of Americans like me had better be your priority! 

I'm headed quickly to social security and it is long past time to increase these benefits and make this program work again.  I'm tired of being told I can't take prescription medication because it costs me $500 for a month's supply.  I'm tired of seeing people I know struggle with a decision to go out to eat a couple times a month, or fill their gas tank.  I'm tired of corporate greed snatching profits out of their worker's hands, those who actually earned the profit for them, and I'm tired of attempts to disband and diminish the influence of labor unions, who are the backbone of the labor force. 

And how about supporting a national minimum wage of $15 an hour, and with the inflation we've experienced, take that on up to $17?  If people are willing to work, they should earn a living wage. 

Be committed to making the tax system fair.  

By fair, I mean the wealthy paying the same tax rate I do, or, given the fact that they earn their wealth because of the nation's infrastructure, security and position in the world, they should pay a higher rate to cover the costs for those things that they generate, which are higher than what it costs to protect and help the rest of us be prosperous.  

Get away from the culture wars, stop trying to dictate matters of conscience and support equal protection under law.  In other words, be woke.  

As Thomas Jefferson once said, it made no difference to him if his neighbor believed in many gods or in no got, it neither picked his pocket nor broke his leg.  Any loss of personal freedom is a danger to everyone, including the advocates of removing the personal freedom of others.  

Where's the tyranny experienced by those who claim they want to "take this country back."  How is it that anything done by the political left takes away any of their freedom or personal rights?  I am not going to vote for a candidate who thinks their American vision is better than my American vision and wants to impose theirs on everyone else.  

Finish the health care reform started by President Obama. 

Whatever it is called, Medicare for all, socialized medicine, a single payer, government operated health care payment system and health care system, that's what I want.  Canada has one, and all the bugaboos raised by Americans who are opposed to that kind of system are present in our health care system too, in many cases much worse than in Canada, and we pay double for the privilege of not being able to get it.  Obamacare was a great start, but he wanted more and so do I.  If we can spend $7 trillion in four years of a presidential term, a huge chunk of that in tax cuts for the wealthy, we can surely find a way to operate a decent, national health care system. 

And since supply and demand is not how the pharmaceutical system operates, I'd just prefer for the government to take that over, too.  There's a lot of profiteering on pain and suffering, and it's the government's responsibility to protect its citizens from that.  

None of the GOP candidates on that debate stage would ever get my vote.  

No Republican could meet these conditions and do these things, not a single one.  They'd have to become an independent or join the Democratic party.  None of those candidates on the debate stage would come close.  And just for the record, Chris Christie was an enabler of the failed 45th President for a long time before he became a critic.  He'd never go here, anyway.  

There is, in fact, just one person now running for President who meets my criteria and that candidate is Joe Biden.  

Makes it kind of simple, huh?