August Message from the Chairman

If you have been following President “He Who Must Not Be Named” recently, you have noticed that he has stepped up his attacks against social media (odd since he uses Twitter so much) and the regular news media – the “Fake News” folks.

In addition, his racial biases are evident in his criticism of the four congresswomen. Combine his attacks on the media and his racism with his continued denigration of immigrants, and you get a good picture of how he intends to run his 2020 reelection campaign.

His tactics are not new. In the movie The American President, Michael Douglas describes how his opponent planned to run a presidential campaign – by telling the public they were in bad shape and giving them someone to blame for it. Sound familiar? I’m not referring to the current President. I’m referring to Nazi Germany in the early 1930’s.

Hitler controlled the media and gave the Germans someone to blame for the woes of the country – the Jews. And, his “base” ate it up. They believed everything he said and condoned everything he did because he was going to make Germany great again.

Trump is following a similar script predicting, without foundation, the demise of the press if he loses to a Democrat in 2020. He also predicts the destruction of our economy if he loses. He will use every scare tactic that he can because he knows he cannot stand on his record. Now, you will hear his supporters claim that joblessness is down, and they would be correct. But a low unemployment rate does not necessarily mean a strong economy. An economy is strong when its workforce has money to invest, save, and spend. Investing helps economic growth; saving provides banks funds they need to invest and grow as well as providing some future economic security for those who save money. Spending keeps the economy moving, hopefully helping to provide future job opportunities.

But, there are millions who have jobs that are part-time, or jobs that pay minimum wage, and/or jobs with no benefits. These Americans do not have money to invest; they do not have money to save; and they barely have enough money to spend to keep their heads above water. His “strong economy” has been fueled by a massive tax break for the wealthy that could well cause a recession in the not-too-distant future.

As Democrats we need to recognize the great things Democrats have done for all people in this country, and we must be prepared to share that. We are the party of Medicare/ Medicaid, Social Security, The Affordable Care Act, environment protection, and of economic equity and inclusion – to name a few. On the other hand, Republicans, the party of big business, rely on “opposition politics” rather than looking for solutions. That mindset hurts them when they get control because all they do well is oppose - not lead. It’s always the Democrats who have shown the courage and the intelligence to lead. And, we Democrats must use that to our advantage.

Recently in a tweet, the President hailed himself as “so great looking and smart, a Stable Genius!” This “genius” is dividing this country, and his followers are blindly cheering him on.

We are better than what he and his followers represent. Michelle Obama’s words, “When they go low we go high” are more relevant than when she said them three years ago. Please stay involved. Please share what Democrats want to do for this country. I like how Mike Lux put it in his book How to Democrat in the Age of Trump. Lux says,

Democrats need to emphasize that we want to build a society where we empower people to be more independent. A good education, decent health care, good jobs and living wages, markets not dominated by a few big businesses that allow for small businesses to compete. This is all about giving working people a chance to have a better life, a life where they can support their families and rely less on the government safety net. (p. 56)

So, please vote, help organize, and stay involved. The only way we save this country is by defeating Trump next year and electing more Democrats here in North Carolina and around the country. If we don’t, Canada may build a wall to keep us out!

As for him being “so great looking and smart,” – no way. I’m smarter and better looking!

Respectfully,

Ric Vandett

P.S. To find out how to be involved, check out our website at www.catawbacountydemocrats.com or reach out to me at drvandett@gmail.com.