I recently received a comment to the post of my article ‘The 2nd First Presidential Debate’ that criticized me for leaning in favor of Trump, of even being a ‘closet Trumpist’. The comment went on to repeat ad nauseum the typical Democrat party election ‘talking points’ that pretty much just say ‘don’t vote for Trump because he’s crazy, a moral degenerate, etc.’ In other words, commentary that reflects a personalization and demonization of the issues and a failure to consider that much more may be at stake in this election besides personality traits.
The commentator reflects the intense, fear mongering Democrat party messaging underway that so many Liberals in the Democrat camp regurgitate nowadays. The Democrats and mainstream media have guys like him so worked up over the prospect of ‘the end of the world if Trump is elected’ that they can’t think straight about anything else. In one big gulp, they drink the Democrat party kool aide political marketing that’s spiked with an antidote against even considering, let alone discussing or debating other policies. That’s especially true of Biden-Harris policies of chronic war mongering, genocide, and allowing party neocons like Blinken, Sullivan and others to drag us into a direct conflict, and possibly a nuclear war, with Russia… or Iran… or later China.
By totally focusing on personality trashing these commentators fail to raise even a word about Democrat foreign policy—perhaps the most important issue in this election. I’m referring to policies of war and genocide that may eliminate the need for even another election in 2028 since few of us might still be around to vote.
Makes one wonder who’s really the ‘crazy’ in the room in this election.
Here’s the essential excerpt from the commentator in question who accused me of being a ‘closet Trumpist’ for not parroting the Democrat/Harris line that Trump’s a personal demon who will definitely end the USA and maybe the world if elected:
Manny Katz commenting on The Second 1st Presidential Debate.
“I don’t know what to make of this analysis in terms of favoring one candidate over another. Your article seems to be a “normalizing” or “sanewashing” attempt for Trump. Are you actually a closet “Trumpista?”, trying to “even out” what you interpret as a tranch of “unfairness” to the bully in chief? A right-winger in left-winger clothing?
…It is beyond my belief system that you actually want to make excuses for a deleterious, deranged, demented candidate who has never had the slightest moral, intellectual, ethical or governmental qualifications to be a POTUS or anything else.”
And here’s my reply to Mr. Katz:
Your comment reflects the main messaging of the Democrat party: to demonize and personalize the campaign. You make not one mention of the Biden-Harris foreign policy that is bringing us closer by the day to a US direct conflict with Russia or with Iran on behalf of Israel in the middle east. Are you politically deaf and blind? Does foreign policy not enter in your calculation? Harris policy is Biden policy is the policy of the US empire and deep state taking us to the brink, including nuclear war potentially.
And how about talking about domestic policy? I’m a former long term union organizer. What I see is Trump offering to end taxing social security income (that Reagan introduced). I don’t hear a thing re. same from Harris? I hear Trump talking no tax on tips (which Harris quickly added so she wouldn’t get wiped out in Nevada in November). Trump talks about no tax on overtime pay. Harris is silent on that one. Harris wants to re-institute $3k for child care that Biden ended after only six months in order to redirect the money for child care to tech semiconductor corps and infrastructure investors. Before Harris mentioned her $3K JD Vance had already proposed $5k. Then Harris even backtracks even on Biden’s 37% corporate tax and proposes 28% tax rate, plus $50k for start up companies’ tax deduction. How about giving workers a ‘start up’ deduction? How about any worker returning from unemployment having his wages tax free for the first six months on the new job? How about helping him/her ‘starting back up’?
I don’t apologize for Trump. His corporate tax cuts are massively pro-business. And he’s no better than Biden-Harris on Israel. Both would continue writing a blank check for Netanyahu, whose strategy to stay in office and avoid jail is to suck the US into a war with Iran. Trump would likely be no better. Ukraine appears another matter. Clearly Trump wants to end it and Biden-Harris to continue it. Perhaps for another 20 years, like Afghanistan? Russia has intercontinental ballistic missiles that can land on my house; Iran doesn’t. So, yes, I prefer Trump’s policy on Ukraine to the Biden-Harris policy of let’s keep crossing Russia red lines in Ukraine until we go to war with them (of course hiding behind Ukraine and NATO).
In short, you think because I criticize Harris’s Biden war and foreign policies that I am pro Trump. You’re incapable of seeing that a critique of Harris is not necessarily a pro Trump position. That logic is like saying if you’re anti-Zionist you’re ipso facto anti-semitic, which is another nonsense argument.
Fact is I wouldn’t vote for either Harris or Trump, as I’ve said on many occasions if you did your research better. I’ve never voted Republican in my life and not about to do so. But I’ll never vote again for Democrats the champions of forever war and genocide.
Since the end of campaign finance reform and Citizens United, big corporate and investor money have taken complete control of the Democrat party. They’ve evolved positions and policies that were once traditional Republican. They are the Republicans now. Even that chief war monger and neocon of the Republicans, Dick Cheney, has joined their camp. The Democrats are the party of war and big business now in the 21st century. But I guess that’s all too much for you to consider. Keeping it all personalized and demonized makes it easier for guys like you to vote.
In conclusion, I find it particularly tiresome to read the constant personalizing of Trump as the beginning of the end of civilization if elected. That’s just so much Democrat fear mongering instead of policy consideration. Yeah, Trump would probably make things worse domestically. But at least my kids and grandkids would be alive the next four years. Our families would not have to deal with a direct war, and likely nuclear confrontation, with Russia that was set in motion by the Biden-Deep State plan launched in 2021 to break up Russia via a proxy war in Ukraine. Or the Biden policy to continue to support genocide in Gaza. (Bet you didn’t like that one, right!). Or their obvious plans to provoke a confrontation with China over some islands near China. All three war policies which Harris of course supports but avoids talking about in the election.
If you can’t address the Democrats imperial war mongering and the foreign policy debacle of the Biden/Democrats—which Harris completely embraces— then don’t waste my time with your liberal, Democrat party ‘talking points’.
Jack Rasmus (neither Trumpist or WarCrat)
copyright 2024
Dr. Jack Rasmus @drjackrasmus
Jack Rasmus 
So it’s obvious from your argument that you plan to vote for neither the GOP nor the Dems. But I don’t believe this is merely an ad hominem controversy. And I don’t necessarily agree that a Harris presidency will inevitably lead us into a nuclear confrontation with Russia (or any other country).
Then, too, I dispute the notion that there’s no difference between the Dems and the GOP when it comes to policy. A lot depends on whether Dems retain control of the Senate, and that in turn depends largely on whether Jon Tester wins in Montana and whether Dems control the House. Without a filibuster-proof majority, Dems can’t do anything at all.
While I’d agree that the Dems are essentially a corporate-dominated Wall Street party, they have different positions on Social Security and Medicare, as even Alex Lawson at Social Security Works and NCPSSM have acknowledged. They also have differing positions on abortion and gun control.
And what are we going to do about this rogue Supreme Court that has already granted Trump immunity and overturned the Chevron Deference decision? SCOTUS may try to make nuanced distinctions between a President’s “official” and “unofficial” duties, but Trump isn’t one to make subtle distinctions. As “dictator on day one,” he won’t give a damn.
Finally, you fail to reference “Project 2025” anywhere in your article. Possibly you’ve mentioned it elsewhere and I’ve simply missed it. This “Project,” drafted and issued by the Heritage Foundation, will completely overturn what’s left of the U.S. Constitution and will jeopardize national security more than anything the Dems are likely to do. In addition, the Project will eviscerate the civil service, replacing Federal workers with Trump sycophants. These are the people who inspect the safety of our food, water, and air quality (I point this out, notwithstanding the fact that these functions have already suffered under privatization and contracting-out policies). But I would still rather have public agencies staffed with trained individuals rather than a know-nothing consortium of Trump lackeys.
That’s not the end of “Project 2025,” which, in addition to destroying what’s left of civil service, will abolish the Department of Education and undermine the DOJ and EPA. Again, while granting the inadequacies of these agencies, I don’t care to see their decline accelerate under Trump.
Possibly none of this bothers you. And even though I lean left politically, I find that most progressive leftists these days seem more intent on bashing Dems than they are with portraying Republicans as the existential threat they are (and, no, I do not use the word “existential” casually).
Meanwhile, these same progressives continue to plug for third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Cornel West, neither of whom are likely to tally more than 1 percent of the national vote. I believe these are worthwhile candidates, but since we are facing fascism under a potential Trump presidency (and let’s recall that Trump openly admires dictators like Mussolini, Hitler, Putin and Viktor Orban), voting for either one is political suicide. I don’t tell anyone how to vote, but I at least try to weigh the consequences that are likely to arise under a fascist Republican victory.
To me, this election is not another contest between “lesser” and “greater” evils, but between “lesser” and total evil.
Excellent essay, definitely bookmarking this one.
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