What Would Nellis Say?

Watching a split-screen broadcast of a flailing, failing President Trump spouting utter nonsense, spewing hate, racism, and bald-faced lies, and validating gilded self-aggrandizement to a half-empty Mississippi high school auditorium with a capacity of 2600 while many attendees bolted during his meandering and abusive speech, in a desperate last-minute rush to salvage the campaigns of unqualified and extremist MAGA candidates in ruby red states that should have been slam-dunk victories…

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Opposite a composed, articulate, passionate, and funny former President Obama speaking before a packed, energized arena in Georgia about the causes of and common-sense solutions to the real issues facing Americans…

Provided a juxtaposition illustrating the opposing concepts of truth, our stark political and economic divisions, and the institutionally fueled ethnic tensions plaguing our society in this dark era of Trump II.

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Obama's speech recalled an enlightened vision of hope for our country’s and our democracy's future by engaging every citizen in the quest for inclusion, opportunity, empathy, and the freedom to pursue their dreams. He laid out a path to repudiate the darkness, bigotry, and hate of Trump’s America and return to our place as leader of the free world, if we are willing to share a common purpose and mutual determination to attain new pinnacles of liberty and equality.

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Trump attempted to defend the cruelty of ICE’s campaign to brutally arrest, murder, incarcerate in appalling conditions, and deport hundreds of thousands of refugees (as well as many U.S. citizens) who have no criminal record and have committed no crimes (other than seeking the American dream and not being white) to third-world dungeons without legitimate legal process or representation. 

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He railed about “Godless Communists”, “Democratic Socialists”, “violent jihadists”, “dirty Muslims”, “shithole countries”, and “illegal migrants” defiling American “blood”, while accepting bribes to hand out pardons to drug kingpins, financial scoundrels, and the thugs who attacked the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow an election he lost.

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He boasted about his “Big Beautiful Bill” that substituted $4.5 trillion in massive, unwarranted, and unprecedented tax breaks for his billionaire buddies while defunding Medicaid (12%), cutting subsidies for Medicare ($1 trillion), SNAP and WIC - food assistance (20%), public education (transferring funds to support vouchers for white “Christian” charter schools), school meals, preschool, and after-school care (primarily affecting low-income minority families), student loans and educational grants, scientific research, and tax credits for renewable energy efficiency in homes and automobiles, all of which resulted in a substantial increase in the national debt…and claimed that America’s economy was in a “golden age” while the vast majority of our citizens are struggling to afford the rapidly increasing costs for gas, food, housing, and medical expenses.

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He defends trashing alliances, trade and peace agreements, and justifies his ill-conceived and illegal war with Iran, which has cost nearly $50 billion, 21 service members killed, and thousands injured, and depleted our inventory of advanced weapons. The conflict closed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and caused a worldwide oil crisis, rising international inflation, shortages of diesel fuel and nitrogen fertilizers that sustain farming and basic subsistence in the poorest nations, and transformed our national status as the leading defender of democracy into being viewed as a pariah and war-monger.  

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Obama pointed out the extraordinary and blatant corruption of Trump, his family, and his administration, which mocks the struggle working Americans face trying to make ends meet. Trump is quoted as saying he “doesn’t care about inflation”, that it’s a temporary “inconvenience.” 

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The former president called out Trump’s justification for accepting Qatar’s bribe of a $400 million airplane, Defense Department contracts and questionable business deals with foreign nations by Eric and Donald Trump Jr.’s companies, the $Trump meme coin and crypto exchange, pay-to-play bribes, and pardons for sale, which provided more than $2 billion in income during his first year in office.

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Tuesday’s election offers a stark and consequential choice between lies, incompetence, corruption, bigotry, hate, and division, and everything that we believe this country should stand for – liberty, freedom, equality, inclusion, and opportunity for everyone…not just rich white guys who believe that everyone else should be subservient to their whims and subsidize their gluttony.

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Real American patriots who actually care about the character of this country are tasked with showing up at the polls in overwhelming numbers to cast votes for candidates who will stand up for all that’s right and true, while deposing those self-proclaimed authoritarian monarchs who are financing the devastation of our democracy, security, and pride in real justice, empathy, and fairness - the principles and ethics that have defined the foundations of our national convictions for centuries, and our hopes and dreams for all this nation should be.

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This might be our last opportunity to reclaim the America we’ve nurtured for centuries and renew our belief in who we can become. Stand together to end the hate and division foisted by Trump, the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, and justified by our Supreme Court as the rallying cry of the MAGA morons who elected these fascists.

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The choices we make on Tuesday will shape the nation's character for generations to come. 

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Stand Up! Speak Out! Make a Difference!

 

For more of Rick’s essays and novels, visit www.rickstiller.com and enjoy a few moments of calm with his floral portraits from Kelian’s Garden at www.rickstillerart.com.