As voters, we need to heed the ‘Never Befores’ to avoid the ‘Never Again’ | Opinion
My fellow Americans: Because I care, I am about to do something I have never done before, and because you care, I hope and pray you will.
I do this because never before in the history of our nation has the candidate of one of the two major political parties displayed the principles and followed the playbook of America’s worst enemy, Adolf Hitler. And not just now, but from the time he entered the national political stage.
And I do so because there is a superb alternative in Vice President Kamala Harris, who stands for the traditional American values that have led us to victory over such fascist enemies and made us the beacon of hope to a weary and waiting world. She exudes class, compassion, and pragmatic policies that economists, business leaders, top military brass, and former Republican Vice Presidents applaud. Therefore, I respectfully and humbly pray you will give your vote to Kamala Harris in this election.
The long list of “Never Befores” should give you pause: Never before has a candidate like Donald Trump promised to terminate the Constitution, our nation’s hallowed founding document. Never before has one so demonized sitting Vice Presidents and Congressmen, calling them “the enemies from within” and unmentionable expletives. Never before has one praised enemy dictators of America and said he would be a dictator on day one if elected. Never before in America has one so consistently and unrepentantly spewed lies and heaped contempt on the poor and powerless, some of the least among us: migrants, immigrants, minorities, and even those of his party for nothing more than righteously stand up against him. Never before has one heaped contempt on our veterans, calling those who made the ultimate sacrifice “suckers and losers.” Never before has a candidate promised to imprison his political opponents and use the American military against Democratic citizens. Never before has one supported a Project 2025 agenda guaranteed to destroy our nation’s 250-year history of checks and balances and giving the president unchecked supreme power. Never before has one held hate-filled rallies like the one at Madison Square Garden.
Never before have such esteemed military leaders like General Stanley McChrystal, General John Kelly, and General Mark Milley (who called Trump “fascist to the core”) opposed a candidate and supported his opponent. Never before have former Republican Vice Presidents (Dick Cheney and Mike Pence) and other Republican leaders anxious to rebuild their once-grand party united against the Republican candidate and solidly for the Democrat, Kamala Harris.
As the New York Times concluded, “Donald Trump says he will prosecute his enemies, order mass deportations, use soldiers against citizens, play politics with disasters and abandon allies. Believe him.”
I do, and that’s why I make this plea. I realize this is a big ask in a state like Kentucky, where more than 60% of Kentuckians voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Still, I am called to do all I can with the light given to me. When I meet my maker and am asked what I did during the most pivotal moment in our nation’s history, I do not want to be found lacking.
Beyond Trump’s historic unfitness lies Vice President Harris’s winning platform, celebrated by business leaders, economists, military leaders, and over 700 national security officials. Her platform includes actions that will cut taxes for middle-class families, make rent more affordable and home ownership more attainable, grow small businesses and invest in entrepreneurs, take on bad actors and bring down costs, strengthen and bring down the cost of health care, protect and strengthen social security and Medicare, support American innovation and workers, provide a pathway to the middle class through quality, affordable education, invest in affordable child care and long term care, lower energy costs and tackle the climate crisis, and support bi-partisan border control and immigration reform.
Contrary to Trump’s false propaganda, America is surging upward. For instance, our economy leads the world and continues to improve, with interest rates and inflation going down, now at 2.4% as consumer price growth slowed to its lowest pace since February 2021, and surging job growth, “The economy right now is firing on nearly all cylinders,” said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the accounting and consulting firm RSM.; immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens, violent crime rates are down and continue to drop. Unlike their counterpart, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz lead with compassion, kindness, and fairness to all, committed to protecting our freedoms and the American Way.
We are the United States of America. The souls and spirits of our founders breathe upon us now. The humble, steady strength of George Washington and the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, joined by Benjamin Franklin and James Madison, in penning our Constitution with its Bill of Rights. Their souls ring out for leaders in their mold, with an unshakeable commitment to strengthen this solid foundation and America’s noble calling as the world’s city on the hill.
We must heed these “Never Befores” today, so that we can avoid the necessity of saying “Never Again” tomorrow.
Richard F. Dawahare is a Lexington attorney.