There's only 48 hours or so remaining before Election Day, and even though Kim and I voted early about a week ago, I can't wait.
I'm patiently waiting for the Blue Wave to appear. There has to be a way to put the brakes on the national disaster that has defined the Trump Administration, and voting might be it.
Which means Democrats and Independents have to turn out and make this an election that's too big to rig.
OK, OK. This is the midterms, not a presidential election. I know that. We're still stuck with the Antichrist for two more years. But if the midterms somehow put Democrats in control of the House of Representatives, it could help slow down convicted felon president Donald Trump from causing further damage to our democracy. And, Heaven permitting, if Democrats can also control the Senate, there will exist the power of accountability.
Accountability. That's what's been missing from the current crop of Republicans who control Congress and thereby allow Trump to govern so erratically. And unlawfully.
• We've seen staffing reductions across several several federal science agencies, including 20 percent reduction at NIH and 33 percent at NSF.
• There have been reductions in public health, including an increase in measles and a five-state cyclospora outbreak. There have also been cutbacks in ACA protections and in drug pricing provisions.
• The administration has hit civil rights hard, moving to ban federal and military DEI programs, restrict gender-affirming care and alter rules governing labor protections.
• And then there's the really offensive stuff, like the deportation of brown-skinned people under the guise of immigration control, even though many of those deported are legal American citizens. And how's that six-day war in Iran going? How about rising inflation and interest rates? Can you afford to buy a house? Or groceries? Did you vote for that?
• Those unauthorized vanity projects like the Trump ballroom or the triumphal arch of the reflecting pool, as well as decorating the White House in gold trim, are, in my view, decidedly unAmerican. Why are we paying for them? Who said he could do those things?
The list is endless.
I know the recent polling shows many Democrats in favorable positions heading down the stretch as an apparent Blue Wave is on the verge of cresting. I hope so. We need to turn a corner somewhere. Surely we are better than this.
But nothing is certain. A Blue Wave could all dissolve on Election Day, especially if the polling is wrong. The early voting numbers are encouraging, however, especially since Democrats historically tend to vote early.
It's in our hands. We the People...
