Sounds crazy? Perhaps not. Democracy is under attack by Donald Trump and his MAGA followers. This is not spin or baseless hyperbole. They have told us publicly and unashamedly that they are authoritarians dedicated to the unraveling of our democracy. And Trump's Vice President selection, JD Vance, told us so before his craving for power consumed him transforming him into a born-again staunch follower of Donald Trump. Vance earlier called Trump an "American Hitler." Condemnations don't get more damning than that. And if, as Vance declared, Trump is an American Hitler, Project 2025 created by the Heritage Foundation is the American version of Mein Kampf in its vision of a fascist America. It's the playbook--should Trump win in November--for eliminating the balance of powers, reshaping the federal government, and centralizing unlimited power in the president. This poses an existential threat to democracy.
That's why the primary and exclusive focus for Democrats, Republicans, and independents who want to preserve American democracy must be the defeat of Donald Trump in the 2024 election. All other issues should be secondary--to be battled out in civil discourse after victory on November 5th when our Republic stands on the solid ground of democracy.
The ticket of Kamala Harris and John Kasich would give true meaning to bipartisanship--a term that is frequently called for but rarely embraced in the current toxic and divisive political climate. John Kasich though firmly places democracy over party. Fearing the election of Donald Trump in 2020, John Kasich showed extreme courage by attending the Democratic Convention where he called on Republicans to vote for Joe Biden.
The credentials of Harris and Kasich impeccably qualify them to govern.
Their collective resumes offer a range of qualifications like no other potential candidates: Kamala Harris a former DA of San Francisco, attorney general of California, U.S. Senator from 2017-2021, then Vice president of the United States for four years; and John Kasich the former governor of Ohio from 2011-2019, and before that a member of the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001.
This proposal, if implemented, could resurrect the genuine Republican party that the MAGA movement has decimated. More urgently, it would inspire Americans with an exciting choice that would guarantee the continuation of the American experiment and the salvation of democracy. A hybrid bipartisan team would also be a magnet for moderate Republicans, Independents, and other voters who don't like Trump but would not vote for Biden. This could be the tipping point for a sweeping Democratic victory.
(Article changed on Jul 23, 2024 at 10:30 AM EDT)
