A few days ago, an Ohio Sheriff, Bruce Zuchowski, called Vice President Kamala Harris “a laughing hyena.”
This type of disrespect — along with lies about Haitians eating stolen pets, comments about liberals not being victims of assassination attempts and other disparaging rhetoric to talk about rivals — seems to be the Trump, Vance and MAGA playbook. This is what happens when you build a political campaign on a series of lies designed to destroy our democratic way of operating. Their real agenda has to be guarded because planning to destroy democracy cannot be advertised.
It appears the hidden, although not so hidden, agenda of the Trump Party is where we need to focus our attention. The agenda we got a glimpse of some weeks ago via the Project 2025 document is instructive. It gives us a deeper view of what is really the intention behind all we see going on in the public square.
Catherine Meeks
I am beginning to see that Donald Trump is mostly a pawn in a much bigger game even as we watch him deteriorating in front of our eyes. He is the best chance the creators of the Project 2025 agenda have to get the power needed to put their ideas into place.
Also, the underlying Nazi themes are not lost on those of us who are paying attention. The selection of JD Vance as a running mate is a strategic choice. He seems to be a character obsessed enough with the desire to gain power to be willing to get it by any means necessary, a person preoccupied with control as exhibited by his archaic notions about women and their bodies and the business of their managing our lives.
Of course, the foundation for this conversation lies in the notion that men should have all the power and women are merely present to be their objects of pleasure and to make sure men can have all of the support and care they wish to have. Such an ancient notion should not be able to find a home in a person in Vance’s generation, but it fits that part of the hidden agenda seeking to control everything, including women.
Then, there is the matter of people of color. They clearly believe all people of color need to be put back in their place of subservience and it does not matter what lie or tale needs to be spun in order to facilitate that task. As Vance has admitted, he lied about Haitians eating pets, but it was necessary to lie because people were being hurt by the presence of Haitians in Springfield although there is no credible evidence to support that claim.
“It has now become a matter of slandering innocent people for the sake of political gain.”
Think about the premise undergirding the behavior of this United States senator toward his own constituency. The Haitians in Springfield are not illegals; they are refugees, and they have legal standing. This group of humans along with the white people and others there make up the constituency Vance is sworn to represent, but he talks about the Haitians as the enemy of the rest of the folks.
This is beyond unfortunate, and it has now become a matter of slandering innocent people for the sake of political gain. One has to wonder why a person would behave in this manner, and the conclusion must lie in the fact that there is a significant reward expected at some point for such immoral and evil behavior.
Here’s what I think the reward involves: Project 2025 describes the country this group would like to put in place. They know, as do all of the rest of us, that Trump is not really one to take governing too seriously and appears to be more separated from any plans to do any better than he did in his first term. In addition, he is old enough to have the potential of not serving a full term and that would allow Vance to step into the presidency. The path Vance is traveling makes it appear he would find that outcome quite satisfactory.
Of course, Vance would meet the expectations of the Project 2025 authors and all the others in that camp because he seems to be quite comfortable lying, fomenting discord and following whatever path seems to lead to him becoming more powerful without much regard for the damage that he causes. Thus, this charade of a campaign — which is based upon meanness, belligerence, lies, fearmongering, racism, sexism and endless hate speech — is just their best way to try to reclaim the presidency so all of their oppressive ideas can be enacted rapidly and the path for destroying our democracy will be well underway.
Vance can step in to be the leader, Trump can vacate the office and still avoid jail and any other efforts to be held accountable for his past behavior.
“I look forward to Project 2025 being sent to the banned books section of the library.”
I look forward to these intentions being foiled on Nov. 5, and Project 2025 being sent to the banned books section of the library.
I look forward to the day when we have two or more strong political parties competing for the seats of power and bringing candidates to the process who care about the country.
I look forward to having a political climate where civility, respect, expressions of care for the land and all of the people who live here regardless of how they arrived will be the dominant way that political business is conducted.
I look forward to the day when the pervasive negative energy, which is grounded in evil that is haunting our country at the moment, will be far less powerful.
I look forward to when we are conducting ourselves as a nation of people who have hope and who are willing to work for the common good as we face our challenges and triumphs.
Catherine Meeks was given the President Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement and Service Award in August 2022; was listed by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the 500 women to watch in Georgia in 2022; retired as the Clara Carter Acree Distinguished Professor of Socio-Cultural Studies at Mercer University; is an author, community and wellness activist and mid\wife to the soul. She previously served as founding executive director of Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing and currently serves as founder and executive director of the Turquoise and Lavender Institute for Transformation and Healing. She lives in Atlanta.
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