2024: More Than Just Biden & Trump
Two very different visions of society on the ballot this November across all levels of government for Our entire country.
From this point on, some of my 2024-related posts will highlight points made in previous blog posts, so feel free to check out my past work on my Substack and Medium pages. Also feel welcome to reach me on LinkedIn with any comments or questions.
Also, check out the upcoming National Education Association of Rhode Island rally for Education & Jobs on February 6 at the State House. General Assembly lawmakers are invited to join with NEA RI leaders and their allies—possibly including the Providence Teachers Union and its members, as well as state retirees.
Not to mention there will be a big Poor People’s Campaign March for Justice & Equality on March 2 across the nation, in at least 35 state capitals, and including Little Rhody.
Finally, a sad state of affairs with Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall seeking to become a national advocate for gas executions. See this article as to how it has a problematic connection to the legacy of Nazi Germany.
Now back to 2024:
The progressive movement and grassroots campaigns across this country will help determine the narrative of this coming election cycle.
Will the Democratic Party continue in its direction of restoring its progressive roots and committing anew to the missions of the New Deal & Great Society that made this country an economically vibrant powerhouse? Will progressives empower President Bide and Congressional Democrats to commit to the progress of Build Back Better? Will progressives usher in a new era that leaves the times of Clintonian corporatism behind, and makes Republican gridlock and obstructionism irrelevant?
Will they be at the forefront of quests to reach out to Trump Country—especially across the Midwest—in the spirit of a new and groundbreaking 50-State Strategy? And will they at the same time fight back—via litigation and referenda—against the rise of the New Jim Crow in the South?
2024 is a cornerstone election no different from 1932, 1960, 1980, or even 1992. This cycle is more than just about two different people: one a humble, yet successful, blue-collar working-class president named Joe Biden, the other a plutocratic, impulsive, crass, wannabe dictator in former President Donald Trump.
It is more than a choice between the records of Congressional Democrats, who had a very successful Build Back Better session, and Congressional Republicans, whose lack of productivity matched the first Great Depression Congress, and who seem much more busy coddling extreme insurrectionists and special interests than serving real hard working Americans.
It is more than just about a vision to Build Back America Better Than Ever. It is more than just about a Progressive Promise to reshape the entire country in the mold of FDR & LBJ—vs. relitigating the 2020 election. It is not just about an obstructionist GOP on Capital Hill incapable of doing anything productive, unless you count eroding our freedoms and liberties as “being productive.”
It is about ensuring our nation stands up for our allies (like Ukraine, Israel, & Taiwan) instead of betraying them to our enemies (such as Russia, China, Iran, & Hezbollah). It is about the future of the Supreme Court, and reining in its dangerous brand of blatant judicial activism.
It is about progress in your state governments. This election could be the difference between strengthening consumer safety protections, expanding workers’ rights, building a renewable energy economy, investing in infrastructure, transportation, and housing, protecting healthcare, and funding public education and school meals vs. banning books, censoring speech, loosening child labor laws, defunding libraries, suppression of the vote, restricting choice (i.e., reproductive freedom), and letting gun violence continue to run rampant in our country.
This election could be the difference between states following the successful mold of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois recently vs. following those states falling behind the times—like Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Iowa.
It can be the difference between having state governments and state courts that will protect freedoms and rights (like in Wisconsin and Virginia) vs. having state governments that undermine fair electoral maps and promote full-blown government corruption (such as North Carolina and Georgia).
And don’t forget the local races for county clerks, commissioners, and recorders who will count your very votes. They also matter—as we have all learned very recently in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. Nor should you forget the local school board races and district attorney offices up for grabs this year.
2024 will be an election for the ages. Staying on the sidelines is no option now. Civic engagement is our immense responsibility of 2024.