In these days of daily assaults on basic American values and decency, each of us may wonder “does my vote make a difference”?  In Anderson County, Tennessee, the numbers are not favorable for electing Democratic candidates, so this question is one I must answer for myself constantly in order to keep on struggling and working to organize volunteers to ultimately get voters to the polls to vote for Democrats in November 2020.

Here’s how my vote, your vote, our neighbors’ votes make a difference: our votes take a stand to support morality and basic American values.

Your vote 

• Opposes racism and the violent expressions of White Supremacy that come from and are approved of at the highest levels of government;

• Opposes deadly denial of science-based facts on the environment and the catastrophic Climate Crisis that threatens human life;

• Opposes economic policies whose negative consequences fall upon farmers, small business owners, and every day, working Americans;

• Opposes rhetoric and policies calculated to generate fear and hatred for people whose skin color, ethnic background, religion, or sexual orientation is different;

• Opposes snatching children from the arms of their families and detaining them in cages without basic amenities;

• Opposes abusive treatment and denigration of women;

• Opposes the appointment of incompetent and corrupt people to lead executive departments and organizations essential to the well-being of our people and country; and

• Opposes government based on lies, fear, and hatred.

Sometimes I hear people say they do not agree with some of the words and sentiments communicated daily from the top, but they support the current administration because of the federal court appointments and policies enacted.  History shows us what happens when people ignore the immorality of their leaders. The dictator Mussolini was supported because he made the trains run on time -  but the price of supporting him was too high and the consequences were catastrophic for his people and the World. The words of our leaders cannot be separated from their actions; immoral words generate immoral actions.

Let’s look at the 2020 election and why an individual’s vote against the incumbent is important in spite of the electoral college and the dominant red electorate in our state.  Nationally, the 2020 popular vote against the incumbent president must defeat him by a wide margin; he has demonstrated that he will lie and generate fear for his own benefit; if he loses the electoral college vote and the popular vote is close, he would possibly claim voter fraud and fight his loss.  This would not be good for our country or for the World.  A high vote total against him from all areas of the country would disable his efforts to claim he did not lose.

Finally, our votes must demonstrate without question American morality and the values that we hold.  So yes, my vote and your vote are important in Anderson County.  We need your participation  to build our Party and get our voters to the polls in November 2020.