Historians for Harris
Because Facts Matter
Yesterday an old friend who is a VERY good “amateur” historian wrote a Facebook post that said he was voting for Trump because he would be better for his wallet. Other friends of mine who qualify as “professional” historians who also know this fellow, replied that they would be voting for Harris. I piled on and agreed with them and gave some reasons why.
Our Trump voting friend replied that he could not vote for Harris because he disagreed with 95% of her policies. I shared her Website page about policies.
I’ve had others who responded to his post call me a communist. I assured them that I’m not. They also said that Putin and CPUSA had endorsed her. I told them Putin was making a joke and that Trump loved Putin, while Harris had nothing but disdain for him. I then shared the CPUSA website and told him that I could find no endorsement for any candidate or party.
Lies, distortion and propaganda coming from Trump, JD, MAGA and more who are even farther to the radical right are being parroted by people constantly.
These facts and other exchanges with folks who I know along with Heather Cox Richardson’s substack from today have convinced me that we need a public movement, a proclamation…an endorsement from “Historians for Harris….because Facts Matter.”
I’d like some feedback please.
Mike, I can't add anything to what Bill Alstrom has already written. I can only address what my experience has shown me with regard to this seemingly mindless and unexplainable support of today's RepubliKKKan party.
Facts do matter. Defining a fact becomes important. I am inundated with "Facts" from my RWNJ* friends. My latest go-round has been over the bleating that an "anonymous ABC staffer said that Harris got the questions in advance." I took the time to research it (close to 30 minutes for one topic, finding as many sources as I could) and in no case, other than the "biased right" sources could I find anything purported to be a "fact".
What stuns me with my RWNJ cohort of retired cops and their spouses is their "willingness to accept the flaws or criminality of those in "our" camp." The prosecutions of fpotus don't matter because the prosecutions are "weaponized". The storage of the classified documents in the $hitter at Merde a Lardo is fine because it was "OK for him to keep them". (The same people were all over Biden for his box o documents, but that was different because he's the President now.)
What saddens me with said cohort is that what really, really appeals to them is the permission to discriminate (they never say "hate" those Others). This was revealed to me during the Olympics with the manufactured controversy over the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and the controversy over their perception of her gender. Their hatred and disgust was overwhelming to me. Every time they launch into diatribes about gayfolk, I remind them they are talking about me. I got told that I was "OK, your a 'normal lesbian' ". Yeah, right.
*I know that they are not "right wing" because they are so far from what used to be the right wing of the real Republican party that is is beyond comprehension. RWNJ is easy to type, and the "NJ" part is a fact: They are "Nut Jobs".
Here is my feedback. Facts DO matter to those who have the following:
1. Critical thinking skills
2. Faith in certain institutions and independent sources of information.
3. An eschewment of cultism and most other isms except maybe humanism and environmentalism. Because without both we are toast.
4. A willingness to accept the flaws or criminality of those in our "camp". Almost ALL Democrats condemn Senator Menendez.
Facts Don't matter to fanatical fantasizers like the fellow you mentioned because they threaten their point of view. Who is either uber selfish, bigoted and misinformed...or all of the aforementioned.
I am aware of many affluent folks in my very Harris supporting area that won't vote for her because: "I like my money and I want to keep it."
Which, IMO, makes them enemies of a civilised world and one of the reasons our planet is in a spiral dive to being uninhabitable.