Republicans need a Democrat in the White House Too

You won't survive the current austerity for the middle class and poor, and riches for the upper class.

I don't think that most middle and middle upper-class Republicans recognize that their programmed hatred of Democrats stems from misunderstanding and intentional propaganda.

The austerity measures that the Republican congress wants adopted will starve the poor and bankrupt the middle class while furthering money spent on the rich, a new federal building, military projects and more.

They are offering businesses loans that still need to be paid back rather than using the taxes they paid in to help keep them afloat and deferring payroll taxes that will either be coming due post-election or if made permanent will hurt social security. That's not rescue but deferred punishment. Yet they give businesses and billionaires millions.

Look - I make a good salary and had a retirement pension plan that grew up to a couple of years ago (and still have a 401k). And social security is still 50% of what I am counting on for a meager retirement fund. Even if you are well invested, a chunk of that is your social security and while you may not have come to terms with it, it's been the best investment program you've been involved with. It didn't devalue in 2008 when your 401k did. It has remained a steady commitment despite conservative attempts to privatize. It continues to provide returns, with interest back to those that worked for it, which puts their money back into the economy.

Speaking of that - recognize that no Republican administration in the last 120 years has brought the middle class out of economic hardship. Democrats have done it numerous times, twice in huge disasters (the great recession and the great depression). Republicans rode Bull markets helping make them more bullish, but that doesn't work to help the poor much.

The poor don't have investments, tax breaks don't work as relief when you don't make enough money to pay taxes. And they only do a little for the middle class.

It's hard for some to admit that we depend on the social programs that are in place because of Democratic administrations, but they are keep some of our poorest in food and then bring that money back into markets - actually better than tax rebates do. And that money pays other workers and businesses and eventually prop big businesses up.

Beyond Social Security there are safety net programs that are used more by poor whites than any other part of the population. The racist narrative associated with welfare doesn't reflect the reality - and we all have the potential to need a hand up, especially in this economic period. Losing one's job is not generally a partisan specific problem - we are all vulnerable.

But these crucial services are things we built to protect even the most vulnerable of us from threats to survival. And when we pull this back, we expose our humanity (which is apparently the enemy of the wealthy, per Republican Libertarian philosophy). If you are under economic pressure, you need the help you paid into. And in the Republican world this only goes to those who have so much it's not impacting their survival - it's just underwriting their wealth against "harm".

What is needed right now is thoughtful planning and action. A plan to test, vaccinate, distance and practice public health reasonably and economic aid to allow us to do this sensibly. All you have from the current conservative politicians is short sighted pandering to those that cannot grow up enough to engage in practices that keep them, their families and their neighbors safe.

Biden is a moderate. And frankly, so is Harris. While the RNC tries to paint them as far left leaning, both have shown they don't swing the country far left. Ask any far-left leaning person - they weren't the first choice for the group because they were too conservative. Both turned down Medicare for all. Both support policing - Harris was a prosecutor - so the propaganda that is being served by the White House is trash.

Rather than accept what someone says about their opponent, however, I invite you to look at these candidates and understand there's compassion and an understanding of the true suffering people are going through now - and a plan to get through it. While the insults keep getting tweeted out, they are the adults in the room, figuring out how to help those of us that need it.

And that's something you are not getting from this President or your conservative representatives or Governors. They not seeing a role of the government in helping you to truly ride this out - instead of providing aid they're telling you must work or die. Your child must attend class in person or lose funding (your funding, that you paid for) or have it redirected to private schools that operate without public regulation. They direct funding for a new Federal building rather than to help those that are out of work, those whose businesses are shuttered.

I've heard time and time again that we wish to close the political divide, that we should forget the conflict, compromise and focus on moving forward.

Time to take that advice yourselves and understand you cannot survive the current administration easily and others cannot at all. That thousands have already died and are struggling to feed their families. It's every man for himself. It's "me first". The risk you take in voting for these moderate democrats is so mild - what they are suggesting is good-for-all policy. Healing. Helping yourself by helping others. The current administration has pushed "good for me" policy and left scorched earth. We are not offering up these candidates as perfect - they are human. But the philosophical basis they come from is what's needed. It's crossing the divide together.

You need a Democrat in the White House because they will provide a balanced economic recovery, allowing businesses and people to heal and get back to their lives. You need them because they're performed these recoveries before. And yes, that means opening your mind to the helping of others too - but in the end, our humanity defines us. The hand we extend and the help we need is what binds us. Every major religion tells us that. Every humane philosophy tells us that.

Vote for who you want but recognize that who you need is unquestionably a humane, compassionate, thoughtful administration that will act on your behalf. The current administration has had a chance to show who they are. Now we need to do better.