September 11th: Then, Now And Tomorrow

With the caveat that I would like nothing more than to be wrong and have to eat my words, I must say, that the hope of uniting this country as it was in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, is no longer a possibility. Why? Because we had a an even greater and grimmer and deadlier event a mere four years ago which placed in stark relief the chasm between us as a country. 

Back in 2001, I remember vividly when, immediately after the attacks, unrequested volunteers showed up from all over the country to aid us in our time of need here in New York City. All across the country, “We’re all New Yorkers” was the mantra.

 

Fast forward to 2020 and red state folks wishing further death upon us, as a global pandemic ravaged my beloved Gotham City. So, to answer your question, I firmly believe another September 11 would fail to unite us, seeing as a more deadly event has already exposed the extent of our polarization.

 

Which dovetails with the subject of the political choices of those who, on the surface, seem to align themselves with those purveying a platform contrary to their benefit.

 

The reason I have cut out 99% MAGAt family or friends from my life, is not merely the political differences between us. No. It’s that I have come to the conclusion and realization that the preference for this Orange Monster and the ideology of those around him and supporting him, betrays a deep rooted evil that goes way beyond any sort of political inclination or thought. At their core is a lust for the destruction and ultimate demise of all those who do not think or look like them. They have renounced their loyalty to country, Constitution and civility, all in the name of punishing those who dare not only disagree, but who they feel threaten their centuries-long privilege and protected status with diversity, equality and inclusion and, more importantly, justice.

 

I fully and completely respect however others who share my political ideology decide to conduct themselves within this regard. But let me humbly state that if I were them, I’d stay away from these people as best as humanly possible. Unless your plan involves growing eyes in the back of your head.

The Lefties Are Getting Restless

When a bunch of prominent Republicans—including a former congressman, a former Lieutenant Governor and a member of the #TRE45ON cabinet—spoke at the DNC, I knew certain people would start to get nervous.

Then, 200+ aides, advisers, etc to prominent GOP figures of the past wrote an open letter pledging their allegiance to Kamala Harris. The nervous people were starting to sweat.

But when former congresswoman and House leader, Liz Cheney, publicly announced that her father—Darth Vader himself—Dick Cheney, would be voting for Harris, I knew I had to reach out to the nervous, sweaty people before they lost their minds. 

So this is for them:

I know you’re freaked out that a bunch of Republicans who don’t share our views on a myriad of policies, particularly domestic ones, have now lined up to support and even endorse the Democratic Party presidential ticket. But this alliance doesn’t mean we’re changing who we are. This is more about them, recognizing that their party is wrecked and the only way to salvage it is to deliver a pronounced defeat to the cancer that has eaten away at their party. And so they are willing to help us win so they can tear down their own house and rebuild it. They’re not changing who they are and neither are we. We just share the common goal of getting rid of the Orange Turd.

And I know you’ve been uneasy about this from the moment The Lincoln Project showed up. But I’ll repeat what I said then: it doesn’t matter who we ride the bus with as long as we are going towards the same destination. When we get there, then we’ll figure it out.

Listen, just because I welcome their alliance so we can reach a similar goal doesn’t mean I have forgotten who they are. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger voted in sync with Trump more than 90% of the time when they were in Congress; The Lincoln Party’s head honcho, Rick Wilson, was a very close advisor for Ted Cruz; Steve Schmidt worked for George W. Bush and most famously was campaign manager for the late John McCain’s 2008 presidential aspirations. These are people who worship Ronald Reagan. ‘Nuff said.

With the exception of Schmidt—who has become a registered Democrat—I can assure you these folks are still thinking along the same lines as they did 10, 20 years ago in terms of policy and whatnot. So, yeah, definitely not our kind of people, in terms of political ideology. And while I welcome them in our shared goal of ridding ourselves of Mango Mussolini, I’m sleeping with one eye open. The ones who are supporting Harris and even campaigning for her, I appreciate and thank them for the effort, but I am in no way under the illusion that these aren’t the people who I have deep differences in terms of how we want to move the country forward. The difference between them and the MAGAts is that the MAGAts are OK with an Orange dictatorship and the classic Republicans are not. And that is a very important distinction at this moment in time. One we should take advantage of, but always remember who it is that we’re partnering with in this particular endeavor.

Yes, at the end of the day Republicans are Republicans. And we’ll be on the alert. But, for now, let’s chill and not freak out about who it is that we are siding with and work on getting the job done. We can figure out the rest of it later, when Harris and Walz are in the White House.

It'll be alright. Let's just get this done, OK?