"On the Brink: Will We Keep the Republic?"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight, as I prepare to lay my head down on the eve of this pivotal election, I find myself haunted by a question first posed at the dawn of our nation. When Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Constitutional Convention, he was asked, “What have we got—a republic or a monarchy?” His answer was a challenge that has echoed through the centuries: “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Tonight, I find myself wondering—can we still keep it?

This election isn’t simply a choice between candidates. It’s a decision between paths—one that reaffirms the values our founders cherished, or one that could, piece by piece, erode the freedoms that have taken centuries to build. When our history books are written, let them not say we were the generation who let slip the torch that Franklin and his fellow patriots lit so brightly.

We are at a critical juncture where the values of democracy are being questioned, where facts are doubted, and where individuals openly attempt to erode the institutions that sustain this republic. One of the candidates, former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly tested the boundaries of our democratic norms. His attempts to undermine trust in the electoral process, to cast doubt on the judiciary, and to question the very legitimacy of opposition aren’t just political tactics—they are dangerous precedents for our nation’s future.

Winston Churchill once said, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.” It was a quip with a punch, one that reminds us that our democracy can be fragile, that it demands constant vigilance and moral courage. We can try to test these institutions, to push and pull them for short-term gain, but there comes a point when the core of the republic is in jeopardy.

Tomorrow, we are not simply casting ballots. We are casting votes for the integrity of our democracy, for the continuation of the American experiment. We are casting votes to reject tyranny, in all its insidious forms, and to protect the sanctity of this republic.

Let us choose to be the stewards Franklin hoped we would be. Let us uphold the promise that he left for us. And let us make sure that, no matter the outcome, we can wake up tomorrow with the knowledge that our democracy endures because we had the courage to defend it.

For a republic, if we can keep it.

#DefendDemocracy #VoteForTheRepublic #KeepTheTorchBurning #Election2024 #AmericaDecides