Things I Believe and Must Say...

I rarely post about politics. I grew up in Cascade, Idaho (very conservative) and then later lived in Silicon Valley (very liberal), so there's almost nothing I can say that won't make someone unhappy.

But, I am going to make an exception, because I think this is important.

I'm pretty liberal. I doubt this will surprise anyone who knows me, but it varies a bit on different issues. Growing up with guns in Idaho, for example, I tend to have a very warm connection to a way of life that includes guns. There are a few other places where I have more conservative views, but I don't think anyone would ever confuse me for being even an independent, let alone conservative. I'm probably obnoxiously in the blue to a lot of the people I grew up with. haha.

All that to say that I'm writing this post this with some level of hesitation. The thing is, I think that there are things going on that are permanently destructive, and I need to at least attempt to share my thoughts.

There is an enemy in our US election.

In my lifetime, I don't think that's been true before. There were people we disagreed with, yes, but this time there are enemies.

I know, because I am that enemy.

I am told this in almost every clip of a Trump rally and in the rhetoric of his campaign. They tell me over and over again that I am the enemy. That as a liberal, I wish to destroy the country, that I drain its resources, that I hate its freedoms, that I am barely American.

I have learned there are enemies in this election, and that it is me.

There are many things that I believe. For one, I believe that a good leader is able to understand the worries of those they disagree with, as well as those they agree with. A democratic leader must be able to articulate what matters to those across the aisle, as well as they can articulate their own. And then always do their best to protect both, even if there is disagreement about how best to do it.? This is true of both Republicans and Democrats.

When you look beneath most issues, the core concerns tend to be the same between both parties. While I'm sure there are people out there who actively want immigrants to have horrible lives, for example, I don't think I know any.

Instead, I'm fairly confident that most people - independent of political leanings - would?set out to improve their and their loved one's lives if they found a genie in the sand. It's not - for most - about "hating" immigrants, but about making sure that the people we love, and the things that we care about, are protected and safe. That they have opportunity to grow, flourish, be happy. To live, laugh, love, and all that jazz.

Political leanings aside, I believe that we share most of our core hopes. What varies is that we can have vastly different ideas on how to get there. To me, immigration is important to the United States, and has been historically. Having lived in many places inside and outside the US, our ability to draw on the strengths of the world is one of our greatest super powers.

For others, immigration is a resource limitation issue, a threat to the things they've worked hard to build together with their families.

I can disagree with them about what is the right way to make our country stronger... but the instant I decide that it's just all about hating immigrants... well... then I've lost sight of who they really are, as well. I've lost sight of the fact that we can possibly protect their goals and my goals at the same time. That both can be compatible problems.

The politics of democracy should and must be one of protection. "I will protect you," we should say. "I will do my best to understand and protect what you care about in the best way that I can. Even if you disagree with me, you should have faith that I'm keeping your hopes in mind at all times, too."

When I listen to Trump speak, I hear someone who has lost that. This is a formula that has worked for him. It's easy to get people to vote if you convince them that... well, that there's no need to listen to an enemy. They're just there to be defeated.

I don't think there is anything I can say that will likely change anyone's mind about anything. In a way, I think this is more just a statement of where I stand than anything else - because in this election cycle it's important to have a belief, and no matter the outcome, I need my belief to be known.

So instead, I'll just end this post by sharing some things that I believe. Just statements. Interpret them as you will.

• I do not believe that Trump is a compassionate man.
• I do not believe that Trump is a trustworthy man.
• I do not believe that Trump is a capable or a knowledgeable person.
• I do not believe that Trump has the ability to understand those he disagrees with.
• I do not believe that Trump will protect almost anyone.
• I do not believe that Trump cares or thinks he needs to understand those he disagrees with as part of American politics.
• I do not believe that Trump actually believes in democracy. I believe that if he knew he lost the election, but had the ability to take power, that he would take it anyway.
• I do not believe that Trump understands or values our constitution, or the intent of our founding fathers.
• I do not believe that Trump is a man of any faith, of any kind.
• I believe that Trump is often used by those around him as a means to an end.
• I believe that Trump lies. Constantly, and about things easily proven false.
• I believe that Trump will do lasting and permanent damage to our country's standing in the world, to our economy, to our moral character and foundational principles.
• I believe that we are truly at an inflection point. We are deciding between a future where the angels of our better nature will continue to guide us, or we will be ruled by our fear and our anger.
• I believe in the goodness and virtue of the United States of America.
• I believe these things because Trump himself has said so - sometimes in words, sometimes in action - without filter. Well... not so much the last one. He's called America pretty much everything negative you can. But the other things he has said - I have tried to listen and hear in his words anything other than these things, and have failed. And when they're explained to me by someone who supports them, most of the time they explain how he didn't really mean what he said - told to look at his heart, not his words.

And I believe that in the years he's been in the political field, we've had a chance to listen to his heart through his words and his actions.... and he means exactly what he says.

I'll end this on two stories. Both stories come from when I was a kid in Cascade, Idaho.

The first was a lesson taught to me by Mr. Kennedy in Science class. As a class, we were discussing what would happen to Cascade if the local lumbermill closed, which at the time was the primary economic driver of the town. Did Cascade need to diversify to survive? There was a Pro side of the discussion, and a Con side, and both sides were very dire in their predictions. Both sides saw the end of the world in the plans of the other.

And then Mr. K interjected with something that I'll never forget, and that I've found reassuring over the years. He said, "Most of the time, no matter how good or bad the predictions, the reality tends to fall in the middle."

No matter how much we believe it will be fire or be ice, the reality tends to be less extreme than we hope or fear. I believe this to be generally true in my life, and I've reminded myself of it every time I face a hardship where I'm afraid of the outcome. Or too excited by the possibility.

Eight years ago, when Trump won the presidency, I repeated this to myself over and over again. One of my best friends, who supported Trump, said to me, "We had to endure Obama, and this will be ok, too. Give it a chance."

And then I watched as it turned out just exactly as bad as I could have feared. Almost everything I believe makes America great was attacked and made smaller, to the very core of the institutions that have made us strong.

Eight years ago, I told myself that it would land in the middle. This year, I truly believe that it won't land in the middle.

This time, I'm not sure the checks and balances in our government will hold, and - if Trump is elected - we'll cross an event horizon that may not be recoverable. We must not let that happen as a country.

The second story is short, and more optimistic. I remember sitting on the floor of the house in Cascade when I was younger, middle of winter, watching a presidential election with my father. I have no idea how old I was, or even who was running.

What I do remember is my father saying to me, "Every time I think that we're going to make the wrong decision, the American people surprise me. There are more reasonable people in the world than we realize."

This thought keeps me warm as we come into Nov. 5th.