Do you remember that old phrase…”Put your money where your mouth is”?
It strikes me as more timely than ever.
The upcoming election is critical. Its outcome will determine the future of our country in countless ways.
If you’re concerned about which way the results may go, you should consider donating to the candidates and the causes you support. And you should do it right now.
I’m “old school.” Although I sometimes make donations online, I still like to pull out my checkbook and write actual checks. They’re not very big. I’m heartened by big-money donors like Mike Bloomberg, who just gave $100 million to the Biden campaign in Florida. By contrast, my checks are much, much smaller. More like a grain of sand in a miles-long beach of donations.
But every little bit helps.
Here’s some history: I‘m old enough to recall the presidential campaign of 1972. My husband (aka Marv) and I ardently supported the candidacy of George McGovern, who valiantly campaigned for president that year, fighting the unrelenting dirty tricks devised by Richard Nixon and his allies. The Watergate burglary was just one crime in that long ugly record of wrongdoing.
Marv and I sent McGovern’s campaign the astounding sum of $100. Astounding because we were young and living on two minuscule salaries as pathetically-paid faculty members at the University of Michigan. That check for $100 made a huge dent in our budget. I’ve checked the figures, and the 2020 equivalent is $626.47. You can imagine how committed we were to WWII hero/Vietnam War opponent George McGovern, and how much we despised Tricky Dick Nixon, for us to come up with a donation like that.
Sadly, the dirty tricks of the Nixon era have been surpassed by the dirty tricks engaged in by the current occupant of the White House. Even Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, did his dirty work behind the scenes, unlike our current attorney general, whose astonishing power-grab is out there for all of us to see.
Back to donations: Instead of boring you with details of other donations I’ve made, both before and after ‘72, I’d rather move on to the situation today.
Because we’re only seven weeks away from this fall’s election, there’s no time to waste.
All of the candidates in this hard-fought campaign are in need of funds to help them win.
I strongly urge you to get out your checkbooks or your credit cards, or both, and donate to the candidates you earnestly want to win. And to any organized group whose efforts you’ve decided are also worth your support.
I’ll be honest: I want to see a new president elected. And I want to see a U.S. Senate that will reflect the views of the majority of voters in this country, not those of a single senator from Kentucky.
I want to keep the U.S. House in the hands of those who are in the majority right now, under the continued leadership of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. And I want to see judges who are fair and not overly influenced by politics fill all of the openings for new judges in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
I’m writing checks to support the candidates and causes I want to win. For probably the first time in my life, I’m also sending money to bolster the efforts of a group of politically energized veterans. A group, Vote Vets, has stated its strong opposition to our current president. And in a compelling letter seeking my support, it has told me exactly why.
Of course, you may have chosen to take other steps to support candidates and causes, like knocking on doors and making phone calls. Those efforts can do a lot to help, and I commend you for doing them. But at the same time, please don’t forget the enormous need for funds to pay for TV advertising, among other things. Especially if your candidate refuses to hold rallies that endanger the lives of those who attend them.
You may disagree with me on any or all of these candidates and causes. If you do, go ahead and support the candidates and causes that you prefer. We still live in a democratic republic…if, as Benjamin Franklin said, we can keep it.
So…will you put your money where your mouth is?
If you don’t, and your candidate fails to win, you may everlastingly regret your decision not to lend your much-needed support.
susanjustwrites
Susan Just Writes 