Here’s a hypothetical question for us all to consider as we sit and watch election returns later this evening: What would the men who created our form of self-governance think if they could tell us their thoughts on the state of this country in 2024?
They’d probably be shocked by how badly divided we are as a nation, but then again, many in the fledgling United States circa 1776 thought it would be a disaster for us to seek our independence from Great Britain.
But in the end, the logic and reason of men such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison won out, making it clear that we could only go forward, not retreat into the way things were just because such a path was easier to predict and less fraught with uncertainty.
So here we are, 248 years after the Declaration of Independence created this nation, eventually making us “the indispensable” country across the globe, a beacon of freedom and hope while at the same time being a nation rife with hatred, racism, and xenophobia.
The most basic question of the 2024 election is this one: Will we choose fascism or freedom?
Fascism, it should be noted, is defined as “a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.”
Take a good look at that definition. Does it sound like anything the men who created this republic would in favor of seeing take hold? They had just broken away from England and it’s tyrannical king because he had his foot on the colonies and refused to listen to their pleas for fairness and a modicum of freedom.
Freedom is a word that means many things to many people. It is technically defined this way:
“The power or right to speak, act and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of ‘giving oneself one’s own laws.'”]
Now consider the two candidates seeking the White House in this election cycle, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Which one best represents the ideals of freedom and which one has verbally expressed a desire to set the nation on a course of fascism?
Some suggest that calling 2024 the most important election in American history is a ridiculous exaggeration But is it? After all, one party seeks to impose restrictions on the decisions women make about their own bodies, which in many ways is the most fundamental freedom of all.
Freedom is a wonderful thing, but it is also incredibly fragile, as Benjamin Franklin reminded us when he was asked what form of government the new nation would have.
“A Republic, if you can keep it,” Franklin told a woman who inquired.
We can keep it. We have kept it for nearly 250 years and we stand at yet another inflection point in our history. Harris represents freedom while Trump promises fascism. But at the end of the day, the choice is ours, and we’d be wise to continue on the path of freedom or watch as this nation devolves into chaos, hatred, and dictatorial rule.