Politics at its worst can be a ruthless, cutthroat, and corrupting competition. This isn’t news. A long line of wits and cynics were perfectly aware of it. Ambrose Bierce called politics “a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.” H.L. Mencken said “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the public alarmed by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” Machiavelli said “politics have no relation to morals.” And Cal Thomas said “one of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Election and power are.”

The Republican Party is now controlled by Donald Trump who behaves as a dictatorial ruler and has made a habit or treating the truth with contempt. Over four years as president, the tally of his lies reached a total of 30,573. He has now put his unqualified relatives and cronies in charge of the RNC (Republican National Committee) and demonstrated a shameless willingness to use his position to do anything necessary to gain and maintain power, up to and including the undermining of democratic government itself. 

Trump raises money, ostensibly for the purpose of campaigning for office, but the money often ends up in his pockets or is used to defray the cost of fines for his criminal acts levied by various courts. His agenda is self-serving and in many cases threatens the well-being of the public he allegedly seeks to serve.  

Often his proposed plans reflect his contempt for governmental rules, orderly processes, and democracy itself. He is envious of autocrats like Putin who can do as they please, are not constrained by law and order, and are contemptuous of democracy. He opposes the protective alliance of NATO and has encourage Putin to feel free to attack its members. 

He also proposes the elimination of the safety net of social security and medicare that Americans his age rely on. He hopes to see to it that the government provides less for those in need and to slash taxes and provide other perks for the monied elite. And he has also made it clear that he has no compunction about stealing an election or rigging votes if it would benefit him.

Our democracy’s history, at its best, has been an attempt to create a safe haven for its citizens, to enable economic success for the majority, and to provide what’s needed for a peaceful and orderly life. Trump prefers disorder and chaos, a government that does less, neglects those in need, and further enriches the donor class. 

As long ago as ancient Greece, Plato warned of the danger of entrusting the state to such a creature when he said: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” 

An even more dire warning of the dangers of political fecklessness was expressed by Dante who said: “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” This sentiment probably inspired another famous quote worth remembering. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 

Hence, vote as if your life depends on it.