Why Midterms Matter

By Civia Tamarkin, director of Birthright: A War Story
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The other morning, while canvassing an endless route of unanswered doorbells and growling dogs, I at last encountered a potential voter. Armed with Democratic campaign literature, I eagerly approached the stocky, gray-haired man with a leathered face who was repairing the dashboard of his car. He instantly emerged from the front seat and put up his hand in a halting gesture. “My ballot is in the kitchen and I’m not gonna fill it out,” he said. “I’m sick of them all.”  Despite my entreaties that Republicans promised to cut social security and Medicare, he adamantly shook his head. “I can’t stand any of them, Republicans or Democrats.”

At this critical time, any comparison of the two political parties is a false equivalence. And not voting, could prove a fatal mistake. After the nationalistic hate-mongering that inspired the Pittsburg synagogue massacre, the spate of mail bombs and the slaughter of African Americans inside a Kentucky Kroger's, no one can sit out this election. Nor can anyone remain indifferent to the Kavanaugh confirmation, the transgender bans, the erosion of Roe v. Wade, the abortion Gag Rule, the defunding of family planning, the failure to authorize the long-term renewal of the Violence against Women Act, and the retreat from the Paris Climate and Iran Nuclear treaties.

We are in a fight for our lives. And it is not hyperbolic to call it that. Next week’s Midterm Elections may be the most important in our lifetime. They are about the very heart, soul and moral compass of this country. The outcomes on both national and state levels will determine whether we have agency over our own bodies, identities, sexuality and lives. If you are a woman, if you are LGBTQ or Gender Non-Conforming, if you are a racial, ethnic or religious minority, if you are poor, elderly, disabled or have a pre-existing condition, your human rights, constitutional protections and access to health care are at stake. Even those hypnotized #MAGA Trump cultists are at risk, though after drinking the Kool-Aid, they are too uninformed or delusional to know it.

All alarms are warning of a clear and present danger. Now is the time to rally your families, your friends, your neighbors to get out the vote for Democratic candidates.We are spiraling toward dystopia. We need a Blue Wave to hold the Trump administration in check. We need a Blue Wave to restore America to America. We need a Blue Wave to save humanity and the plant. Your life depends on your vote!