On Tuesday America Must Reject Fear, Racism and Lies

No matter what happens on Tuesday, Donald Trump will still occupy the Oval Office, but the results may signal that America wants to return to a more civil and fact-based discussion of the nation's public policy issues. Democrats are eager to send a message to the President, and Republicans have doubled-down on their fear-mongering in the last few weeks, hoping Trump's playbook still has some life in it. And America got a taste of what racism, suspicion and hatred can lead to with the pipe bomb and synagogue attacks. So, while the election will be decided one race at a time across the nation, the results will represent a verdict on Trump and the politics of fear and division.

The President seems not to have any message for America other than fear and he has unleashed a torrent of lies about a "caravan" of mostly Honduran families fleeing their nation's violence and seeking refugee status in the United States. He has called it an "immigrant invasion" even suggesting it might include terrorists without a shred of evidence.

New York Times: "President Trump’s closing argument is now clear: Build tent cities for migrants. End birthright citizenship. Fear the caravan. Send active-duty troops to the border. Refuse asylum."

"In a rambling speech on Thursday afternoon that was riddled with falsehoods and vague promises to confront a “crisis” at the border, Mr. Trump used the official backdrop of the White House to step up his efforts to demonize a caravan of Central Americans that has been making its way through Mexico, assail Democrats, and promote a vision of a United States that would be better off with fewer immigrants."

And the President has earned the award for the most false and racist campaign ad this year with his video about Luis Bracamontes, a cop killer from Mexico.

CNN: "The political campaign video depicting a cop killer from Mexico that's become a key part of President Donald Trump's closing argument for the midterm elections isn't just an attempt to appeal to people's anxieties about immigration and crime, it's also based on a misleading — if not outright false — claim."...

"The video has been denounced by Democrats and some Republicans as racist for comparing Bracamontes with the caravans of migrants heading toward the US from Central America. But beyond the attempt to taint a group of people with the horrific actions of one, the details of Bracamontes' story also show it's simply false to blame Democrats for his entrance into the US."

The President and his allies don't care that their campaign strategy is composed of lies and increases racial tensions in the country, just that it scares enough voters to eek out wins in the House and Senate elections. But, on Tuesday Americans will get a chance to say "Enough."

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