The Strength and Peace of Bucks County: Vote Wisely

What now seems like an eternity ago, I watched the Republican National Convention which took place this summer in Cleveland. It was truly a dark and strange experience for me. I heard an angry crowd led by a bullying governor of a nearby state screaming ugly chants of “Lock her up” directed at the candidate of the Other party. I heard angry rhetoric from a mostly white crowd directed at the Other Muslim and Hispanic communities. I felt a palpable disturbing fear of an imminent attack on our country by an invasion by criminal hordes from our southern border and terrorists from abroad. I saw a former mayor of NYC give a terrifying speech filled with hate and fear as he gesticulated wildly, waving his arms in ways that would fit in nicely on stages in Germany in the 1930s. As the convention came thankfully to a close, I was filled with dread, fear and darkness. I was frightened for my America.

The next day I stepped out of my suburban home in beautiful Bucks County and took my rescued pitbull for a walk in our beautiful Tyler State Park. I drove past beautiful farms, past synagogues and churches of various faiths, past thriving restaurants offering great foods from diverse ethnicities, past busy malls filled with incredible arrays of products for every possible suburban need and supermarkets filled to the brim with delicious healthy food. We arrived at the park and it was filled with people of all ages smiling, playing games, walking their dogs, and fishing. I heard Spanish, Russian and Chinese being spoken and saw everyone enjoying the great weather and public space together in harmony. I thought how lucky I was to live in Bucks County to enjoy so much of what our great country has to offer. The nightmare of the Republican Convention was thankfully slipping away.

Unfortunately, the ugly divisive hate-filled presidential campaign continued over the next few seemingly endless weeks. Donald Trump has subjected the American people to a torrent of fear, hate, and lies that has torn this country apart with his dark vision of a broken and dying America which he and only he can fix. What we have seen from him on the campaign is more xenophobia, more racism, more misogyny, and more contempt for our fundamental democratic institutions of the freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the peaceful transition of presidential power. No wonder why Americans can’t wait for this election to be over.

But I was glad it hadn’t ended when I heard Tim Kaine speak at Bucks County Community College last week. His speech was inspiring, uplifting and positive in tone. He spoke about the fundamental value of equality which has always been a guiding light as our nation progresses to a more perfect union. He spoke of Hillary’s lifelong commitment to family, children, healthcare, and equality. He spoke of growing our economy for all Americans through investments in infrastructure, education, wage growth, and small business support. He ended his speech by retelling the story of the Good Samaritan and reminding us of our moral obligation to help those in need. What a marked contrast to the angry invective, fear and negativity of a Trump rally. I recognized the America I always knew was real and right.

I left the rally and entered the peace and beauty of the park. Most of Brian Fitzpatrick’s congressional campaign is based on his claim that as a former FBI employee, he alone can make Bucks County a safe place to live. Brian supported Donald Trump, even after Trump had made so many horrific statements and insulted so many Americans. Brian evidently sees America as a dark scary place where tough law and order guys need to lock people up.

I have lived here safely in Bucks County since 1985 and I don’t think we need autocratic tough guys as our leaders. We rather need leaders like Hillary Clinton and Steve Santarsiero whose focus is on building a middle-class with opportunity for all in a new, fearless, forward-thinking world where education, infrastructure, wage growth, and investment in clean energy technologies will unleash the productivity of American workers. They see a bright future in great middle-class communities like Bucks County.

There is no need to be frightened. We do not need to run to untested, inexperienced leaders who prey on our fears to rescue us from imagined disasters and catastrophes. We just need slow and steady incremental economic and social progress for all Americans under wise and steady leaders like Steve Santarsiero and Hillary Clinton. Vote on November 8th to continue to move America safely and peacefully forward.