The Most Consequential Election in American History

     I discovered I had a unique gift at a very early age. That gift, I was accurately able to identify an egotistical narcissist. (I don’t believe this gift is unique to me alone by any means. Many people can easily discern a narcissist.) I remember clearly as a young boy watching O.J. Simpson on television as he raced through airports in the then famous Hertz rental car commercials. Even in the short commercials, his arrogance and over-hyped sense of self-worth seemed to ooze from his pores. I was just a child and yet everything inside me said O.J. was vile and self-serving. It was absolutely no surprise to me when decades later O.J. was arrested for the murder of his ex-wife and her boyfriend. I knew at an early age that his vileness and narcissism would catch up with him.

     There have been several other instances in my life where I knew an egotistical narcissist was going to do irreparable harm. Shortly after buying my first home in the high-desert of California, an egomaniac moved in next door to me, named Al. He was a boastful braggart who could not stop talking about himself. His self-absorption was palpable, every world out of his phony persona was about how great he was. He seemed like a volcano just waiting to erupt. Months later, his wife showed up at my door begging to come in. “Al has a gun and he’s going to kill me!” she wept. She pleaded with me to use the phone to call for help. Fortunately, Al didn’t kill his wife, but I spent the rest of my time with him as a neighbor wondering if he was going to kill me, or someone else. I later moved away and will never know if this dangerous narcissist caused harm to his family, friends or co-workers. (He was exactly the kind of guy you’d expect to read about in a workplace shooting.) I knew he was dangerous and I saw it right away.

     I had yet another incident rather recently where a man living in my neighborhood got into a shouting match with me. His dog was off its leash and charged me and the man roasted me for even suggesting his dog should be restrained. He exhibited all the classic signs of a narcissist: he was loud, boisterous, self-absorbed and very angry. After that encounter, I always made sure to stay away from his home. He was a bomb waiting to go off. It was many months later when the police were called to the house by his own mother, who lived next door to him. He had gotten into a fight with her new boyfriend and had thrown him to the ground and killed him. The man wasn’t charged with murder, but he should have been. His own mother sold her house and moved away. It was just another example in my life of knowing a narcissist was going to do very harmful and hateful things.

     So, where am I going with this conversation? I knew long before Donald Trump ever came down the infamous escalator that he was an egotistical narcissist. I’m probably one of few people who has never watched a complete episode of the Apprentice. I could barely get through five minutes of the show without wanting to vomit over the shear vileness and self-absorption of the Trump persona. When he finally did announce his candidacy for president, goosebumps literary appeared on my arms and neck. I knew this was going to be another O.J. episode, only this time exponentially worse. I know there will be countless people who will argue that Trump did no harm during his first term. No, he didn’t start a nuclear war and end mankind as we know it. But the difference between then and now is there are currently no guard rails in place. Back in 2016, Trump’s own administration kept him in check. They would push back against his own vindictive impulses.

     That’s what is quite fascinating. Many of the most anti-Trump people are individuals from his own prior administration. Many have rightfully identified him as a sociopath and a narcissist. His own former vice president, Mike Pence, will not endorse him and says that Trump is unfit for office. And Trump has insisted that his next administration will be staffed with his own sycophants who will not push back against his narcissistic tendencies. And this is just the beginning of the alarm bells. With Trump’s handpicked Supreme Court ruling that he has presidential immunity for his crimes, there are now absolutely ZERO guardrails in place should Trump regain the Whitehouse. I would be terrified of ANY president having immunity for their crimes, but giving immunity to an egotistical narcissist is the recipe for the complete destruction of mankind.  

     In true narcissistic fashion, Trump has always identified and resonated with other narcissists. He speaks favorably of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping. Trump is envious of how these dictators control their people with an iron fist. And Trump has been using Hitler's rhetoric for quite some time and has been known to have read and studied Hitler’s own autobiography, Mein Kampf. Not long ago, Trump spoke to a live audience and announced, “In four more years you’ll never have to vote again!” Trump, of course, has since walked back those comments, knowing that revealing his desire to be a dictator might prevent him from becoming one. But as that quote from Maya Angelou goes, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Trump has made it distinctly clear as to who he is and who he wants to be. To ignore his aspirations to become a dictator will be our own demise.

     This is why I am calling the November election the most consequential election in American history. We are risking nearly 250 years of American democracy at the hands of a wanna-be dictator. It’s simply a chance we can’t take. And never before has a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist been the leading candidate of any party. Yes, every party has had their own share of sketchy candidates, but as famous author Stephen King was quoted as saying, “One difference between Nixon and Trump: When the Republicans nominated Nixon, they didn’t actually know he was a crook.” Clearly, we know Trump is a crook and a convicted felon. If we allow him into office, we do so at our own peril.  

     Yes, I know that people will be quick to say, “But the Biden/Harris administration was a disaster!” And yes, clearly their administration wasn't perfect. (No administration ever lives up to the promises that got them into office.) “But what about the border!” some avid Trump supporters will scream and shout. And yes, the border situation has been handled poorly. But when a Republican led bipartisan bill was introduced, Trump ordered his sycophants to kill it. He clearly has no interest in solving problems, he simply wants to regain power and stay out of jail.

     It may surprise some that I don’t identify as a Democrat or Republican, but rather an Independent. I’m neither left nor right, but somewhere closer to center on most issues. My issue with Trump is not about hating Republicans, it’s about wanting to preserve democracy. My advice to Republicans in this upcoming election, vote Harris/Walz even if you dislike the administration. For one election cycle, do the right thing. Vote for country over party. And in four more years you can vote again. And if you vote for Trump, and he gets his wishes, in four more years you may never vote again! 

     I don’t like discussing politics. I don’t want to be a political activist. But a quote from Star Wars actor, Mark Hamill, rings true to my soul. “People complaining about my political tweets need to understand: I love my country and I feel it’s my patriotic duty to oppose this demented sociopath with every fiber of my being.” When it’s my time to die and crossover to the other side, I want to be able to say with complete conviction that I stood for all that is good and opposed all that is bad. That is the best we can hope for with our time on earth. My oldest sister, Lynne, has spoken for years of the “collective consciousness” that we are all a part of. Yes, the world is dark. Yes, the world is dangerous. But if we focus our collective efforts and collective consciousness, we can absolutely create a better humanity. We absolutely must understand the assignment. For the sake of democracy and mankind, we can not allow Trump, the narcissist, back into the White House.