I was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In a liberal bubble of sorts, I grew up under the impression that most people were democrats. From the overwhelming amount of neighborhood yard signs and bumper stickers to Barack Obama speaking at my high school in both 2008 and 2012, I naively assumed that republicans in Ohio were few and far between.
As I’ve matured, however, I now realize that this is not the case. And although I do not agree with much of the Republican Party’s platform, I’ve always tolerated political diversity.
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That is, until this year’s presidential election.
I used to laugh at Saturday Night Live’s constant jabs at Sarah Palin. I’d roll my eyes at Mitt Romney’s conservative views. But I was never genuinely terrified of a political party’s nominee. Not until Donald Trump.
Like most, I brushed it off at first. He couldn’t be serious. A businessman with no political experience running our country? Highly unlikely. And then, like most, I watched in horror as he swept republican primary after republican primary. I stayed up until two in the morning on the night of Ohio’s, breathing a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that our own governor, John Kasich, had won. But I knew that this was certainly not the end for Donald Trump. In fact, it was just the beginning.
As a democrat, I was disgusted. But as a citizen of the United States, I was dumbfounded. Here was this man, spewing blatant sexism, racism, xenophobia, etc. and still receiving support from well-respected political leaders such as House Speaker Paul Ryan and former Senate majority leader Bob Dole.
Just a few of Trump’s early degrading comments include:
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending the best. They’re not sending you, they’re sending people that have lots of problems and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bring crime. They’re rapists… And some, I assume, are good people.”
“Our great African-American President hasn’t exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore.”
“You know, it really doesn’t matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young, and beautiful, piece of ass.”
And still, despite a few esteemed republicans’ backlash – like the Bush family and Mitt Romney – the GOP insisted on backing Trump.
So, when I checked my Twitter feed last Saturday and saw that a video from 2005 had surfaced in which Donald Trump boasted about sexual assault and encouraged men to grab women’s genitals without consent, I was disgusted but unsurprised. I was surprised, however, to check Twitter again a few hours later to find that many of the GOP leaders who’d originally thrown their support behind Trump were finally turning against him.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and House Speaker Paul Ryan are just a few of many who’ve publically stated their disgust with and denouncement of Donald Trump. (What the implications of them only denouncing Trump when a white woman was the target of his abhorrent behavior is another topic entirely).
Trump may try and dismiss these comments as “locker room talk,” but since the video was released, at least nine women have come forward with stories of Trump making unwanted sexual advances towards them. And those are just the one's who've chosen to publicly speak out.
As a young female, Donald Trump genuinely terrifies me. And he should terrify you, too. He has no respect for women, let alone any socioeconomic identity that he does not identify with. This is not a man that we want our children looking up to. This is not a man that we want foreign leaders to negotiate with. This is not a man that we want representing our country, which boasts diversity and freedom and acceptance.
Donald Trump does not deserve your vote. If not for his blatant racism and apparent political ignorance, then for his complete degradation of women. He cannot and should not be the figurehead of our country.
Ohio is a swing state. Beyond that, it has voted for the winning candidate in every presidential election since 1964. Please, do not let that candidate be Donald Trump.
