Want Freedom?

The 2024 elections - Federal, state, city and county - are all about freedom.  Expanded freedoms, freedoms that take into account and celebrate the increasingly diverse US population; freedoms that allow each US person to enjoy the most expansive definition of each of our own rights.  One party is the party of freedom and one is the party of restrictions, and limits.  Interestingly, the party that spent years decrying the “nanny state,” has now become Uber Mary Poppins, trying to control, severely limit, or end basic human rights.

We each need to consider two things as we head for the polls in 2024.  First:  Do we want representatives who will give all of us freedoms to live our own lives following our own belief structures?  Representatives who hand down policies based in empathy, understanding, context, sympathy and flexibility?   Or, are we looking to follow politicians who limit our freedoms, based on their own dogmas, their own interpretations of history and religion.  Beliefs that are rigid, restrictive, seemingly looking to drag all of us back decades to times during which only a certain group of people had full rights?

And, second:  we need to understand how our government actually works.  We need to acknowledge that freedoms are granted at all different levels, and we must elect people at each and every level who support the freedoms we want.

The choice between more freedom and less freedom is stark.  The Democratic Party supports and pushes for freedom:  be it freedom to read books you want to read; freedom to go to school, university, church, synagogue, the grocery store, the movies or a dance party without fear of death by military style weapon; freedom to make your own decisions about your health care; freedom to disagree with the President; freedom to marry whom you love; or freedom to be whomever you want to be.  If you support those, and so many other freedoms, the Democrats have your back.  If you do not want a say in any of your life choices, be it suitable books for your children; the best health care for you, your family or friends; whether your vote counts or not; who you can be; whom you can marry; or whether you, your children, your family or your friends are are safe in school, the grocery store, the movies, a dance party or a 4th of July parade, then the Republican candidates are for you.

This year we also must focus on how our government works.  We are guaranteed or deprived of our freedoms at each and every level of government.  The person at the top can push, support and drive freedoms, but can’t get anything across the finish line without support from those elected officials at the federal, state and local level.   We have to vote up and down the ballot for the people who support the freedoms we want. On the Federal level, think the President and Congress, who determine the make up of the Supreme Court.  On the and local level, are officials who support or restrict freedoms.  If you want the freedoms listed above, and a range of others, you must vote for Democrats for every office on the ballot in 2024.  If you are ok with limited or no rights, the Republican candidates, at each and every level, are your people.

The 2024 elections are about freedom; every other issue is a subset of freedom.  We will each disagree with something about the candidate and the Democratic candidate.  But to ensure expanded and sustained freedom, we are each going to have to put every other issue aside and keep freedom at the top of our Must Have list.  In 2024, Republicans will support authoritarianism; exerting power over everyone else’s political and personal freedoms.  In 2024, Democratic candidates will support and expand freedoms.  Support freedom.  Vote for freedom.  Vote for Democrats.