*On the ballot this November is a referendum on character, decency, civility and morality. After all, a nation’s leader reflects what we will allow. Are these the values – the lies, the bullying, the chaos, the shameless attacks, the pure vitriol – that we are willing to accept?*

America is at her breaking point; in just four years we’ve devolved into a perilous state destroying the fabric of our democracy. Institutions like the FBI, postal service and court systems are under attack, the media is the enemy of the people spreading fake news, there’s persistent paranoia of the deep state, and our Constitution is in crisis. Once the undisputed leader of the free world, we are now totally isolated and retreated from the world. We’ve lost the confidence and close ties with all our allies and feel more aligned with the autocrats and dictators. The world is watching us with equal parts shock, horror and laughter.

Trump has completely debased the office of the Presidency and the reason for all this alarm in America stated above. He attacks everyone on Twitter, spewing insults and inflammatory rhetoric at anyone who disagrees with him from celebrities to athletes to honorable conservatives like John McCain, Colin Powell, and John Bolton. He stokes racial divisions and plays the race card at every opportunity; he is a cultural warrior. He has no shame but loves to shame. He spreads baseless conspiracy theories and made nearly 20,000 lies while in office according to the Washington Post. He practices demagoguery and hate as our Divider-in-Chief, spewing anger and rage. He has driven a massive wedge into every aspect of our society and culture. He’s even sabotaging the postal service to delay the mail. Is this really presidential, whom we want representing us? Somehow, he’s even made wearing a mask a political issue. Is America really Great again?? We are more divided than ever and screaming for leadership. Trump is an existential threat. But the fish rots from the head and as he spews his toxic poison daily, his sycophants all get in line. What happened to the conservative party and traditional Republicans? They either defect by speaking the truth and get barraged by his moronic insults or get in line and lose their spine and soul. Let us not forget Trump will forever be an impeached president and everything in Bolton’s new book validates he should have been thrown out of office.

Of course, he has a massive propaganda machine, Fox News, that spins and insulates all his tirades. The Fox bubble will never show his outrageous tweets, ludicrous statements like injecting disinfectant to cure yourself of COVID-19, or the fact that he slept with a porn star just 3 months after his wife gave birth to their son.  Nope, nothing to see here folks, just keep focusing on the economy and your white privilege. All the while, he’s provided no leadership on the pandemic after completely fumbling the ball for two months, ignoring all the early signs and then deferring everything to the states. He’s put fuel on the fire of every racist issue and done nothing to address infrastructure, climate or all the other important issues that plague this once great nation. He’s become an existential threat. He’s done absolutely nothing to address the systemic issues we see with the peaceful protestors, other than stating we need to dominate the streets. This is leadership? His legacy will be divisiveness, literally tearing us apart at the seams. Make America Hate Again.

As we countdown to the November elections, a nation’s leader reflects what the people will allow. We all need to reexamine our own values and whether we live the principles we claim to be for. Do we really want to tolerate a leader with no morals or values? Shouldn’t a leader have empathy or compassion, even just an ounce of humility? Shouldn’t a leader strive for unity and endeavor to represent all of us, rather than just his base? Shouldn’t a leader…lead?? America has 4% of the global population but 25% of COVID cases and 25% of the deaths worldwide as we have NO leadership, direction or management from Trump. And how on earth can Evangelicals and churchgoers reconcile his behavior with their daily lives? Does Sunday mass endorse using tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protestors for a bizarre photo op in front of a church, holding a bible which he never opened or read from and actually held upside down?  And how do we explain all the people who worked for him and now tell us how immoral and horrible he is and that he is unfit for office – John Bolton, Scaramucci, Michael Cohen, General Mattis, John Kelly and dozens more!

Vote with your conscience, we get what we tolerate. Is this really the America you want and can be proud of? We are better than this, and deserve a far better leader to represent us. Trump always seems to make the first deal, but never the second once people catch on to his lies and corruption. Let us follow this pattern and not reelect him!