Last night my wife really wanted to watch the last half of the Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Personally, I had no interest. I dislike both candidates intensely. I’m a registered Democrat and do not like or trust Kamala Harris. The only way you know if Donald Trump is lying is if his lips are moving. So for, I have no good choice and nothing vested in this election. I expected unpleasant rhetoric from both candidates. I was not surprised. I expected misstatements galore and was not surprised. However there was one moment that did surprise me. It highlights how little respect the candidates have for the common sense of the American voter.
Its been 96 years since the Chicken in every Pot campaign. In US history the practice of buying votes through offering alcohol goes all the way back to before the United States was the United States. But the overt practice of buying votes is still with us; and has never been more overt than in the Presidential Debate.
I had to look up the transcript of the debate to make sure I wasn’t imagining things, but here it is:
Harris then mentioned her “plan to give startup businesses $50,000 tax deduction to pursue their ambitions, their innovation, their ideas, their hard work”; her plan to create a “$6,000 [tax credit] for young families, for the first year of your child’s life;” her plan to offer “$25,000 [in] down payment assistance for first time home buyers.”
What I heard was “a chicken in the pot and two cars in every garage”.
What I heard was “Hey, if you want to start a small business, vote for me and I’ll give you $50,000.”
What I heard was “Hey, you’re pregnant. Vote for me and I’ll give you $6,000.”
What I heard was “Hey, wanna buy a house? Vote me and I’ll give you $25,000.”
It doesn’t matter that there would be strings attached to this offer of $300 billion, its more of the imagery of the statement. But still it disturbed me on several levels. First, another $300 billion in taxes or government debt. Where’s the money coming from? Oh, the middle class taxpayers of course. We could pay for it with every middle-class family increasing their tax bill by $2500. That was the easy part, as I thought it would add up to more than $300 billions in chickens for the pot. Second, it is so overt in nature that I find it insulting to have been defined as a simpleton that is willing to sell his vote for a mug of rum.
What else did I get out of the debate? I’m afraid of Trumps overt lying, bullying approach, and general disposition. I’m even more afraid of what Harris might do. For me, in this election it won’t be who to vote for, but rather who not to vote for. Lesser of two evils.