Virginia started early voting last Friday. We came and we left. The line was too long. We came back today and there was no line at all. We cast our ballots in less than five minutes. We did our civic duty. Now we just sit back and wait for the result.

Whether you will vote early or on election day, go vote. If you are still undecided, it is not too late to do your research. I already made up mind. I voted for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for president and vice president, Tim Kaine for US Senator, and Gerry Connolly for 11^th Congressional District Congressman.

I suppose I am a Democrat.

More than 700 national security leaders endorse Harris:

This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.

Yes, the choice is between democracy and authoritarianism. Trump is an authoritarian and a danger to democracy.

Rebecca Bratten Weiss writes for the National Catholic Reporter:

Politicians who are ignorant about women’s bodies — and unaware of the many complicated, deeply personal, often traumatizing situations women face in reproductive health — think they can make abortion go away simply by denying access. But they can’t. Abortion will not vanish because of bans, even when those bans come with heavy penalties. Studies indicate that abortion rates in nations where it is legal and nations where it is illegal are about the same. What appears to be a greater driver of abortion rates is income level. Lower income nations where abortion is illegal tend to have much higher abortion rates than higher income nations where it is legal.

Anyone who is serious about reducing abortion rates will focus on building a strong economy that serves the working and middle classes, with robust safety nets and accessible, affordable resources. This is not new information. People, myself included, have been writing about this for years.

So why do pro-life leaders refuse to listen? Roe has been gone for more than two years and pro-life leaders have done nothing to increase health care access or financial protections for low-income women. Should we assume that they are not serious about dealing with abortion, since they haven’t put any effort into doing the things that actually work? Are they, perhaps, actually invested in harming women, since that’s one area in which these bans are effective?

The entire article is worth-reading, especially if you are religious.

111 Republican officials endorse Harris:

Donald Trump cannot be trusted “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic… and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.

It is not too late to recognize that Trump is “unfit to serve as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.” Let’s be clear. Trump is not a Republican. He single-handedly took over the Republican Party. Trump is also not a Democrat. If Trump were the nominee for the Democratic Party, I would vote for a Republican candidate as well.

Scientific American makes a second endorsement for a presidential candidate in its 179-year history:

At the top of the ballot, Harris does deserve our vote. She offers us a way forward lit by rationality and respect for all. Economically, the renewable-energy projects she supports will create new jobs in rural America. Her platform also increases tax deductions for new small businesses from $5,000 to $50,000, making it easier for them to turn a profit. Trump, a convicted felon who was also found liable of sexual abuse in a civil trial, offers a return to his dark fantasies and demagoguery, whether it’s denying the reality of climate change or the election results of 2020 that were confirmed by more than 60 court cases, including some that were overseen by judges whom he appointed.

One of two futures will materialize according to our choices in this election. Only one is a vote for reality and integrity. We urge you to vote for Kamala Harris.

If you want to find out the differences in policy and decency from both candidates, you should read the entire essay.

Early Voting in Virginia will begin on Friday, September 20, 2024. Since I will be working from home on Friday, I will try to get my vote in early.

If you come to this blog, you know who I will vote for and why. I don’t discuss politics in real life. I don’t discuss politics on any social media platform. This blog’s my only outlet.

Voting is a privilege in America. No matter who you will vote for, do your diligent research. There are lots of misinformation and disinformation on the internet, make sure you get your information from credible, reliable sources.

Roxane Gay writes in The New Yorker about the pet-eating ludicrous conspiracy theory:

This is all ridiculous to hear. It is ridiculous to even speak of. And it is ridiculous that Trump and Vance’s lies, which in another era would be disqualifying, have seemingly propelled them. Some prognosticators are even suggesting that by inflaming xenophobic passions, Trump and Vance have secured a victory in November. Politicians have always lied, but now they run for office—and hold office—while shrouding themselves in ludicrous conspiracy theories, and they are lauded for it.

What’s even worse is how this story has, so quickly, become a cultural punch line among people of every political persuasion. This is often how extreme conservative rhetoric works. Republicans soften the ground by making outlandish or incendiary claims. They do it over and over until their narrative breaches the perimeter of their little enclaves and bleeds into the mainstream. The bad actors keep repeating these statements. We hear them so frequently that they become part of our vernacular. We capitulate and treat the discursive dominance of the extreme right as an inevitability that we cannot resist, even though we absolutely can. And then we joke about red hats and making America great again and “fake news” and tiki torches and seasoning pets. There’s an endless parade of memes—further capitulation, letting Republicans know that you’re fine with allowing them to dictate reality. You’re letting them know that you, too, believe Haitians are acceptable targets for mockery. You’re welcome to play by their rules. Anything can be fodder for humor. But this is not about having a sense of humor. It’s about having a sense of decency.

In Real Clear Polling, Harris beat Trump in Virginia by more than 5 points (49% to 43.7).

Real Clear Polling’s Electoral College advanced Virginia and its 13 Electoral College votes toward Harris and predicted Harris led Trump by 221 to 219, with 98 tossup votes in 8 swing states.

In a survey from The Washington Post/Schar School, Harris beat Trump in Virginia by 8 points (50% to 42).

In a Virginia Commonwealth University poll, Harris led a significant 10-point lead over Trump (46% to 36).

Obviously these numbers are just forecasts and predictions. We need to show up to vote. If you haven’t registered, do it now. We need to beat Trump with votes—not bullets.

I was driving around town and spotted several yard signs with “Republican for Harris” message. It’s a high hope to see some Republicans put country before Trump. Not only they are rejecting Trump, but they are also making sure that he won’t return to the White House. They know he is a danger for democracy. Seeing the yard signs makes me want to do something similar. I want signs that would say, “Vietnamese-American for Harris.” It is probably a long shot because the majority of Vietnamese-American are still obsessed with Trump.

Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies at Colorado State University, weighs in on the debate:

Trump’s own white masculine insecurity was on clear display throughout his debate against Harris. It was a different type of pathological masculinity than the aggressive and aggrieved toxic masculinity Trump perfected as MAGA stagecraft.

Trump’s performance in the debate illustrates why insecure white masculinity should be disqualifying for a presidential candidate. When triggered, it short circuits the candidate’s strategic thinking and elicits demagogic and dehumanizing arguments.

The debate between Harris and Trump revealed how vesting authority in an insecure white man is dangerous for democracy.

She nailed it.