Memo to Jackley and Rounds voters: You’re actually voting for Trump
South Dakotans can often interact directly with our Senators and Representatives. Most of us have had personal proximity to them and many actually get to converse.
That understood, these two Republican candidates are regarded by most as regular guys, friendly and polite. By all accounts, and from my own personal experience, Mike Rounds and Marty Jackley are not aloof or hard to deal with and really give not much reason to be disliked. Rounds was regarded as a good governor, and Jackley should have had the opportunity, too. So, South Dakota Republicans have found it mostly easy to vote for them.
However, this year, votes for Rounds and Jackley are not really votes for Rounds and Jackley.
A vote for either man is a vote for Donald Trump.
Trump’s presidency is, in the words of conservative columnist George Will a “cascading absurdity”. His bumbling, profane, “rallies” are a string of blatant lies and insults; every time he speaks in public it is another disgrace. He’s lied so much that newscasts don’t even bother to point it out. If he’s talking, it’s assumed he is lying, even by supporters who make excuses.
No need to list here all the damage Trump has done and continues to do to our democracy, our present, and our futures. It’s self evident more every day as his approval rating dives to historically low levels.
He’s been able to do this as a consequence of the utter corruption and degradation of the Republican Party. The ability to prevail despite all the mistakes and dangerous ignorance depends on the institutional support of the Republican establishment and its donors.
Neither Jackley nor Rounds (who has claimed that he votes with Trump “99% of the time”) has shown they would be anything other than two more silent partners and two more reliable votes for whatever Trump wants to do. Some weak disagreement, maybe, but do we think either one will really strongly push back?
Come to attention, Republicans! Your vote is an unavoidable package deal.
If you vote for these two candidates you are voting for:
Betraying Ukrainian patriots, in bed with Vladimir Putin.
Ruining our relationship with allies around the world, including our next door neighbors Canada and Mexico.
Continuing tariffs, raising prices for consumers, lowering prices for soybeans.
Pardoning friends and contributors and those who attacked the Capitol.
Family business enrichment, leading to a majority of the public’s perceptions of illegal or unethical behavior.
Multi trillion dollar deficits.
Historically mistaken war on Iran.
As you vote for Rounds and Jackley, you are implicitly voting for a continuation of all that. Nice guys, yes, but your vote really has not much to do with them. Trump is the Republican Party. Anything that enhances the strength of the party enables the actions of Trump.
It’s understandably difficult for a Republican to vote against either of the two candidates. You like them as individuals. But do you have the integrity and courage to vote against Trump now knowing that neither of them will do so when the nation needs them?
Thank you for paying attention to this matter.
Mike Levsen is a former mayor of Aberdeen
Image: public domain, wikimedia commons
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