Reading the charges laid out in the January 6 indictment of Donald Trump should be enough to finally convince those most beholden to the former president that he is too dangerous to put back in office and must face the consequences of what he’s done. But is it?
Book banning? Denying the existence and continued damage of climate change? Attacking women’s right to abortion? Denying LGBTQ+ individuals the right to marry and enjoy the same protections from discrimination all citizens are entitled to? These are the issues preoccupying state legislatures, governors, senators, and presidential hopefuls alike at this moment. But these are questions of basic liberty, identity, and culture, not public policy.
The coming 2024 election is not really about the Democratic or Republican parties. It isn’t about policy decisions that will guide the economy and diplomacy through the next few years. For the United States of America, the 2024 election is a reckoning on whether we are still a free nation.
The potential front-runner for the Republican Party has been indicted for attempting to overthrow our democracy. And among those who are waging this war on books, other human beings they don’t understand or care for, and science, this has no consequence on their vote. So, is it hyperbole to say democracy itself is on the ballot in 2024?
LISTEN: ALI VELSHI’S IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR DEMOCRACY
WATCH: ALI ON THE STAKES OF THE INDICTMENT
