Voters must decide which way to go

Some early voting is already underway in the 2022 elections. By all accounts, turnout is remarkably high; the partisan

- bJesse Jackson, 

This article was previously shared in the October 28, 2022 edition of Scoop-Digital.

divide is remarkably deep. The days when both parties were broad coalitions of liberals, moderates, and conservatives are long gone. The partisan sorting-out began when Republicans responded to the civil rights movement by seeking to capture the white vote in the South. Now, Trump’s successful efforts to purge or intimidate politicians who objected to his behavior have deepened the divide.

Of course, candidates in both parties often labor to blur the differences on key issues in the general election. Republicans, for example, ardently oppose abortion. Yet, in many campaigns, candidates who loudly supported banning abortions without exception in the primaries now claim to support exceptions of one sort or another in the general.

Similarly, campaign rhetoric and ads often distort or even smear opponents. Republicans call Democrats “socialists” claim they want to defund the police, let murderers loose on the streets, open the borders, “replace” white voters and take away all guns. The charges are so extreme they disprove themselves, but they rouse various parts of the party’s base. No one should be fooled. The real contrasts are clear and stark. For example:

On the economy, Republicans believe in trickle-down economics – tax cuts for the rich and the corporations, spending cuts for social services, and deregulation, particularly on protections for consumers and the environment. They oppose unions and raising the minimum wage.