Democracy Is on the Ballot. The Democrats Are the Only Choice | Opinion

Let me be clear: No one in their right mind should vote Republican.

If Republicans win back the House, the Senate, or—God forbid—both, it will plunge the United States right back into the depths of the hell that was former President Donald Trump's America. This is just one of the many reasons why everyone should vote for the only political party defending democracy: the Democratic Party.

Republicans are running on a platform of lies and deceit, and the stripping away of basic rights. They openly campaign on cruelty, inhumanity, and racism. And the candidates in the GOP who don't follow that playbook mostly remain silent while Republican leadership makes a mockery of our institutions.

Despite Trump's many lies, crimes, and failures, Republicans have not yet hit rock bottom; they've made that clear in recent weeks. They mocked and scoffed when there was an attempted kidnapping of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, which resulted in the brutal assault of her husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer. Republicans thought it was funny; some even spread unhinged conspiracy theories—because nothing is off limits when you are a political party led by Trump.

Just take a look at the candidates the GOP is supporting. In North Carolina, one said there should be rape panels to decide whether survivors can have abortions. In Georgia, the "pro-life" GOP continues to support Herschel Walker, even after he was accused of paying for multiple abortions and abusing his partners. He even admitted on video that his ex-wife thought he "may kill her."

When the rapper Kanye West made terrible antisemitic remarks, Republicans defended them or tried to explain them away. The House Judiciary Committee still has a tweet up celebrating Kanye.

That's who they are.

The policies the Republican Party plans to implement if elected will literally kill people. Take Senator Rick Scott's plan to cut Social Security and Medicare, for example, a plan that would harm millions of hard working Americans. Or the GOP pledge to cut funding in support of Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion, which would have serious worldwide consequences and hand Putin a major victory.

Not to mention the threat of election deniers taking office. It is they who are the greatest threat to our democracy: the 300 Republican candidates who have lied about the 2020 election. If any of these election deniers win, there may not be any more free and fair elections in their state. They will abuse their power to help ensure a GOP win in 2024, whether or not they have the votes.

Does anyone seriously think Kari Lake or Mark Finchem will sign off on a Democrat winning Arizona's Electoral College votes if it's their call? Not a chance.

But Democrats aren't just the only party not actively undermining our democracy. The list of reasons to vote for Democrats is long. President Biden's tremendous leadership has resulted in the creation of more than 10 million new American jobs and our economy continues to expand. Democrats fought the COVID-19 pandemic head on, passing the American Rescue Plan which put money directly into the pockets of working families. The Democrats also passed the infrastructure bill that created countless jobs and is fixing our roads, bridges and railways. And it was Democrats who passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which cut prescription drug prices, attacked climate change and lowered the cost of healthcare and energy.

None of this would have happened under Republican rule.

So as you enter the voting booth, think about how much more Democrats could do for the American people if they keep the House and expand their majority in the Senate. Think about how devastating Republican rule in Congress would be for our nation.

If you want Trump to never step foot in the White House again, if you want propaganda to be fought and not embraced, if you want our democracy to be stronger—not destroyed, then you must vote for Democrats.

A vote for Democrats is a vote for our democracy. A vote for Republicans, is a vote for un-American chaos.

Scott Dworkin is an author, and serves as Executive Director of The Democratic Coalition. He is the host of The Dworkin Report podcast and co-hosts The Report Card podcast. He was a deputy director for the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee and the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and a senior adviser to the Draft Biden and Run Warren Run campaigns. Follow him on Twitter: @funder.

The views in this article are the writer's own.