What would Lee do now?
If my parents, Joseph and Lee Viola, were still alive, they would be celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary this week.
I’ve been thinking about their relationship in light of the upcoming election. My dad was a lifelong, card-carrying Democrat. My mom leaned right and became a staunch, opinionated Republican (after a contentious run-in with a Democratic poll worker when she requested a Republican ballot 80 years ago in her heavily Democratic Chicago neighborhood of Bridgeport).
Despite their affiliation to divergent political brands, my parents had a loving and happy relationship, and a relatively peaceful political co-existence for more than 60 years.
However, during their years of marriage, I can’t recall when an election offered such a distinctively different choice between the two presidential candidates, with monumental consequences for our democracy.
It made me wonder, if my mom were still alive, would her passion for the Republican brand—which previously hung its hat on conservatism, smaller government, fiscal responsibility and, er, family values—sway her to vote for Donald Trump?
The consensus among most of my friends and family (Democrats AND Republicans) is “no way.” Not Lee Viola. Not this election. Not after all that’s happened during the current administration.
Lee was a devout Catholic who lived her life with honesty, decency and integrity—and a love of this country beyond reproach. And despite her life-long allegiance to the party of the elephant, I can’t believe she would support the current president this election for so many reasons:
- Covid-19
Respected leaders from the medical and scientific communities confirm that if Trump didn’t downplay and try to wish the pandemic away, and instead focused on creating a national strategy for prevention and care, that hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved.
Furthermore, our economy, and our businesses, would still be flourishing, but Trump chose to protect the stock market over humanity. The fact is we heard him admit on tape in late January the pandemic would be deadly, yet he continues to deny this publicly as more Americans continue to become infected and die.
As if his abysmal handling of the pandemic, 203,000+ deaths and an economy that may be headed into a depression aren’t enough, I can’t believe she would support the current president given his:
- Continual lies
- Overt racism, xenophobia, homophobia
- Attacks on the press which is protected by our constitution
- Divisive rhetoric, lack of civility, incessant bullying
- Use of his office for personal and political gain
- Spread of disinformation and lies about his opponents, and anyone who disagrees with him
- Urging supporters to vote twice (a felony) and casting doubt on our election process, despite an investigation HE initiated which proved the allegations of widespread voter fraud to be unfounded
- “Pro-life” position to protect the unborn for convenient political purposes but a general disregard for humanity, especially the non-White variety
- Incomprehensible allegiance to Vladimir Putin—despite repeated warnings by U.S. national security agencies about Russian meddling in our elections, and their placing bounties on the heads of American servicemen and women—yet his support and praise of Putin continues
- So much more…
People who are a lot smarter and much more eloquent than I are fearful about the future of our democracy and our country. These are honest, decent, knowledgeable people—Republicans even! They know the seriousness of this election and implore us to make our decision as if our democracy depends on it.
Last election, Donald Trump asked people, “What have you got to lose?” Did anyone imagine it could be our democracy and our lives?
What would Lee do this election? I say she’d reject the dangerous, authoritarian populism which Trump represents, and instead choose democracy and truth.
Robert Viola
Managing Partner
