This is Part 2 of “Steeple People.” If you’ve not yet read Part 1, you’ll want to start there first.
As I describe in the About page of my Substack, I write personal essays on a variety of topics. While “The Way I See It” is not a political newsletter, this week my topic is political. However, it’s also deeply personal, because as I explained in Part 1, the prospect of a second presidential term by Donald Trump is a threat to me, to my husband, and to our family and friends here in Europe.
Trump is a cancer on the presidency, a stain on the American experiment that can never be blotted out.
As I wrote years ago:
Today I would add a few more adjectives to that list. He is a narcissistic moral reprobate, and an increasingly deranged and demented megalomaniac who is unable to abide by even basic standards of legality, much less decency. He cannot be contained or constrained, and he absolutely must never again wield the immense powers afforded by the steeple of the American presidency.
Words like “reckless” and “foolish” drastically undersell just how severe of a threat he is, not only to the American people and to America’s democracy, but to the world order that has governed the West for nearly 80 years.
But it is not yet too late.
We can organize, register, and then vote in November to make sure Donald Trump is never again within spitting distance of the Oval Office.
If you are a U.S. citizen, here’s one specific way you can help right now!
I have recently become the secretary for the Northern Italy chapter of Democrats Abroad, the official Democratic “state party” for the millions of Americans living outside the United States. We're a volunteer-run organization, with active chapters across six continents and members who vote in every U.S. state and congressional district.
Democrats Abroad Italy (DAI) is in the midst of our 2024 fundraising campaign, the proceeds of which will help us get out the vote of Americans living in Italy for the November 5th election.
We are hoping to raise at least $25,000 countrywide, which will enable us to:
Make phonebanking calls to our DAI members to make sure they’ve requested and returned their overseas ballots. (Our data shows that it is extremely cost-effective for us to turn out our members!)
Host voter registration events this fall for American exchange students at universities throughout Italy. (Did you know that Italy hosts one of the largest cohorts of American Study Abroad students in the world?)
Run print and digital advertisements throughout Italy to reach American citizens who may not even know that they are allowed to vote from overseas.
In 2020, the votes from Americans overseas allowed Democratic candidates to prevail over extremist MAGA Republicans in tightly contested races, most notably in Georgia, where Joe Biden won the White House and Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their Senate seats. (Remember Trump’s notorious—and allegedly criminal—call to state officials, asking them to “find” 11,780 votes that would change the results in that state? Well, nearly 19,000 Georgians living abroad voted in 2020! That shows the power of the overseas vote to make a real difference!)
If you are a U.S. citizen, please join us by donating today!
As an added incentive, my husband and I will MATCH DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR the first $2024 raised!
After you make a donation by clicking on the blue button above, just reply to this email letting me know the amount you donated and WE WILL MATCH IT, up to $2024.
Thank you for helping us to give Trump the boot!
Michael
PS: Special thanks to Lauren Barr for her nifty graphic design work for this campaign!
PPS: If you’re a U.S. citizen living outside the United States, don’t forget to request your overseas ballot today from Vote From Abroad!1
As a point of clarification: Vote From Abroad is a non-partisan organization. Any U.S. citizen can request their overseas ballot through the VFA website, regardless of party registration or affiliation.