What is your price for selling out democracy?

It's very simple: I will never vote for someone who has carried out a coup.

Donald Trump pressured Mike Pence to ignore 81 million votes, and when Pence refused, Trump stood idly by while a mob tried to lynch him. There were fake electors and phone calls to state officials pressuring them to change the vote totals.

Trump staged a coup.

In the meantime, I see context-free talking points comparing gasoline prices and interest rates under Trump. Now, oil is a global economy where producers control production to control prices. COVID has drastically reduced consumption, which is bad for producers. In North Dakota, a thriving oil industry generates billions in tax revenue. That reduces your tax burden. Pick a side.

Central banks around the world, like the Fed, have done everything they can to avoid recession by regulating interest rates. They react to situations, not to the wishes of presidents. To think otherwise shows a misunderstanding of economics or just shallow thinking. What's your answer? Do you really want presidents to control prices in a “free market”? Wouldn't that be communism? Pick a side.

Farmers and grocers will tell you that a handful of corporations control food. Consumers are being ripped off and the Conagras of the world are making billions. Teddy Roosevelt famously took on the monopolies. The time has come again, but it will not come from the party of deregulation.

Ironically, the distrust of the media that has led to ill-informed voters increased when Ronald Reagan's FCC court struck down the Fairness Doctrine, opening the door to media consolidation and homogenized political propaganda. Don't trust the media? Then blame Ronnie, Rush and Roger Ailes.

So can we move beyond these simplistic arguments from one-sentence memes? Before you nod off, though, imagine sitting down with your grandparents, parents, or anyone else who fought against dictators and for freedom itself and telling them, “You know, Grandpa, I'm going to vote for the guy who staged an American coup because I feel like it might save me a few hundred dollars at the gas pump.”

Let's say a few thousand. What's your price?

I will never support anyone who does not support the Constitution of the United States of America. I firmly believe that most Americans believe the same.

Shame on those who know better but continue to avoid the issues of J6 and Project 2025 – those whose wealth and position guarantees them survival in a dictatorship. And then there are the money-hungry media who lie to uneducated voters who don't understand that they are being fed political bile by the same people who are kicking their asses.

If that seems too complicated for you, let's start from the beginning: Think of your family members who served and what they fought for and gave their lives for. For democracy. For freedom.

Don't vote for anyone who has ever carried out a coup.