The Leadership We Need
We need leadership. Not just any leader, but a specific kind of leader—one capable of combating the un-American Trump MAGA cult. We need someone from a low-income background, someone demonstrably intelligent—willing to release their school records—someone whose integrity is beyond question. This must be a leader who does not seek to impose their religion on our government, who is not beholden to corporate America, but rather to the citizens of the United States.
Why a low-income background? Because we need a leader who truly understands what the average citizen experiences. Not someone born into a millionaire household, who has never faced struggle or want. Not someone so detached from reality that they believe they invented the word “groceries,” as if no one used it before them.
Constitutional Leadership and Expertise
We need a leader who upholds the Constitution, respects the separation of powers, and values checks and balances. Someone who trusts experts in their respective fields, rather than arrogantly assuming they know more than everyone else. Let’s be clear: no one who is embarrassed to release their school records can credibly claim to be the foremost authority on every subject.
Most importantly, we need a leader who understands that reality TV stars, sports entertainment moguls, news anchors, and billionaires are not qualified to lead government agencies—especially not our military. Equality is greater than division.
Constitutional Modernization and Rights
We must update and modernize our Constitution—not to change its meaning, but to clarify its language. We should preserve the historical document while incorporating all amendments and removing outdated provisions, reducing ambiguity in our foundational governing text.
Freedom of Speech and Association
Freedom of Speech must be explicitly defined as protection from government punishment for speech, with clear exceptions for egregious cases such as incitement and fraud. But freedom of speech does not mean that anyone can say anything, anywhere, without consequences.
Freedom of speech must be balanced by Freedom of Association—meaning that organizations that disagree with a message are not obligated to provide a platform for it.
The Second Amendment
The Second Amendment does not grant an unrestricted right to military-grade firearms.
Social Justice and American Values
We need someone who embraces our nation’s diversity, recognizing that immigration is the foundation of America’s strength. A leader who understands that the Founding Fathers sought to escape a government intertwined with religion, and who acknowledges that our nation was designed to resist corporate control over government. The will of the people—not the powerful—was meant to be sacrosanct.
Tolerance and acceptance are social contracts, not always religious mandates. As a social contract, they protect those who uphold them. But those who reject tolerance—Nazis, the KKK, white supremacists, religious fanatics, isolationists, segregationists, and bigots of all kinds—are not entitled to the benefits of that contract. Hate has never made any country great.
That’s what real freedom means – being free to be yourself without fear of attack due to who you are, what you look like, or who you find attractive. What we oppose is oppression, control, and brutality in the name of someone else’s beliefs. We don’t mind you thinking and believing what you do – as long as you don’t try to force your ideas on anyone else. We’re not forcing things on you, other than preventing you from attacking, harassing, belittling and dehumanizing other people for being who they want to be and following their own beliefs. And THAT is what MAGA has a problem with – they hate freedom. What they like is their own privilege.
Global Affairs and National Security
We need someone who understands global affairs, how the U.S. fits into the world, and how to protect our interests—without alienating our allies and embracing our enemies. Someone who realizes that USAID is not just about helping those in need, but also about fostering goodwill toward the U.S. However, under the Trump administration, that goodwill has been shifting—away from the U.S. and toward China.
A true leader must recognize that any serious effort to reduce spending, waste, fraud, and abuse must start with the Department of Defense—and that such an effort should be led by experienced forensic accountants, not inexperienced hackers.
Economic Justice
Tariffs used as “negotiating tools” or as retaliation, with the stated goal of bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., are among the least effective methods of achieving that goal. Tariffs punish U.S. consumers, not foreign businesses. A far better approach is to implement tax incentives that make offshoring unpalatable—creating costs that corporations cannot simply pass on to consumers. One such policy could be a tax benefit that diminishes with increased offshore job counts, encouraging U.S. manufacturing over outsourcing. Which, by the way, Liberals have always been for.
We must also address income and wealth inequality through targeted tax policies and incentives for fair labor practices. Companies that ensure equitable pay distribution between workers and CEOs should be rewarded, while extreme executive compensation at the expense of struggling workers should be penalized. Labor laws must prioritize workers, not corporations.
The Heart of the Matter
The future of America depends on leadership that values integrity over wealth, expertise over arrogance, and unity over division. It is time to elect a leader who represents us—the people, not the privileged.
A Call to Action
We must take a lesson from the insidious infection of right-wing fascism into our government and make a concerted effort to put people who believe in the founding principles of our country—freedom, liberty, and justice for ALL, no exceptions. Yes, we haven’t yet lived up to that ideal, but let’s keep making progress.
We need to get liberals and progressives involved in government, into positions and leadership roles. The extreme right has been working on this for decades, while liberals have been out loving liberty and not wanting to control anyone. But we have to take the steps to help ensure the blessings of liberty for our descendants, instead of the dystopian future MAGA wants for the world.
We need to find and rally behind the leader I described earlier. I don’t think we need a Democrat—they seem to largely be as obligated to corporate control as what’s left of the GOP has been for decades. We need backing, though backing that aligns with true United States values, not backing that comes with strings.
But most importantly, we need to unite, have a solidarity and dedication that rivals MAGA—without the cultish aspects. It’s time to stand up for what America truly represents: freedom, equality, and justice for all.
I’m calling on you – yes, YOU – to step forward. If you believe in America’s true promise, if you’ve lived America’s real struggles, if you have the integrity and intelligence our nation desperately needs – your country needs you now.
The time for sitting on the sidelines is over. We don’t need another Democrat in corporate pockets or what’s left of the GOP. We need leaders who will fight for true American values, not just tweet about them.
Stand up! Step forward! The future of American liberty is calling, and it’s time to answer!
For the Constitution! For democracy! For all Americans!
Citations:
[1] https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/cpl/faculty/program-crisis-leadership
[2] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/04/election-poll-low-income-voters-harris-trump/75018088007/
[3] https://hbr.org/2022/01/corporate-political-spending-is-bad-business
[4] https://opentextbc.ca/writingforsuccess/chapter/chapter-3-putting-ideas-into-your-own-words-and-paragraphs/
[5] https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/america-crisis-leadership-walter-russell-mead
[6] https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2024/08/09/walz-trump-vance-harris-wierd-campaign-248530
[7] https://businesslawreview.uchicago.edu/print-archive/how-did-corporations-get-stuck-politics-and-can-they-escape
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkKp56E6UVo
[9] https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/ap-votecast-voters-who-focused-on-the-economy-broke-hard-for-trump/
[10] https://www.iccr.org/corporate-influence-over-legislation-regulation-on-key-themes-affecting-the-public-interest-prompts-investors-to-file-numerous-proposals-scrutinizing-corporate-political-activity/