Everyone Has Something at Stake

I’m afraid I have to push back, respectfully, against a comment that Cheryl made in her last post.

I have more to lose more quickly in a Donald Trump victory than the middle-aged men who are undermining Biden.

I’m a middle aged man who cares a great deal about what happens in the November election. Part of my concern is selfish; as a professor in a red state my employment feels more precarious every time a Vice Presidential candidate talks about the need for a “War on Professors.” As someone who has worked in the Professional Military Education system and might do so again at some point in the future, I worry about a plan to purge the faculty of such institutions of ideological heretics, a description that would certainly fit me and that is part of Project 2025. As an educator I care a great deal about the job prospects of my students, and the careers of those who would serve honorably in the Department of State, Department of Defense, and intelligence community are undoubtedly affected by the chance of a Trump victory in November. On a more personal level, I am the father of two teen daughters of the Jewish faith. They will need to endure the schemes of reproductive law that Trump and his cronies on the Supreme Court ordain for the greater part of their reproductive lives. The police car stationed at the Temple always reminds me that they are also particularly vulnerable to the growth of unapologetic fascism in the United States.

I appreciate that I live in a red state, and thus that according to a good portion (not all, not even a majority, but more than I’d like) of the commentariat the ills that befall me are my fault. But consider Scott, who is an immigrant; consider Erik, who has been the target of right-wing media campaign to terminate his employment; consider Paul, who is the son of Mexican immigrants and the father of a daughter who will also have to suffer under a Trump regime. This does not mean that everyone will suffer equally under another four years of Trump; obviously some are more vulnerable than others. But that doesn’t cut either way in this discussion, because the folks who think Biden should stay firmly believe he has the best chance to win, and the folks that think he should step back firmly believe that someone else has the best chance to win.

We all have skin in the game; we all want to win. Adam Serwer isn’t a middle aged white dude. Jill Filipovic isn’t a middle aged white dude. No one wants to see this process play out because it sounds fun. Let’s all take the metaphorical deep breath and sit back and contemplate what the next three days will bring.