Today I received in the mail two polar opposite fundraising pitch letters that graphically illustrate where we are as a divided country these days.
The first was from the Faith & Freedom Coalition, founded by Dr. Ralph Reed, whose tagline is "Giving Cristians A Voice in Government."
Warning that "Democrat leaders in Congress are openly calling the Congressional Elections on November 6th 'The Impeachment 'Election," the Faith and Freedom Coalition adds, "We must not let them overthrow our duly-elected President and destroy our Constitutional Republic forever!"
In his four-page appeal, Reed writes:
"I know I don't have to tell you what's at stake. The anti-Christian, anti-freedom, Anti-America Left has a very different vision for America's future than you and I have.
"They want to erase America's borders, so we no longer have a country.
"They want to eliminate Christianity as a moral force in American life.
"They want America to be governed by the United Nations, not our own Constitution.
"They want Godless socialism...or worse for your children and grandchildren.
"They don't want to 'Make America Great Again' because they don't think America ever was great."
That same mail, which arrived on the day that a new ABC/Washington Post poll showed that 60 percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump, brought an appeal from Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), declaring that "White Supremacists Celebrate Trump's Victory."
A four-color flyer quotes David Duke, grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and described as a "neo-Nazi leader," as saying, "This is one of the most exciting nights of my life....(O)ur people played a HUGE role in electing Trump."
Also in a lengthy appeal letter, Dees said that since Trump's inauguration, "we've documented countless acts of intimidation and harassment across the nation as white supremacists celebrate Trump's accession to the presidency. We've seen white supremacists march under torches while chanting "Jews will not replace us"..."colored" signs hung on school water fountains...mosques vandalized...Latinos intimidated with racist slurs...and much, much more."
"White supremacists believe they finally have a friend in the White House," he writes. He appealed for contributions "to stand against the rise of hate and extremism" and urged Americans to "be an activist for justice in your local community."
It's a shame that America is so polarized; that either you are a Trump loyalist or you want him impeached. Where are the days of John McCain and Joe Biden, when differences were worked out and the paramount goal was finding solutions in the best interests of the American people?
I agree with the SPLC -- this new wave of hate has been strengthened and encouraged by Donald Trump. Ralph Reed's statement that "They don't want to "Make America Great Again" because they don't think America ever was great" is baloney.
America was and still is "great."
But there is danger. We cannot allow our country to be made over in the image of Donald Trump, as hard as he is trying to make that happen.
Indeed, perhaps November 6 should be the "impeachment election."