An Elder Traylor's Appeal About Nov 3rd, 2020

Original Post: 09/10/2020 - Elder Traylor family member, Mjenzi Traylor’s appeal for a massive voter turnout by our family.

          Over the past few years, our family has been trying to pull ourselves together and relate to one another as previous generations did years ago. I believe our efforts have been moderately successful, and I trust that we will increase those efforts and show our younger members the importance of family.

          During this period whenever we have been together and when our discussions have touched on political subjects, I have tried to be careful not to express the full extent of my political beliefs. I have tried to keep in mind that the Traylors are not a political party, that we come from different communities all over the country and we have varying political convictions. However, I am at a point this year where I can’t hold back on my concerns, and I know from talking with some of you that other family members share these concerns. I feel the need to share my concerns because I am hearing more and more talk about people declaring that they are not going to vote in the upcoming election. Some are saying that their votes will not be counted; others are saying there is no difference between the candidates; still others are saying they preferred Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. I believe all of those positions, as reasons for not voting, are politically naïve. I have been voting all of my adult life ( I am now 86 years old) and I have never seen a candidate or ballot issue that offers everything I wanted. The question for me has always been “is this candidate or this issue getting me closer to what I want”. Many people would call this a moderate position, not a progressive (or revolutionary) one. I would argue that determining whether a position is progressive should be measured by a commitment to progressive goals, since strategies for reaching those goals change based upon what can be achieved at any given point in time.

          DONALD TRUMP IS IN THE PROCESS OF DESTROYING THE LIMITED DEMOCRACY THIS NATION HAS ACHIEVED OVER THE PAST NEAR-250 YEARS., Why do I say “limited democracy”? Because we as Black Americans have struggled for all those years (and for 150 years before this nation’s birth) to force it to demonstrate its belief in the equality of all men and women through laws and policies based on democratic principles. Our people, including some of our family members, fought for, and in some cases, died in pursuit of these principles or in just trying to live out an ordinary life. Our progressive goal for November 3, 2020 should be to get rid of Donald Trump and gain control of the U.S. Senate. We will then be in a better position to strategize around other progressive policy goals.   

What has Trump destroyed, tried to destroy or what is he committed to destroying if re-elected?  Let me deal with a few of my favorites and perhaps you, family members, will want to share some of yours.

1. The United States has the worst record worldwide for dealing with the COVID 19 virus. What makes it worst is not just the numbers of people infected and the numbers who have died ,but also the fact that this country was in the best position to combat the virus more effectively if national policies had been put in place to deal with it. I am not sure how many family members we have lost to the virus, but I am aware that we lost Shaun L. Smith. His mother is Scherrie D. Collins and one grandfather was Ira Ernest Traylor, Sr. (deceased), who was my oldest nephew. I strongly believe that Shaun might still be with us today if it were not for Trump’s lack of proper policy with respect to COVID 19. I am not saying that we could have avoided all the 190, 000 plus who have died so far, but of the many thousands who could have been saved, Shaun could have been one. Are there others in the family or in our extended families or even acquaintances that we’re aware of?  Bob Woodward’s book, “RAGE,” and his recordings of Trump made while writing the book show that Trump knew the deadliness of the virus and chose not to deal with it in an open and honest way. Doing so in February or March would have led to better policies and saved lives. Past administrations developed sound plans for dealing with pandemics that were passed on to Trump, but Trump chose to ignore them to avoid spooking the Stock Market. We need a President who believes in science and values the lives of Americans more than money!  SO VOTE!

2. All of us know of family members and friends who have benefited from Medicare, Medicaid or Obamacare. Trump and the Republicans have worked consistently to weaken these programs. They would have destroyed Obamacare if it had it not been for John McCain’s vote to save it, and they are in court right now trying to destroy it through another means, since they couldn’t repeal it through legislation.. Many of us want Medicare For All—Universal Medical Coverage. To get that we need to move forward, not backwards by eliminating Obamacare. To get that we need a new President and control of the Senate. When millions of jobs were lost because of COVID 19, many people could no longer access employer -related health programs. Thousands now see the importance of government insured health programs. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen this way, but this catastrophe has given many a clearer view of why universal health care, not connected to employers, is so important. There is now greater acceptance of the concept.  SO VOTE!

3. My father, Joseph H. Traylor Sr., was born in 1894. He was an avid “New Dealer.”. (You young people google that term). He supported President Franklin Roosevelt and his policies, especially Social Security. During the 50’s and early 60’s he would often preach to us about what he saw as the continuing efforts of Republicans to weaken and destroy Social Security. Trump has made it clear that he is in favor of destroying I; in fact, one of his Executive Orders would empty the Social Security Trust Fund by 2023.There are too many of us who have paid into it and currently benefit from it for it to be eliminated. Further, the vagaries of the stock market show that we should always have a source of government-guaranteed income. It may be supplemental for some, but it is primary income for others. Keep in mind that progress is not permanent; we must guard and protect it. So, if you want the income provided by Social Security, get rid of Donald Trump and his Senatorial “yes men”. Then we can work to strengthen Social Security, not destroy it.  SO VOTE!

A final few words - Trump has worked hard to make his point of view the only view to be believed.  He has denigrated the news media and anyone who does not agree with him. He has created a climate that finds many of our fellow citizens believing weird stories and conspiracy theories produced through obscure search engines and social media outlets. We must be careful, and we must train our youngsters to be careful about the information they access. Let us make sure that we and our children are checking information with those they love and trust. The internet is not your friend or your family; as a source of information, it must be checked. We should all have various ways of checking the truth and soundness of information, especially if it sounds weird or “out there.” Let's not let our voting be influenced by weirdos.

I would be very happy to receive your comments in response to this letter and if you wish, I will share your responses with the family.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

VOTE AS EARLY AS YOU’RE ALLOWED TO. IF YOU ARE VOTING BY MAIL, DO NOT DELAY; SEND OUT YOUR BALLOTS AS SOON AS YOU GET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!