Politics Report

Most Americans are so ready to get someone in office who doesn't embarrass us on a daily basis, cares about the entire nation rather than his or her base, does something--anything--about this pandemic and united the country to move forward on everything from global warming to social justice to mask mandates. Demi Lovato is no exception and says that she doesn't care if her new song, "Commander In Chief," turns any of her fans away from her.

The song is a powerful testament to our deep need for change as well as the problems that have erupted or severely worsened beneath this administration. There are references to Black Lives Matter, the pandemic, the importance of voting. In one of her most powerful lines, Lovato says that if she did the things Trump did, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

What did you think of the video? Do you have your voting plan ready? If not, do you need help? Please ask for it in the chat if you do!

Plenty of people are sharing memes about not unfriending people over politics these days, and I have to laugh. Politics are only an extension of values; do you not base your choice of friends on your own values? 

I get it if you're saying you're not going to unfriend someone because they have a difference of opinion on everything from pizza toppings to tax laws. But when you're talking about differing "opinions" over issues like whether someone else "deserves" the same rights you enjoy, or whether someone's own humanity comes into question, there's really nothing left to debate between us. In my book, we're done if you think people don't deserve healthcare or food or the right to marry whom they choose.

Have you had experiences like that this year? I'm sure most of us have. Share yours in the chat.

During an election year, many of us are typically on the ground volunteering, going door to door to chat with voters and getting the vote out however we can. This year, we need to maintain social distancing, which makes it much harder to talk to strangers about issues we care about.

Phonebanking is still very much an option if you're able to do that, but how else are you getting the vote out? You can still flyer neighborhoods as long as you keep your distance and it's in compliance with your local laws (and if you feel safe enough to do so). You can also still share petitions and information via social media, which can be helpful as well as harmful, depending on who you're sharing it with!

How are you getting the vote out this year? Share your ideas in the chat. 

The United States response to the coronavirus has been abysmal at best. Even if our response had been average and on par with many other countries' responses, we'd have saved so many more lives. Calling this virus the Trump virus after the president refused to make it a priority is much fairer than saying things like masks don't work or that the death counts are overblown.

If anything, the death counts are underestimated. All you have to do is look at number of deaths in 2020 versus recent years and you can see how there are vastly more deaths. But people like to politicize it and say that it's only a Democrat hoax or election ploy even as victims die. 

How have you seen it shared as a political tool of division? Perhaps a better question is which countries do you think have handled it best? Could we still do the same?