Values of Your Vote

What I learned from a Trump supporter’s attack on my fellow Morris County Democratic Committee interns

Sunday afternoon, four of my fellow teenage interns at the Morris County Democratic Committee (MCDC) sat outside our headquarters in Morristown, NJ registering voters for the upcoming election. It was a hot and humid day, but in the glow of youthful optimism, it seemed that nothing could deter our team from helping members of our community — both Democrats and Republicans alike — become eligible to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

That is, until a man, who described himself as an ardent supporter of Donald Trump, took issue with their effort. He approached their table, attacking the Democratic party and its nominee Hillary Clinton, whom he believed should be in prison. For us interns, this is nothing new — we’ve heard every case against Hillary. Things went south, however, once he began using racial slurs against the diverse group and threatened to castrate one of the male interns. After asking him to leave, he shot back “shut your mouth!”, raised his angry voice louder, and continued his crude and profane tirade of hate against the teenagers. When a number of concerned bystanders stepped in, they were greeted with shoves and shouts by the aggressor before he ran off. Fortunately, the confrontation resulted in no physical injury — but it was certainly jarring and scarring to all of us at MCDC.

To verbally attack and physically threaten anyone expressing their political beliefs is shameful and un-American. But to do this to a handful of teenage interns simply trying to apolitically register voters is disgusting.

However, it is this brand of reckless and apathetic aggression that the Trump campaign has consciously fueled this election cycle. While it is important not to lump all Republicans into this category, it is impossible to deny the unusually violent nature of his bid for the presidency. From encouraging physical attacks against dissenters at rallies to employing violent, vengeful rhetoric against his opponents to creating an environment where “Lock her up!” is an acceptable war cry, Mr. Trump has sparked a dangerous trend across the country. Only through that type of campaign do incidents such as the assault on our MCDC interns occur.

Beyond this incident, what worries me is the groundwork Mr. Trump and his supporters are laying for more violence in the future. Over the past week, the Trump campaign has repeatedly suggested that this election might be “rigged” in favor of Hillary Clinton, who leads by a wide margin in the latest series of polling. These dog-whistle calls to his supporters — combined with the hostile and aggressive tactics he has encouraged — signal a possible outbreak of violence in the coming months if Hillary maintains her lead in the polls.

We saw a prime example of this Tuesday afternoon, as Mr. Trump — in typical roundabout fashion — suggested that folks could use their 2nd Amendment right to stop Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency: “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.” His supporters defended it as a “joke” — but that’s not the point. As we at MCDC know firsthand, there are people out there that take his words seriously. They have acted and will continue to act act on his calls to violence, regardless of how they are intended.

The hatred, aggression and anger that that man unleashed on my colleagues and friends chills me to the bone. As someone who is coming of age in this election cycle, it greatly disturbs me to see a candidate who supports and encourages these actions — even against innocent teenagers simply trying to sign folks up to vote. Perhaps this incident is just the tip of the iceberg — a scary glimpse at an ominous run-up to the election.

When headed to the ballot box this November, I implore you to consider what your vote for President signifies. You are not just voting for the face of the country; you are throwing your support behind a candidate whom you want to represent you. Knowing how he encourages his supporters to treat people, could you explain to your kids or your grandkids or your great-grandkids why you voted for Donald Trump? Your morals, values and beliefs are all reflected in the name you cast your ballot for — so stand up for what you believe in this November.