Politics is No Game

There are more than a few people I know for whom politics appears to be nothing more than a game. A game played by those already in positions of wealth and power. A game whose consequences will, at best, have a minimal impact on their lives. For these people, I have a question...

Have you ever seen one of these?

I have, and I've known people who had them. They are a reminder of just how serious politics can be. This, and others like them are born by fewer people every year as the number of those who survived the Holocaust and Nazi death camps grows ever smaller. They are grim reminders of just how serious politics is. It was politics, that ultimately gave rise to the horrors of the Third Reich. Through the use, and abuse of the political system and the democratic process, a right-wing, demagogic, charismatic figure appealed to the fears, prejudices, anger and disaffectation of  German voters to overthrow the Weimar Republic and establish the Third Reich. This is how serious politics is.

We stand at that same threshold now, as  a right-wing, demagogic, charismatic figure appeals to the fears, prejudices, anger and disaffectation of American voters to secure the highest office in the land. The stakes couldn't be higher.