Vote like your life and the republic depend on it

You hear it every four years: This election is the most consequential/important/momentous of our lifetime, to the point that it’s practically a cliché now. But this year it’s true, and everyone knows it.

With just days before the election, if you are on the fence or lukewarm about Donald Trump and JD Vance, if you are considering voting for a third-party candidate or you know somebody who is, and especially if you are thinking about not voting at all, please take a few moments to read this.

Do not be deterred by dirty tricks or misinformation. Do not believe the hype. Above all, do not despair.

It hardly seems possible that voters are undecided about Trump after nearly a decade. It’s more understandable that some Republican voters struggle to get past Trump’s brash and bombastic personality. Some conservatives look at Trump and say, No. I just can’t. He’s not a decent man. He’s not a godly man.

Let’s concede that Trump is far from perfect. Let’s even allow that his first term was marked by several missteps, unforced errors, and terrible decisions — culminating with the COVID-19 disaster in 2020.

Despite whatever he did that you didn’t like, Trump was arguably the most successful Republican president since Ronald Reagan: shepherding tax cuts that boosted economic growth, slashing illegal immigration, renegotiating trade deals to America’s advantage, and checking our foreign enemies.

Nobody can say for certain what a second Trump term would look like. What is certain is that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will be a disaster for the country. No question about it. Not only would Harris and Walz continue the policies of the past four Biden-Harris years, they would make them worse. The only question is how much worse.

Harris and Walz guarantee the southern border will remain wide open to millions of unvetted illegal aliens from all around the world. Some are gangsters from Venezuela, known terrorists from Syria, Yemen, and Iran, and tens of thousands of military-age men from China traveling alone without ID. Harris and Walz will quickly pave a path to voting for millions of illegal aliens already in our country in an open attempt to create a one-party state in America.

Harris and Walz guarantee domestic economic stagnation and decline by pushing the Green New Deal and crippling regulations while sending hundreds of billions of dollars — much of it borrowed money — to prop up corrupt foreign regimes and wage wars that weaken America’s standing abroad.

Harris and Walz guarantee more lawfare against political opponents, more federal prosecutions of grandmothers praying in front of abortion clinics, and more censorship in the guise of combatting “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “hate speech.” They will continue the unprecedented efforts of the Biden-Harris administration to use the power of the federal government to censor and punish private media companies like Blaze Media that publish content they don’t like.

With Democratic House and Senate majorities, Harris and Walz guarantee an end to the filibuster, a packed Supreme Court, legislation to enshrine Roe v. Wade, the “right” of boys and men to encroach on girls’ and women’s sports and spaces, and more.

Don’t get cocky or complacent. Vote anyway. Make sure your friends and family do too.

If you are a pro-life voter disappointed with Trump’s weakness on abortion, from rejecting a national ban to regulating the “morning-after pill,” Harris is clearly not your candidate.

Now is not the time for purity tests. Too much is at stake. Reagan often told his staff, “I’d rather get 80% of what I want than go over the cliff with my flags flying.”

Trump and Vance are better than 80% of what conservative and pro-life voters say they want. Harris and Walz are less than zero. Guaranteed.

We don’t vote to determine who’s a saint and who’s a sinner — that judgment is up to God. We vote for whoever is best for the job. So vote. Vote your conscience, but also vote your common sense. Vote your values, but remember you won’t necessarily get everything you want all at once or right away. But vote.

Do you live in a blue state where Kamala Harris is a lock to win? Vote anyway. Yes, the Electoral College decides the outcome, but the popular vote matters in the court of public opinion. California in 2016 provided Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory in the popular vote, as she and her sycophants never tire of reminding us. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Make your voice heard and your vote count.

Do you live in a red state where Donald Trump is likely going to run the table? Don’t get cocky or complacent. Vote anyway. Make sure your friends and family do too.

Do you live in a swing state? Absolutely vote like your life and your republic depend on it, because they do. And this time, in the next few days, you must get as many people as you can to do it too. Bug all your friends and family. Bug everyone in the book club or chat group. All the complaining and commentary and worry about politics are meaningless if you and everyone you know do not vote on Tuesday.

Do not be deterred by dirty tricks or misinformation. Do not hand your ballot over to a stranger with a badge. Do not be obstructed by long lines or foul weather. Do not take no for an answer.

Do not believe the hype. Yes, networks like CNN are projecting Harris as the likely winner — but a few months ago, CNN reported that Joe Biden was “sharp as a tack.”

Above all, do not despair. Democrats are going all out. Lawsuits. Ballot harvesting. Dirty tricks. Misinformation. They fight dirty, and they fight to win. We fight for our families and for our country.

A path to victory always exists — but you need to walk down it. The first step is your vote.

Tyler Cardon, CEO of Blaze Media
Gaston Mooney, President of Blaze Media
Matthew Peterson, Editor in Chief of Blaze Media
James Poulos, Editor at Large of Blaze Media
Ben Boychuk, Opinion Editor of Blaze News
Cortney Weil, Senior Editor of Blaze News
Dave Urbanski, Senior Editor of Blaze News
Peter Gietl, Managing Editor of Return
Matt Himes, Managing Editor of Align