With election day just around the corner, Americans are well aware of the crucial nature of their voices at a time like this. Many have chosen to use their voices to stand up for what’s right. In my opinion, we should all be using our voices to stop the evil, prejudice, uneducated, disconnected egomaniac that is Donald J. Trump.
Apparently, many influential people agree with me. According to an average of the NBC/Wall Street Journal, CNN/ORC and ABC/Washington Post polls, Secretary Clinton is currently winning by 8.7 points among the college-educated white demographic, which President Barack Obama lost by 14 points. Clinton is, in fact, the first Democratic candidate in the past half-century to come out victorious on this front. Some of the most prominent members of the Republican party have come out against Trump.
Former Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, proclaimed he needs to set a good example for his grandkids, and not supporting Trump is “how I can sleep at night,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush has made it clear that no self-respecting women should cast a vote for Trump. She said to CBS, “I mean, unbelievable. I don't know how women can vote for someone who said what he said about Megyn Kelly, it’s terrible.”
Another group of influential people that have been working hard throughout the campaign to stop Trump are musicians. Musicians have a long history of being politically active, especially on the Democratic side. In 2008, I recall seeing Bruce Springsteen play at an Obama rally in Cleveland and hearing of him joining R.E.M. and John Fogerty for the “Vote for Change” concert in support of Democratic candidate John Kerry four years earlier. In the current campaign, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Jon Bon Jovi were part of a “Love Trumps Hate” series for Clinton’s campaign. Artist endorsements are quite typical. What is not the norm, however, is the mass quantity of "disendorsements" that have been released.
USA Today, a publication that has never taken a stance in a presidential election, told readers not to vote for Trump. During the R.N.C. in Cleveland this summer, ‘90s hit-makers Third Eye Blind seized the opportunity to speak out against Trump’s platform of fear and for their own of love and acceptance. The Rolling Stones, Adele, Neil Young, Steven Tyler, Twisted Sister and R.E.M. have told Trump to stop using their music at his rallies. In the words of R.E.M front man, Michael Stipe, “Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign.”
Recently, 30 musicians have teamed up to take down the GOP candidate. “30 Days, 30 Songs” is a project that protests Trump’s candidacy by releasing a song each day in the final month before the election. Author Dave Eggers started the project, which is produced by the same team that came out with 90 Days, 90 Reasons to aid in Obama’s re-election.
The songs are being uploaded to an independent website. Some highlights include “Million Dollar Loan” by Death Cab for Cutie, “Same Old Lie” by Jim James, “Demagogue” by Franz Ferdinand and “With Love from Russia” by Bhi Bhiman. I am a diehard Death Cab fan, but even if you aren’t, I swear that the “Million Dollar Loan” music video will give you chills. It depicts a wall slowly closing Trump in, giving the monster a taste of his own medicine. The powerful imagery of the fame-and-fortunate lifestyle hits the nail on the head.
The songs tell of how a man that was born into wealth compliments dictators, avoids paying taxes, brags of sexually harassing women and insults everyone different than him is a threat to the free world. He is unqualified, uninformed, ignorant and selfish. Please join me and many prominent public figures in condemning his candidacy.
Halle Weber is a freshman studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. How do you feel about Trump? Let Halle know by emailing or tweeting her at hw422715@ohio.edu/@HalleWeber13, respectively.
