By Bruce Baert For The Trentonian Since Donald Trump is definitely going to claim this election one way or another, Democratic voters better finally adopt the all-out IT’S US AGAINST THEM mentality that Trump voters have always had, and drop any petty concerns about Kamala Harris and vote in droves tomorrow for Harris based on, yes, one single issue: She’s not Trump. Since November 2016 there have been many times I’ve been called an ‘extremist’ and ‘panicking’ by many of my fellow Democratic voters for warning them that it’s literally ‘Us Against Them.’ As someone who’s a former paid volunteer election-day poll worker for several elections in the 1990s in my native Los Angeles County, I’ve witnessed voter apathy and seen and heard many registered voters reasons, or excuses, why they didn’t vote. In this Trump-era, I respect the absolute resolve and loyalty the Trump Republican voter consistently has to cast their ballot for Trump. Conversely, I have no less than disdain for my fellow Democratic voter who can find reasons not to vote in this very aptly-called ‘the most important election of our lifetime.’ Democrat voters better finally quit dreaming and accept that literally nothing Trump does or says will decline his support. If you’re Democrat, many of you must quit saying you need to ‘know Kamala better,’ or you men who are worried that given she’s a woman, how she’ll govern on the world stage, or, you think Trump would handle the economy better. HELLO! Did you forget the dumpster fire it was for ya’all during Trump’s first term? Look, since Trump has changed the rules and re-written the old political roadmap, it’s almost silly to list all of the Biden policies he’ll kill. It should be enough to any Democrat just to know that all the alarming warnings aside, it’s just simply a fact, at least to this longtime Trump follower, that his second term or regime will be chaotic, he’ll be a vengeful schoolboy spending most of his presidency going after political enemies. I bet he’ll unleash his crazy with all sorts of fun things, some of which we can’t even fathom. From ordering his Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate, fine and even try to take off the air late night talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, to launching investigations into lawmakers like Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, to ordering the National Guard to prevent college students from protesting against Israel’s attacks on Palestine. And as per usual with Trump, he will also say and do things that no political pundit or expert can or will predict. Acting with his newfound presidential immunity, he will unleash his revenge and anger on political enemies, including against individual citizens and even entire blue states. He’ll pardon himself. All his lies aside saying otherwise, of course he’ll push for a national abortion ban, end aid to Ukraine, end Obamacare, roll back global warming measures, conspire with Vladimir Putin, and quite possibly have the chance to name yet another ultra-conservative US Supreme Court justice. Every single day he will be a daily national buzz kill with the negative bull he’ll say, tweet, and most importantly, do. Democratic voters have no excuse not to go out and win this election for Harris. I don’t know why it’s too much to expect all registered voters of any party to vote. If there ever was a day that 100% of that party’s registered voters voted, their candidate would win hands down. But what if even just 75% (still a record number) of Dems voted, especially in the swing states, Harris would be guaranteed a win. Yet, at least in our still-great country of America, if half of registered voters vote, that is considered a good turnout. Poll workers like a good turnout … They, and I, want everyone to vote: Republican, Democrat and third parties. Like I noted earlier, I admire the loyal Trump voter, which includes two of my own siblings, unflinching in their support for their man. But even the record amounts of total voters in 2020 only added up to 66%, which is a failing grade on a high school exam. “The elections of 2018, 2020 and 2022 were three of the highest-turnout U.S. elections of their respective types in decades. About two-thirds (66%) of the voting-eligible population turned out for the 2020 presidential election – the highest rate for any national election since 1900,” according to Pew Research Center. Yep it’s high time for the Democratic Party and their voters to adopt the GOP’s ‘us against them’ attitude, and support their Democrat candidates no matter what. In 2016 when former First Lady Michelle Obama proudly advised us that “when they (Trump and his political allies) go low, we go high,” I thought it was ill-advised then and I do now. I’m a fan of Ms. Obama, and I’m sorry to defy the former First Lady, I realize it’s bad social media karma these days to question Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, or God – in that order. But immediately in June 2015 Trump had already made it a totally different game. And all these years later Democrats must realize that they must now remain outright loyal to their candidates, and not dump their candidates for things like if they wore blackface once 32 years ago at a frat party. At least temporarily, maybe only while Trump is a national mouthpiece, I really believe Dems must match go-low with go-low. The rationality of thinking like a normal ethical person, has not worked for them. Liberal Americans, almost every single political pundit and pollster, and quite frankly the media, especially broadcast media, have all consistently underestimated and misread Trump’s political genius and his vast support. So, we’ll see. More and more Democrats have realized it’s now or never. Even Ms. Obama has seemingly abandoned her ‘go high’ mantra. Despite many so-called pundits criticizing Harris for campaigning on ‘she’s not Trump,’ I’m glad she’s highlighting that; it really is that simple, yet that important. We’ve had eight years already of Donald Trump. So if not enough Democrats vote and Trump wins, sorry, I just don’t want to hear the whining, and I’m talking about from the Democratic side. Sorry, but I juuu—st won’t be able to handle another four years of late-night comedians Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert ranting nightly about Trump’s latest comments or actions. I just won’t. They’re preaching to the choir anyway. And I won’t feel much sympathy when women and men and Pussyhat protesters rally in the streets against eventual attempted action for a federal abortion ban. Not going to watch celebrities like Chelsea Handler or Amy Schumer posting Instagram videos where they’re crying and criticizing a President-elect Trump. Conversely, Trump political allies do not get to move away from Trump when he finally does go too far. And to be clear, he absolutely will go off the rails. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Nikki Haley are on the top of the long list of Trump defenders and misleaders who will need to be held accountable. Mark my words, when Trump finally derails and goes too far, Graham and Haley, among so many other political allies, will buckle. You wait and see: When Trump’s political demise finally comes, his allies like Graham and Haley will magically awaken. They’ll say something like: “I’m surprised and horrified by President Trump’s actions and I can’t condone them, nor support him as president anymore.” No, please broadcast media, save the thousands of video clips you have of all his political allies defending him no matter what, and don’t let them switch overnight. They sold their soul to Trump long ago. They ain’t dumb, they knew what they were doing, so they can’t get a free ticket out and be let off the hook when all hell breaks loose in a second Trump administration that’s planted in a bedrock of presidential immunity. Indeed, if the Harris-Walz ticket loses, please CNN and MSNBC let’s not second guess and blame the candidates this time. That’s so easy. They went to every state needed, they said the right things. Voters not voting always get an excuse, they’re babied. It’s not romantic or TV viewer-friendly, but if the Democrats lose, let us FINALLY assign the blame where it deserves to go: squarely on the voters who stayed home in the most consequential presidential election of their lifetime. – Bruce Baert is a former & now contributor MediaNews reporter for the Southern California News Group, and a past longtime volunteer paid election precinct poll worker.