Preferring to remain neutral as opposed to endorsing a presidential candidate resulted in the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post attracting significant attention. These two major newspapers’ decisions sent shock waves reverberating through their corridors of power as well as much of the newspaper industry. On October 23, Mariel Garza, the leader of the Times’ editorial board, resigned, followed by Robert Greene, a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writer, and fellow editorial columnist Karin Klein the following day, to express their disappointment with owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s refusal to support a candidate. Washington Post staffers announced that they had already drafted an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and that owner Jeff Bezos halted its publication.

Bezos’s sudden decision to prevent the Washington Post from endorsing presidential candidates resulted in the departure of editor-at-large Robert Kagan who made it clear that he was very disturbed by Post publisher William Lewis’s announcement that the publication would discontinue the practice of endorsing presidential candidates. This is, after all, the publication whose motto is “democracy dies in darkness.” It is notable that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two reporters who broke the iconic Watergate scandal for the paper and brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency, referred to Bezos’s decision as “surprising and disappointing” in a jointly worded statement. Opinion columnists at the Post responded in a joint column on Friday evening, calling the move a “terrible mistake.” Former top Post editor Marty Baron chided the move as “cowardice.”

To be candid, the fact is that presidential endorsements more often than not tend to have limited influence. They are distinct from local or statewide endorsements for office. At such levels, endorsement can make a difference for candidates about whom voters don’t know much. Indeed, such support can make a considerable difference for such candidates. Presidential endorsements provide a different purpose: to emulate a specific institution’s spirit and underlying ideals. This is particularly the case regarding the upcoming election.

Donald J. Trump is one of the worst presidential candidates in recent history. His bone-deep dishonesty, hypocrisy, and avarice make him virulently unsuitable for office. He has routinely demonstrated that he is ignorant, bigoted, deceptive, xenophobic, narcissistic, vengeful, petty, misogynistic, irresponsible, anti-intellectual, lazy, triflingly contemptuous of democracy, and enamored of autocrats and dictators.

His political distaste for the rule of law transcends his efforts to secure power; it also reveals how he plans to use it. Trump and his supporters have described a Project 2025 agenda that would give him power to execute the most extreme of his promises and threats. He has announced that he will weaponize the federal government and the Justice Department into political tools to exact revenge on his political enemies. In several instances during his presidency, he did exactly that, leaning on federal agencies and prosecutors to punish people he felt had wronged him, with scant reason to prosecute them.

Fortunately, some members of his cabinet during his presidency spared the nation from having to deal with his dangerous inclinations. They steadfastly refused to violate laws on his behalf and challenged him when he attempted to place his own interests before the nation’s interests. Learning from such experience, an even more devious Trump intends, if reelected, to populate his administration with men and women willing to carry out his orders unconditionally. He will have virtually unrestrained power to enact his agenda, which would likely result in irreconcilable harm to our democracy. Members of his former administration have warned us of this potential reality.

Several prominent Republicans, such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter Liz Cheney, have refused to support Trump given the serious threat he poses. Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump, called his former boss a “fascist.” Trump is enamored of dictators and autocrats. Other former Trump administration officials have echoed similar sentiments. Again, these are charges coming from people who actually served with him in the White House and had a front-row seat to such unrestrained antics.

Since Vice President Harris moved into the political spotlight following Joe Biden’s exit, her campaign has been a textbook in political jujitsu, deftly transforming Trump’s supposed strengths into glaring weaknesses. With a focus on joy, the vice president sharply contrasted with Trump’s grim narrative of US decline. In their sole televised debate, Vice President Harris skillfully manipulated Trump, who fell into her traps, coming across as angry and disheveled. Whereas she was confident, collected, and composed, he was unrestrained.

A second Trump term threatens to dismantle voting rights, women’s rights, and minority rights, reversing decades of social progress by totally outlawing them. Trump was largely responsible for overturning reproductive rights. The conservative forces rallying behind him are now intent on imposing a national abortion ban, which, if he wins the presidency, would result in dramatically dire consequences for IVF and birth control. These unpopular possible policies poll poorly with many Americans across the political spectrum, and they damage Republicans among large segments of the public. His searing disdain for non-White immigrants is classic racism. Vice President Harris can continue to highlight them for political gain.

What is most tragic for American politics is the fact that Donald Trump has morphed the Republican Party, a party that prided itself on its supposed staunch support for and fidelity to law and the constitution, into his personal dictatorial instrument as he attempts to regain power. Former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, accused Donald Trump of re-enacting a Nazi rally by holding an event in Madison Square Garden this past weekend. Madison Square Garden was the site of thousands of virulent anti-Semites, Nazi sympathizers and other white supremacists eighty-five years ago on February 20, 1939. Among some of the carnival like behavior included:

· Grant Cardone, a private equity manager and, for one night at least, a man of the people, described Harris as a prostitute whose “pimp handlers” would “destroy our country.”

· David Rem, a personal friend of the Republican nominee, waved a crucifix and declared that Harris was actually “the antichrist.”

· Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News anchor who last month hosted a Holocaust denier, Darryl Cooper, on his web show (describing him as the “most honest” historian in America), mocked Harris’ racial background while laying the groundwork for a second MAGA insurrection.

The event was extremely packed and it went on for numerous hours as his rallies are wont to do. The speakers were in unison crude, vulgar and insulting. Right wing radio host Sid Rosenberg referred to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff as a “crappy jew” and maintaining decorum (sarcasm) by saying, “She is some sick b***ard, that Hillary Clinton. What a sick son of a b**ch. The whole f***ng party. A bunch of degenerates. Low lives, Jew-haters, and low lives. Every one of ’em. Every one of ’em.” So much for having class.

Another speaker, David Rem, supposedly a childhood friend of Trump’s (this has been disputed shouted “Kamala Harris is the devil! She is the Antichrist!” A supposed real estate expert named Grant Cardone took to the podium to declare the former California attorney general, senator and current vice president as “the least qualified person to ever run for any office in America” and claims that she has “pimp handlers,” which is as racially charged as its gets. Disgraced mayor and politician Rudy Giuliani shamelessly slammed Palestinians: The Palestinians are taught to kill us at two years old. They won’t let a Palestinian in Jordan. In Egypt. And Harris wants to bring them to you.

Trump’s transition chief, Howard Lutnick, screamed “we must crush Jihad!” and waxed on about the 1890s when America was supposedly “great” while Trump’s top adviser Steven Miller really chillingly echoed 1939 vibes with his statement that “America is for Americans!” RFK Jr. was also in attendance, ranting about the “corruption at the CDC, the FDA, the NIH and the CIA.” Trump made it clear that, “I’m gonna let him go wild on health. I’m gonna let him go wild on the foods. I’m gonna let him go wild on the medicines.” And Tucker Carlson took the stage to huge applause, laughing maniacally and delivering a crude, racist, xenophobic insult toward Kamala Harris.

There was one very hostile speech given by a “self-described comedian” at the start of the event, Tony Hinchcliffe who is the host of a popular podcast. He got the whole event rolling with this line: “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico” He further made a racially charged comment about hanging out with a Black friend and instead of carving pumpkins, they carved watermelons. There were other inflammatory and disturbing examples. Indeed, staging such a perverse event is nothing short of despicable.

This is why Republicans who support Vice President Harris recognize that this election is about something more basic than simple partisan interest. It is about absolute principles that extend beyond party. Donald Trump wants to rule the nation under an autocracy. Vice President Harris wants to represent a nation where everyone has access to diversity, equality, and opportunity, and where pluralism is available to everyone regardless of their race, gender, religion, socioeconomic background, etc. Thus, Vice President Kamala Harris is the only feasible choice for president.