“Cause if it’s the woman thing it’s time to get over that...It’s time to be a man and vote for a woman.“ Sam Elliot, actor

“Most women know the story. She’s overqualified for the job. He isn’t qualified at all, but it’s still a contest. Can you see any man having been district attorney, state attorney general, U.S. senator, and U.S. Vice President but being told HE isn’t qualified?” My sister, who has considerable experience with sexism in business. 

“The Man’s Prayer: I am a man, I can change, if I have to, I guess,” from the Red Green Show.  

I want to talk to you men out there – especially you younger men. Donald Trump’s primary base of support is men. Recently I read that Gen Z men are supporting Trump in significant numbers. 
Why are 20 something men –  or men in general – supporting the reelection of the worst and most incompetent president in our history? 

How is this arrogant jerk going to make our country great?

Thinking back to when I was young and dumb, I would suggest an answer. Today, as it has been all through history, too many men of all ages suffer from too much testosterone, too little knowledge and too little sound judgment. They are prone to unwise, self-destructive behaviors.

There are reasons why young men have high car insurance rates. There are reasons why they are the preferred recruits for every army in the world (I voluntarily joined the Army at age 24). There are reasons why they are easily manipulated by con artists, dictators and demagogues with appeals to manliness, glory or patriotism. 

But you men don’t want to listen to an old man like me. So here is a message from Sam Elliot, an actor noted for portraying tough guy characters. He narrated a video for the Lincoln Project (an organization of  Republicans who support Harris). Here are the highlights.  

“You know who the candidates are. You know what’s at stake. One candidate promises a divided America filled with lies and hate...”

“Kamala Harris has more courage, more honor, more guts, than this guy ever had...” 

“So you decide, are we really going back down that same fucking broken road or are we moving forward towards hope, towards freedom, towards change?”

“There is promise that lies in change and the time for change is now. So what the hell are you waiting for? Cause if it’s the woman thing it’s time to get over that. Its time for hope, for change, It time to be a man and vote for a woman.” 

To see the video search for “Choose Change, Lincoln Project.”

If you don’t believe me or Sam Elliot, you should listen to your sisters, girlfriend or wife.  
Seventy percent of young women are supporting Kamala Harris. They know Harris cares and has real solutions to make their lives better. They know Trump’s crazy nonsense will be bad for everyone. So be a man and listen to the women in your life.  

I know this is hard to accept. We all were raised with an unrealistic, and often harmful, concept of manhood. We were inculcated with Hollywood false notions that men have to be tough, in charge, and often violent. 

Showing empathy, negotiating, compromising or admitting you were wrong are weaknesses. Women are the weaker sex and need to be protected and subservient to men. So it is hard imagine a woman as president and commander-in-chief. 

But this isn’t reality or good for any of us – male or female. Women have always been leaders, providers, workers, innovators and frequently the smarter, better half. 

If you think women aren’t tough try birthing a child. When are men going to accept that 50% of the population has a right to be treated equally?   

Anthropologists tell us that the male hunters often failed to bring home the bacon. Tribes of hunters and gatherers depended on the women to provide the more stable, dependable supply of food from gardening and gathering.

Today many women are heads of households and the major or sole bread winner in the family. Today more women are graduating from higher education than men. Women now make up 30% of our doctors. Ten percent of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. Women hold 32% of top executives positions in the U.S. They are 30% of business owners. It is time for American men to get over the “woman thing.” 

Many countries have had women presidents, prime ministers and queens. 

The truth is toughness, aggressiveness, competition, violence and war – all those “manly” traits – have not served humanity well. From the beginning humans have had to rely on cooperation, teamwork, and using our brains more than brawn. 

On the plains of Africa we didn’t have the teeth, claws, strength or speed to compete with the lions. We had to work together to survive. Rugged individuals didn’t make it. And today modern societies require living and working together cooperatively to be prosperous and successful. 

We all do better when we all do better. So Trump’s divisive, racist, hateful scapegoating of immigrants, minorities, “liberals,” women and anyone else who doesn’t kiss his butt is dangerous and will hurt all of us.  

Trump also doesn’t know anything about the economy or how to run a country. 

Trump’s plan to increase tariffs will drive up consumer prices, reduce jobs, and create product shortages. Massive deportation of Hispanics won’t save your job, but it will create a labor shortages in many industries. 

Trump’s opposition to green energy, electric vehicles and environmental protection is bad for business innovation. 

The Project 2025 agenda will dismantle government – the way we cooperatively protect our freedoms and improve our lives. It will take America backwards to when women had no rights, children worked the mines, unions were against the law, billionaires paid no taxes, and corporate “robber barons” did any thing they wanted to workers, consumers and the environment. 

 We cannot go back to some mythological time when America was “great.”  We live in a global economy with rapidly changing, life-altering technologies. 

Adapting to this reality requires creative, forward-thinking leadership, not an ignorant, arrogant old man sliding into dementia.    

So we all need to get over the “woman thing.” We need to be a man, a woman, a responsible citizen and vote for a woman.