I might respond differently to these request, but they have been unrelenting for months with the same message. These messages try to grab hold of my emotions and twist and twist them until every droplet of cash has been wrung from my bank account and I have maxed out my credit cards. As a journalist, I have a propensity to read these emails. And quite frankly, I’ve been depressed for at least a month with all of the foreboding. And no matter the result, these people will move on to act as if I don’t exist.

And I don’t exist in their lives outside of being on their listserv or someone has shared my cell phone with them. I feel like my information has been shared with every candidate, federal and state. I never knew that I was such good friends with Jon Tester, running for reelection in Montana and Ruben Gallego, running for election in Arizona. But I get emails and/or text messages from them every day asking for money.

It’s not like I don’t understand the need. I have given more to candidates and elections efforts in this campaign season than ever before in my life. I know the cost of campaigns and the fact that the Elon Musks of the world are pouring millions to Trump’s campaign. I know this campaign is going to have a real impact on democracy and our society. But I budgeted the amount that I could give and I am sticking to it. I know none of the candidates are going to be backing me as I enter bankruptcy court because I gave them what they wanted.

I believe in campaign finance reform. Corporations are not people if you are a U.S. Constitution “Originalists” as many of the current U.S. Supreme Court members say. And so their giving to political campaigns should be tightly regulated. But now it also needs to stop to put an end to the countless manipulative requests for money that voters receive. There is an inhuman, cold and abusive feel to them. They are not the face of democracy either.

***

To me, the latest insult to the working poor was when Donald Trump donned a McDonald’s apron and pretended that he was cooking french fries and waiting on people coming through the drive-thru. The McDonald’s was closed and every bit of it was staged. I use drive-thrus pretty often and those workers are hustling their butts off as they scramble to fill the endless orders that are coming their way. If those workers took their leisurely time to fill orders as Trump did cooking those french fries, all of those fast food restaurants would go out of business.

While he may like to pretend, Donald Trump is no working class hero. He doesn’t work for his money, his money works for him. I think he chose to run this little charade at a McDonalds because Kamala Harris — his superior opponent I might add — actually worked to pout herself through Howard University, an HBCU. Don’t be suckered by Trump’s use of Hollywood image manipulation. He is not as he appears to be. He is a 78-year-old man with failing mental acuity and in questionable health who would sacrifice everyone and anyone to appease his narcissistic ego.

In spite of the racism and sexism that Kamala Harris has faced — and Trump has promoted — Kamala could still win this one. Kamala is a Black woman.

I can’t believe the absolutely cynical ads that Trump has run to attract the votes of Black people. He has old Black folks talking about how the government — implying Kamala Harris — has kept her family hungry during a period of high inflation. Donald Trump doesn’t care about them. His interest is in hos election “ratings.” He feels he needs 5-10 percent of the Black vote to come his way. And so he is using his Hollywood voodoo to convince Black folks to vote for him as if he has their interests in mind.

Remember the Central Park Five, five young Black men falsely accused of a vicious crime? Donald Trump ran a full-page newspaper ad calling for their execution.

Young Black men, Trump does not have your interests in mind. Oh, he’s good at pretending. But he will use you now just as he has used you his entire life. Don’t be taken in by his con-job.