Ask leaders of the Chapala chapter of Democrats Abroad to explain their personal opinions of what is at stake in this year’s United States mid-terms elections,

and they’ll tell you they are deeply worried about the consequences if conservative wings of the Republican party gain a grip on legislative power to push through an agenda that is aimed at upending the democratic process and curtailing the economic and social rights of the country’s citizens.

“We’re fighting for our American way of life,” explains local chapter chairman Terry Rosson. “We need a functioning democracy, with two strong, solutions-focused parties. Today, that is not the case. Only true democracy can deliver real solutions, and avoid the never-ending ‘tribal’ conflict and chaos we see today.”

Rosson’s predecessor, Larry Pihl, echoes those sentiments, pointing to the 11-point plan drawn up by Republican Senator Scott that includes pulling the rug out from under Social Security, Medicare, military retirement benefits, veterans programs, student loans and unemployment compensation, along with raising one trillion dollars in taxes from the middle and lower classes.

They add on the pervasive Republican assault on voting rights and election integrity, from the “big lie” on the outcome of  the 2020 presidential election to the violent January 6 uprising at the nation’s Capitol, to state legislative initiatives geared to suppress voting rights.  They cite Pennsylvania’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano, who stated if elected he could “decertify every (voting) machine with the stroke of a pen.”

Rosson and Pihl are on the bandwagon to encourage Democrats, Independents and “principled” Republicans to wake up to harsh realities and vote in the mid-terms “like your life depends on it.”