Pivotal moments in our lives burn themselves into our minds and hearts and never leave. I was seven when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and set in motion World War II. I sold newspapers on the street on VJ Day. As a university student in the 1960s, I traveled to Washington to meet with members of Congress, hoping to persuade them to vote for pending civil rights legislation. At that same moment, President John F. Kennedy was arriving in Dallas, Texas, not realizing that he soon would die there.

I walked outside and foolishly stared up at the moon as Neil Armstrong began his historic walk.

Along with you, I witnessed the day in 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court forever sacrificed its credibility as a non-political body by handing the presidency to George W. Bush, voting along party lines.

With a stunned nation, I watched airplanes fly into tall buildings on September 11, 2001.

We all witnessed the corrupted election of Donald Trump, and we all have experienced the destruction of our democracy led by him and the Republican Party.

And its unimaginable hypocrisy.

Today I watch the Senate Judiciary Committee’s charade as its members try to rush a dangerous nominee onto the Supreme Court so Republicans can rule over our lives for several more decades. Think of that for a moment. What happens now will join other major moments in history in our memories.

Republicans haven’t always been against Americans. For many years, they treated us as worthy equals, fellow citizens and patriots. Republicans gave us Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. They used to work together with Democrats to make life better for Americans. No more. Today, this is the party of corruption, greed, abuse, untruth and hypocrisy.

The wonder is that so many Americans continue to approve of it. Not I. I love America and Americans much more than that. I get what the Republican Party stands for. It’s clear to me and should be to all of us. It is not my vision for me and my fellow Americans.

I can’t wait to vote on November 6. Join me.