Why I'm excited to vote for Kamala Harris
She will be the standard bearer for a compelling alternate vision for the future of the United States.
Last week started out as a nightmare--President Biden bowing to the relentless pressure to withdraw from the election just four months before the vote.
Gleefully, pundits from all across the national media tossed out a volley of names, calling for an open convention to choose the new nominee.
Cory Booker!
No, Gretchen Whitmer!
No, wait ... it should be Joe Manchin!
Then, the absolute pièce de résistance - Aaron Sorkin's New York Times' op-ed arguing for--I kid you not--Mitt Romney.
I couldn't imagine a better recipe for re-electing Donald Trump.
But Biden endorsed Kamala. And, then, so did everyone else.
And, then I remembered 2019.
More than just 'not Donald Trump'
I don't know about anyone else, but, for me, 2019 seems like 10 years ago, not five.
In 2019, I was living in Decatur, Georgia, covering city government for a local news website, and privately volunteering to help get out the vote and elect progressive candidates to local, state, and national office.
COVID-19 and the devastating global pandemic were still in the future. As was the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
I remember feeling energized by the launch of Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign.
She had been a strong voice in the Senate for reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy, she co-sponsored both the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, and was a vocal opponent of the policy of family separations at the southern border, as well as opposing the Supreme Court appointment of Brett Kavanaugh.
When she ended her campaign short of the primaries - running out of funding - I moved to support Elizabeth Warren. President Biden was not my first choice as a candidate. But I was convinced, especially after the primary in South Carolina, that he was the best candidate to be Trump in the general election.
And that proved to be true.
He also chose Harris as his running mate, and she made history as both the first female vice president, and the first Black American and Asian American to hold that office.
But, somewhere along the line, I think I got stuck in that mindset of lowered expectations. I clung to the idea that only Biden's re-election could stave off a second Trump presidency. And that any dilution of support for his candidacy as an incumbent was a show of weakness we could not afford.
Despite concerns about Biden's age, and about his policies regarding aid to Israel and support for the war in Gaza - I didn't believe we could do better.
Continuing progress
Now, I have to admit Biden was a better president than I expected.
Under Biden, the economy recovered from the pandemic faster than any other developed nation. And, almost 95 percent of Americans now have health insurance - the highest percentage in history.
Despite a divided Congress that often seemed to be incapable of anything other than infighting - they passed Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which included billions of dollars in funding for green energy and incentives to help industries transition away from fossil fuel dependence. Other provisions of the legislation included caps on the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.
Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti
Unemployment has remained under 4 percent for the longest stretch since 1972. And, after peaking as the nation emerged from the pandemic shutdowns, inflation is headed back down.
And Harris is now positioned to maintain the progress of the current administration, while taking it further by renewing her earlier efforts to achieve universal affordable health care, continue on a path of transition to green energy sources and address climate change.
Freedom versus chaos
She will be the standard bearer for a compelling alternate vision for the future of the United States.
I can't be the only American horrified at the spectacle of the Republican National Convention, where delegates held up signs that said, "Mass Deportation Now!" while chanting, "Send them back!"
Harris is the total counterpoint to the reactionary, jingoistic, cult of personality that has taken over the Republican party.
Steve Benen
Trump says Americans who don’t support him are “very dangerous people” and commands his supporters to not be “nice” to them pic.twitter.com/V5CbG9W5Bl
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 24, 2024
With her, we can move forward to a future that includes all Americans, that is focused on ideas and addressing challenges, that is both prosperous and peaceful.
Or we can choose a demagogue who openly admires authoritarian regimes, and wants to move the country in their direction, explicitly offers to sell the benefits of his office for campaign donations, and promotes a hateful, violent rhetoric.
With Kamala Harris, the choice could not be more clear.
Read More About It ...
CNN: 5 of Harris' more progressive proposals from her 2020 White House bid
Politico: How Kamala Harris' platform could differ from Joe Biden's
Bloomberg: What Has Biden Accomplished? Look at These 10 Metrics, Not the Polls
BBC: Why the U.S. Economy is powering ahead of Europe's