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Politics is not something I tend to write about publicly, not for any particular reason other than that I typically prefer to convey my political beliefs—or any beliefs, for that matter—in person. Anyone close to me will undoubtedly know how true this rings. So, why start my public political editorials here?
I suppose it's because I have no shortage of thoughts about this current election, so having a means and medium to share them feels intellectually and creatively satisfying. However, I would be lying by omission if I failed to mention my interest in putting whatever minuscule amount of weight this essay might contain on the scales of the election. I don't expect to put more than a peanut's weight on this scale (keep the "gallery" jokes to yourself), but whatever influence I might have is worth wielding.
Ideally, I would start this article by outlining all of the favorable policy positions my preferred candidate supports and describe how these policy positions align with the ideal outcomes I would like to see from our government. However, I find myself in a position where I must first address the elephant in the room: Donald Trump, who is uniquely unqualified to be president of the United States. Thus, I feel compelled to address what disqualifies him from my vote before discussing why I support Kamala Harris. He's forced his hand—as he is wont to do based on how many sexual misconduct allegations he has—so I will meet him where he is.
Why I'm not voting for Donald Trump
Donald Trump incited a violent insurrection on January 6th, 2021
Out of all the presidentially disqualifying actions that Donald Trump has committed both in and out of office, nothing is as egregious to me as his inciting a violent insurrection on our nation's capital on January 6th, 2021 after losing the presidential election to Joe Biden.
I'm not going to spend my time reiterating the evidence surrounding this insurrection and why Donald Trump was proven to have played a pivotal role in it. If you are unconvinced about his role or the severity of his event, I encourage you to learn about it and judge for yourself.
The Public hearings of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack make it clear what role Donald Trump played, what his intended effect was, and what the fallout from the attack was. Watch the hearings on C-SPAN, read articles about it, or watch the video footage from that day if you haven't. No evidence that Donald Trump or his supporters/co-conspirators have provided has convinced me of anything other than that he sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Donald Trump questions the validity of United States elections
Donald Trump has done more harm to American's belief in our country's electoral process than any president in my lifetime. This is saying a lot since George W. Bush and his co-conspirators successfully won the 2000 presidential election against Al Gore after a contested ballot counting in Florida, and the less-deadly, but still obstinate Brooks Brothers riot.
Donald Trump has been parroting the "stop the steal" conspiracy theory since the night of the 2020 election. This rhetoric played a role in the January 6th insurrection, as countless participants in the riot proclaimed that the election had been rigged or stolen by Democrats and Joe Biden. This conspiracy theory was spearheaded by fascist political operative Roger Stone, who has no shortage of ideas for how to undermine American democracy.
Yet, despite years of hearing Trump and his lackeys wailing about the "stolen election," almost no compelling evidence has been presented which supports his claim. None of the 63 lawsuits filed by Trump's legal team have been successful. Read about Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and let me know if his argument sounds compelling. Even Trump's vice presidential nominee, JD Vance, denied the results of the 2020 election in his debate with Tim Walz.
Furthermore, Donald Trump is running a similar election denial playbook for the 2024 presidential election as he sows the seeds for ballot counting distrust as he anticipates a tight race with Kamala Harris. If he loses the election, we all know what's coming—more election denial.
Donald Trump is a racist
The United States has had no shortage of racist presidents, including Donald Trump. Let's take a trip back in time and learn how the United States Department of Justice filed a housing discrimination lawsuit against Donald Trump and his father, Fred Trump, in 1973. The case was settled with a consent decree, indicating that the settlement was "in no way an admission" of housing discrimination. However, the evidence presented by the DOJ, and testimony from employees for the Trump real estate company and apartment seekers indicate a clear pattern of racial discrimination against African Americans and people of color.
Fast-forward to 2020, while the world is facing the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and we have Donald Trump using the phrases "Chinese virus," "China virus," and "kung flu" to describe the disease. Donald Trump happily used racist language to localize and characterize a worldwide virus, and the effects were evident. These phrases became part of the lexicon for right-wingers, and even gained traction as hashtags for posts on social media platforms. A 2021 study in the American Journal of Public Health used sentiment analysis on Tweets during this time period and found that 19.7% of Tweets with the hashtag "#covid19" showed anti-Asian sentiment, while 50.4% of Tweets with the hashtag "#chinesevirus" showed anti-Asian sentiment. This had real-world consequences, as anti-Asian hate crimes spiked while we battled the Covid-19 pandemic. A 2022 study on anti-Asian hate crimes found that hate crimes against Asian Americans surged following the introduction of the "Chinese virus," "China virus," and "kung flu" were used publicly. Donald Trump endangered American citizens by carelessly using racist language using the world's largest podium.
I could dive into Donald Trump's racism toward Muslims, Mexicans, and other people of color, but I can only spend so much time sharing his racist antics. As he kicked off his 2016 presidential bid, he remarked on the topic of Mexican immigrants, "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." Or, in an interview with Anderson Cooper, he mentioned that "I think Islam hates us."
There are no shortage of differences between you and I in terms of our religious, spiritual, and cultural beliefs. However, I see these differences as a feature, not a bug. I believe that our differences are what make us unique and beautiful, and should not be used as a weapon for fear-mongering by creating scapegoats.
Donald Trump is a criminal
Donald Trump is currently involved in multiple criminal cases. He has become the first president to be indicted, breaking our country's 234-year record. One of these indictments, the "hush money case", has led Trump to be a convicted felon, after he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to pay off Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who claimed she had a sexual encounter with him.
Donald Trump's criminal involvement doesn't stop there. He is currently engrossed in three other criminal cases involving his aforementioned 2020 election denial/interference, and mishandling of classified documents. I recommend Politico's Trump criminal case tracker for more details on each case.
Donald Trump's 2024 platform
While Donald Trump inciting the January 6th insurrection, engaging in nonstop election denial, being a blatant racist, and a federally convicted criminal all disqualify him from my vote, it's worth noting that there are countless other areas where I disagree with his policies.
I need look no further than the "Agenda 47" page on his website where he outlines his presidential platform (copied verbatim from his website, including grammatical errors):
- Seal the border and stop the migrant invasion
- Carry out the largest deportation operation in american history
- End inflation, and make america affordable again
- Make america the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!
- STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER
- large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!
- Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms
- Prevent world war three, restore peace in europe and in the middle east, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in america
- End the weaponization of government against the american people
- Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders
- Rebuild our cities, including washington dc, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.
- Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world
- Keep the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency
- Fight for and protect social security and medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age
- Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations
- Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children
- Keep men out of women's sports
- Deport pro-hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again
- Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship
- Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success
At Donald Trump's recent Bund Rally at Madison Square Garden—I mean, his recent campaign rally at Madison Square Garden—he said, "On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history and get criminals out." This is Donald Trump's game plan and pitch to Americans—your life will improve and your problems will be solved if we deport illegal immigrants and make immigration more difficult.
Will your problems be solved, or will your life be better if illegal immigrants are deported and immigration into our country is made more difficult?
I see Donald Trump's anti-immigrant policy to be racist and wholly unproductive and antithetical to what our country needs. We need immigrants to help our country grow and prosper, and we need legal and ethical circumstances under which immigration can occur. Furthermore, prioritizing the inhumane deportation of immigrants solves nothing other than to further our own inhumanity, as we seek punishment for others simply wanting to live a better life and be productive members of society.
As outlined in his policy platform, Donald Trump doesn't only want to deport illegal immigrants. He also seeks to "deport pro-Hamas radicals." What exactly does this mean? How do you classify who is a "pro-Hamas radical"? Is anybody protesting for Palestinian rights a "pro-Hamas radical"? Are American citizens protesting for Palestinian rights open to deportation? This is a terrifying thought to consider.
Aside from Donald Trump's emphasis on deporting people he doesn't like, he wants to end inflation, which has already dramatically decreased under the Biden Administration; improve American manufacturing, which was accomplished by the Biden administration, due in no small part to the CHIPS and Science Act; cut taxes—of course—which will predominantly be used to lower corporate taxes and help the wealthiest Americans get even wealthier (see this study and this study which both show how Donald Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised federal debt by reducing corporate tax revenue, and had minimal effect on GDP and corporate investment); ending the weaponization of government against the American people—unless, of course, you're a pro-Palestinian protestor, in which case he wants to deport you; cut federal education funding; discriminate against transgender Americans; and plenty of other hand-waving to causes that Donald Trump doesn't genuinely care about.
I won't pretend that there aren't things on Donald Trump's platform that aren't important. Of course, I would like our country to reduce inflation and prioritize affordability, improve American manufacturing, prevent WW3, prevent the weaponization of the government against the American people, defend our constitution, and protect Social Security and Medicare. The problem is that I don't trust or believe that these are issues that Donald Trump or his cabinet will be genuinely interested in addressing.
Why I'm voting for Kamala Harris
If the preceding paragraphs haven't made this point, one key reason why I am voting for Kamala Harris is because she isn't Donald Trump. Kamala Harris has not incited a violent insurrection at our nation's capital, she has not called into question the legitimacy of American elections, she isn't racist, and she isn't a criminal. These seem like the type of qualifications that one shouldn't have to emphasize when running for the highest office in America, but that's where we are.
Still, there are plenty of other reasons why I am happy to vote for Kamala Harris and why her 2024 platform gives me confidence and hope for her presidency.
Kamala Harris's 2024 platform
Kamala Harris's policy agenda clearly distinguishes her from Donald Trump. She is doing a much better job of prioritizing key issues that are important to many Americans.
Here are the top-line issues outlined on Kamala Harris's website (copied verbatim from her website):
- Cut Taxes for Middle Class Families
- Make Rent More Affordable and Home Ownership More Attainable
- Grow Small Businesses and Invest in Entrepreneurs
- Take on Bad Actors and Bring Down Costs
- Strengthen and Bring Down the Cost of Health Care
- Protect and Strengthen Social Security and Medicare
- Support American Innovation and Workers
- Provide a Pathway to the Middle Class Through Quality, Affordable Education
- Invest in Affordable Child Care and Long Term Care
- Lower Energy Costs and Tackle the Climate Crisis
- Restore and Protect Reproductive Freedoms
- Protect Civil Rights and Freedoms
- Make Our Communities Safer From Gun Violence and Crime
- Secure Our Borders and Fix Our Broken Immigration System
- Tackle the Opioid and Fentanyl Crisis
- Ensure No One Is Above the Law
- Stand With Our Allies, Stand Up to Dictators, and Lead on the World Stage
- Invest in America’s Sources of Strength
- Support Service Members, Veterans, Their Families, Caregivers, and Survivors
Comparing Kamala Harris's platform against Donald Trump's highlights these candidates' night and day difference. While Donald Trump is more interested in fear-mongering against other humans, Kamala Harris is prioritizing policies that help the lives of Americans and push our nation to greater heights.
Despite having some disagreements on the details of how each of these areas should be addressed, there isn't a single thing that Kamala Harris has listed as a top-line proposal that I disagree with. Yes, the devil is in the details, but fighting over the details is where I would prefer to be, than fighting over the entire objective.
Kamala Harris has a history of fighting for Americans
As Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris took on big banks after the fallout from the Great Recession and subprime mortgage crisis. Kamala Harris played a crucial role in reaching a $25 billion agreement as part of the 2012 National Mortgage Settlement in which the five largest mortgage services (Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo) were ordered to provide homeowner relief after being found of abusing mortgage loan servicing and foreclosures. Furthermore, Kamala secured $18 billion specifically for California homeowners who were hit by the crisis, and pushed for the California Homeowner Bill of Rights in 2012, which is considered one of the nation's strongest foreclosure protection laws.
In 2016, Kamala Harris obtained a $1.1 billion judgment against predatory for-profit schools to help provide relief for individuals who were taken advantage of by these businesses. This same year, Kamala Harris joined 12 other State Attorneys General in filing an antitrust lawsuit to block the merger of insurance companies Anthem and Cigna and also saw Kamala Harris taking on BP for endangering the environment, water supply, and health of Californians, resulting in a $14 million settlement.
Furthermore, Kamala Harris has prosecuted drug traffickers, seized illegal drugs, seized more illegal drugs, and seized even more illegal drugs. But drugs aren't the only thing that Harris seized, as she helped orchestrate a statewide seizure of 1,209 illegal firearms in 2011.
Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate
Kamala Harris's aptitude and potential political direction are clearly illustrated by her choice of Tim Walz as a vice presidential running mate. Nothing was stopping her from choosing a neoliberal Democratic normie, which would have been the easy "establishment" choice. Instead, she chose Tim Walz, who has a proven track record of fighting for the American people.
What makes Tim Walz so great? Here are some highlights from his time as governor:
- Signing a $2.4 billion education budget to improve the Minnesota education system, provide students with free breakfast and lunch at schools, and expand access to mental health services
- Helping protect reproductive services and freedom, establishing protections for transgender individuals, and establishing gender-affirming care as a fundamental right
- Providing $300 million to improve public safety and taking steps to address gun violence
- Expanded workers' rights by requiring paid leave and paid sick days, banning non-compete agreements, and increased protections for workers in specific industries
- Signed the largest infrastructure bill in Minnesota's history
- Provided tax cuts for middle-class families and workers and rebate checks to seniors
- Provided free college to students with family income under $80,000
- Expanded voting rights and restored voting rights to over 55,000 formerly incarcerated people in Minnesota
- Lowered prescription drug costs
- Established a child tax credit to cut child poverty
- Signed a $1 billion investment for affordable housing
- Legalized cannabis use
- Protected Minnesotans by preventing medical providers from withholding medical care due to medical debt and eliminating transfers of medical debt to spouses
- Signed legislation to prevent abuse of elderly people by assisted-living centers and allocated $173 million to help fund nursing homes
Tim Walz is a badass. It's as simple as that. He has fought for the American people and is a faithful civil servant.
Conclusion
I believe the American people and our country will be in a better place after a Kamala Harris presidency
Ultimately, I see voting in a presidential election as a pragmatic tool for enacting favorable political change. To this end, I believe that the American people and our country will be in a better place after four years of a Kamala Harris presidency. Conversely, I believe that the lives of the American people and our country will suffer significantly if Donald Trump is elected as president, hence my voting decision.