Vote for Kamala Harris & Tim Walz

We’re but a handful of hours until polls open for this tumultuous Election Day, and I find myself feeling somewhere between sick with anxiety and cautiously optimistic. I doubt reading one more blog post before heading to the voting booth will change anyone’s mind about who they’re going to vote for, but that’s not the point. I’m proud to add my voice to the chorus calling for a capable, energetic, empathic, experienced, and qualified leader for our nation. One who will uphold the values of our democracy and do their best to protect the rights and improve the lives of all our citizens. In this election, that can mean only one ticket: the one with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

I shouldn’t need to remind you what Trump’s last presidency was like. But in case you’ve forgotten, it was a chaotic embarrassment at best. He massively eroded away the trust we have in each other and tested our resolve for democratic rule and peaceful transfer of power. He has promised in his second go-round to act as a supreme ruler, that he’d instruct the military to use force against his political opponents and news media, and that he’d make sure we’ll never need to vote again.

I sit in near shock that he’s allowed to run again considering these promises, not to mention his attempt to deny the results of the last election and his conviction as a felon. But, ultimately, the rules and laws that we enact and abide by are at the will of the people. It frightens me that so many people in our country have been willing to bend to accept Trump’s deplorable behavior. We’ll see if the majority will cast their vote for his vision of the future.

But I remain optimistic that there are more people who want a better future. Who reject his antics. Who want to see our country progress instead of regress. Who recognize that women have a right to choose what happens to their bodies and that no one should be able to take that right away. Who realize that immigrants make our country great. Who believe in truth over lies, facts over fiction. Who choose kindness over hatred.

I cast my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and I ask that you will too.

And if you don’t take it from me, here are some way smarter people who also endorse a Harris presidency:

Nilay Patel, theverge.com:

In many ways, the ecstatic reaction to Harris is simply a reflection of the fact that she is so clearly trying. She is trying to govern America the way it’s designed to be governed, with consensus and conversation and effort. With data and accountability, ideas and persuasion. Legislatures and courts are not deterministic systems with predictable outputs based on a set of inputs — you have to guide the process of lawmaking all the way to the outcomes, over and over again, each time, and Harris seems not only aware of that reality but energized by it. More than anything, that is the change a Harris administration will bring to a country exhausted by decades of fights about whether government can or should do anything at all.

It is time to stop denying the essential nature of the problems America faces. It is time to insist that we use the power of our democracy the way it’s intended to be used. And it is far past time to move beyond Donald Trump.

A vote for Harris is a vote for the future. It is a vote for solving collective action problems. It is a vote for working together, instead of tearing our world to shreds.

Brent Simmons, inessential.com:

Donald Trump is a gross villain and a traitor to our country. He’s a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, and head of a criminal organization; he works with criminals and he pardons criminals; he’s a narcissist and violent insurrectionist, racist and misogynist; he’s the master of lies and corruption and self-serving.

He plans to rule as a fascist dictator, and this time has the backing to do so, for the benefit of him and his ultra-wealthy friends. Not for you.

Matt Birchler, birchtree.me:

And while the last 4 years haven’t been the absolute best years ever, they have been pretty good considering the context and even better when compared to the recovery and inflation metrics I see in other developed nations around the world. America is strong and doing better than it was 4 years ago when Trump left us.

I also feel better about what rights Harris plans to protect verses what Trump wants to take away.

John Moltz, verynicewebsite.net:

I endorse the only logical candidate in this race: Kamala Harris. Harris has the experience, the steady temperament and desire to make positive change for this country.

Donald Trump (a man currently out on bail, by the way) is utterly unfit to be president and should, by all rights, have been disqualified from running in this election after attempting to overturn the legal results of the previous one. The fact that our system of justice moved too slow — as it often seems to do when deployed against the rich and powerful — to make this happen is a disgrace, one that makes this country look like a banana republic. If reelected, Trump will carry out on his stated desire to rule like Hitler.

If you’re someone who’s leaning toward Trump because you think he might be better on the economy, think again. Here’s a piece in The Wall Street Journal of all places that lays it out. Don’t believe that? Well, then here’s another about how companies are readying price hikes in order to deal with Trump’s proposed tariffs. Despite the abject cowardice of its billionaire owner, I implore you to review this piece in The Washington Post that shows how most people actually prefer Harris’s proposals to Trump’s, even though they don’t know it (the irony of the news scratching its head about why people don’t understand these basics is not lost on me).

The New York Times Editorial Board, nytimes.com:

You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him. Listen to those who know him best. He tried to subvert an election and remains a threat to democracy. He helped overturn Roe, with terrible consequences. Mr. Trump’s corruption and lawlessness go beyond elections: It’s his wholeethos. He lies without limit. If he’s re-elected, the G.O.P. won’t restrainhim. Mr. Trump will use the government to go after opponents. He will pursue a cruel policy of mass deportations. He will wreak havoc on the poor, the middle class and employers. Another Trump term will damage the climate, shatter alliances and strengthen autocrats. Americans should demand better. Vote.

Harrison Ford, threads.net:

The truth is this. Kamala Harris will protect your right to disagree with her. About policies, or ideas. And then, as we have done for centuries, we’ll debate them. We’ll work on them together. And we’ll move forward. The other guy? He demands unquestioning loyalty. Says he wants revenge.

I’m Harrison Ford, I’ve got one vote, same as everyone else — and I’m going to use it to move forward. I’m going to vote for Kamala Harris.