A vote for either Kamal Harris or Donald Trump is rational
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” — JRR Tolkein, Fellowship of the Ring
My dear friends, family, colleagues, and fellow Americans,
Gosh times are stressful. Today is October the 25th, 2024. On November 5th, votes will cease being cast and the counting will begin for the 2024 United States Presidential election. It seems that every day increases cultural stress and worry.
The “first-past-the-post” system in the United States has given voters two choices for President. Kamal Harris and Donald Trump. Each has a wild and crazy journey that brought these two candidates to this moment. You can write in another candidate, but that is the equivalent of not voting at all.
Here we are. Two radically different candidates. Two parties undergoing large shifts in their makeup of voters and platforms. Unbelievably high levels of distrust between the two voter bases.
Why is this happening? Lots of reasons. I have written and talked about these things before: here.
Today, I propose that we should take time and consider that supporters of both candidates are acting rationally.
The Rational Case for Trump
I previously wrote about reasons to support Trump (this is his 3rd rodeo after all).
I won’t belabor those points but will instead add some thing that have changed.
Men are increasingly supporting Trump.
Inflation has run very hot (in relative terms) during the Biden Presidency.
Prices are still 21.4% more expensive since the pandemic-induced recession began in February 2020, with only about 6% of the nearly 400 items the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks cheaper today. — Bankrate.com
Inflation struck middle class, working class, retired, and low income people hard. Hard for the incumbent party to overcome a 21% increase in prices across a broad class of goods and services. Whether fair or not, Biden and the Democratic Party have gotten the blame for Inflation.
With a majority of Americans feeling they are not better off than four years ago, economic confidence remaining low, and less than half of Americans saying now is a good time to find a quality job, the economy will be an important consideration at the ballot box this year. As inflation persists and economic concerns dominate voters’ minds, the upcoming election may hinge on which candidate can best address these pressing issues. — Gallup
Immigration has become a bigger issue for American voters.
Foreign Affairs have divided the American public with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The Rational Case for Kamala Harris
I wrote about the case for Joseph Biden in 2020. Kamala Harris isn’t Joe Biden, but she still captures many of the fundamental appeal Joe had in 2020.
Vice President Harris is running on the Biden success and general policy platform.
She stylistically embraces joy, healing, and hope.
In my opinion, her life is an inspiring tale of the American dream. From a BBC profile:
Ms Harris was born in Oakland, California to two immigrant parents: an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father.
Her parents divorced when she was five and she was raised primarily by her Hindu single mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.
Ms Harris speaks often about the lessons she bestowed upon her daughters.
“She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women’s health,” Ms Harris told the DNC. “She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.”
Ms Harris grew up engaged with her Indian heritage, joining her mother on visits to India, but she has said that her mother immersed both her younger sister Maya and her in Oakland’s black culture.
“My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,” she wrote in her autobiography The Truths We Hold.
“She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.” — BBC
Vice President Harris captures all of the policy positions of Joe Biden and brings a youthful energy and hope that didn’t exist during the 2020 election, nor during the Biden administration’s only term.
THE BIG CHANGE for Harris in 2024 are the consistent threats by Trump to undermine American Democratic Guardrails. These were whispered about during the 2020 election, but no one, myself included, expected January 6th and the subsequent statements by President Trump.
For many many many Harris supporters, this is a single issue election. Democracy.
Trump’s impulses and behavior after his 2020 loss calls into question whether he really believes in traditional American Democracy or not. For those Harris voters who see Trump as a risk for the existence of America, its not only rational to vote for Harris REGARDLESS of policy, personality, cultural, or foreign policy disagreements.
Is Trump a threat to Democracy?
Those supporting Trump after everything that has happened must believe either: A) no, not really; B) yes, but who cares.
Example of “no, not really”
Bill Barr.
He has a long form interview with CNN where he discusses how he recognizes and resigned over how Trump tried to interrupt the transfer of power in 2020/2021 and still plans on voting for him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqyjudAkFNQ
Example of “yes, but who cares”
Tucker Carlson.
https://youtu.be/49u5V462S1o?si=CEIcQpNenP_5AbRe&t=80
“The single biggest lie that Trump has exposed is that this is a functional democracy when in fact, it’s a country oppressed by a small group of its unhappiest citizens for their own benefit. And the promise of this campaign is that Donald Trump will return this country to its owners — and that’s its population, that’s its people, that’s its citizens.” — Tucker Carlson
Trust is so low between Americans that no matter what, half the country is going to be beyond furious after this election cycle. Things are going to be dark and gloomy the two weeks following the election.
Please, I implore you, lean into kindness, forgiveness, and peace during that dark time. We don’t increase trust between ourselves by attacking and distancing ourselves from each other.
-Nate
