You wrote, in part “when the center-left candidate” … Harris NOT center left. She is squarely a corporate Dem which by definition is center right. The U.S. political spectrum is a broad as the distance between M & N.
Absolutely, it’s a center Right vs far Right campaign- Harris’ lurch hard Right of her past bids scares me very much, even if she wins, as her corporate donors/handlers are the same as Biden’s (and I’m sure Walz’s are now the same as both) to me.
Hello from NYC, where I voted for Harris this morning. This is well said, Jill.
I think Harris has a very difficult and fine line to hold here. She has to try to court further-left voters who are very upset about the war in Gaza, and traditional democratic voters who support Israel. The margins are so thin in this election.
Problem is I see the core base of the party absolutely distraught over this- I’m 100% positive most minorities will vote for Harris, but the cost-weight effect of Trump even slicing off 4-5% with each nonwhite demographic (male or female, the bleeding from ‘20 to ‘24 has naturally been most bad with nonwhite men but those demos are extremely loyal Democrats normally) will have to be made up with Harris gaining enough with white women (who in the last two cycles have voted >50% for Republicans for President, which is normal, most white women vote like most white men since the 1960s for Republicans) to offset those losses to win in such a close race.
Only time will tell whether Republicans’ overturning Dobbs will once again, be the shot in the foot as it was in 2022 nationally, that saves this country from a second Trump term or not- but I don’t know, the economy and immigration are what I fear could deliver him to us again with that demographic at large, right now.
I only have one point of dissention, Bloomberg was the only more Conservative candidate in the 2020 Dem primary than Biden (and he 100% bought his way in, personally I feel not to win but to blockade Sanders, not that Sanders was going to win anyway but just my theory since he had to have known he wouldn't win that cycle).
I ended up holding my nose, and honestly I feel a bit sick/dirty...I'll tell you I'm really not proud of it, but it ultimately came down to one thing for me: do I weigh a continued genocide of Palestinians that Trump will make no matter despite Biden-Harris doing so with no end in sight, the extreme Right shift Harris has made in 2024 relative to her platform in 2019, and viciously cruel border policies that Trump will continue if elected...against women possibly losing bodily autonomy in all 50 states as collateral damage if Trump is re-elected in a few days, on top of all of that, and ultimately I had to go with what I felt was "the lesser of two evils" in Harris.
That said, I can't bring myself to donate anything to any candidate under the Dem banner right now so long as the party is complicit in genocide, and I don't feel good even if Harris wins (I personally think Trump will, could be wrong) about how far Right the Dem party itself has gone even vs 2020 (rhetorically, at least, there was hope then it could be "pushed Left" but none such thing now).
Thanks for this piece, as it made me feel a bit less "guilty" of my vote, personally.
Thank you for this. I am so angry that I felt that I needed to vote for Harris. And, as you and a friend said, it is not fair to play trans, Latinx, refugees, etc as bargaining chips. I so wish to vote for Jill Stein because I am disgusted with the democrats regarding Palestine, but I did and I will continue to organize for Palestine in support of a mass movement to end military aid to Israel.
I'm a "man," but I couldn't in clear conscience not vote for your sakes- if Trump is just going to do everything Harris has lurched hard Right on anyway AND take away women's rights, then ultimately, I had to hold my nose for the latter (I hate her, I don't have any respect for her or Biden personally, but I ultimately couldn't let women get hurt or my feelings get in the way of the painful reality here).
I would happily have abstained or gone 3rd party for the first time in my life if Reps weren't attacking women or trans issues, in clear conscience, given I can't condone or support how far Right Dems in power have gone on every other issue (the border, the genocide, no accountability for a coup de etat on 1/6/21, ignoring trans issues, no voting rights passed, and such most appalling to me).
You wrote, in part “when the center-left candidate” … Harris NOT center left. She is squarely a corporate Dem which by definition is center right. The U.S. political spectrum is a broad as the distance between M & N.
Absolutely, it’s a center Right vs far Right campaign- Harris’ lurch hard Right of her past bids scares me very much, even if she wins, as her corporate donors/handlers are the same as Biden’s (and I’m sure Walz’s are now the same as both) to me.
Hello from NYC, where I voted for Harris this morning. This is well said, Jill.
I think Harris has a very difficult and fine line to hold here. She has to try to court further-left voters who are very upset about the war in Gaza, and traditional democratic voters who support Israel. The margins are so thin in this election.
Problem is I see the core base of the party absolutely distraught over this- I’m 100% positive most minorities will vote for Harris, but the cost-weight effect of Trump even slicing off 4-5% with each nonwhite demographic (male or female, the bleeding from ‘20 to ‘24 has naturally been most bad with nonwhite men but those demos are extremely loyal Democrats normally) will have to be made up with Harris gaining enough with white women (who in the last two cycles have voted >50% for Republicans for President, which is normal, most white women vote like most white men since the 1960s for Republicans) to offset those losses to win in such a close race.
Only time will tell whether Republicans’ overturning Dobbs will once again, be the shot in the foot as it was in 2022 nationally, that saves this country from a second Trump term or not- but I don’t know, the economy and immigration are what I fear could deliver him to us again with that demographic at large, right now.
*overturning Roe with the Dobbs Decision, to clarify*
Excellent column.
I read your piece on Vance, that is what he is.
I only have one point of dissention, Bloomberg was the only more Conservative candidate in the 2020 Dem primary than Biden (and he 100% bought his way in, personally I feel not to win but to blockade Sanders, not that Sanders was going to win anyway but just my theory since he had to have known he wouldn't win that cycle).
I ended up holding my nose, and honestly I feel a bit sick/dirty...I'll tell you I'm really not proud of it, but it ultimately came down to one thing for me: do I weigh a continued genocide of Palestinians that Trump will make no matter despite Biden-Harris doing so with no end in sight, the extreme Right shift Harris has made in 2024 relative to her platform in 2019, and viciously cruel border policies that Trump will continue if elected...against women possibly losing bodily autonomy in all 50 states as collateral damage if Trump is re-elected in a few days, on top of all of that, and ultimately I had to go with what I felt was "the lesser of two evils" in Harris.
That said, I can't bring myself to donate anything to any candidate under the Dem banner right now so long as the party is complicit in genocide, and I don't feel good even if Harris wins (I personally think Trump will, could be wrong) about how far Right the Dem party itself has gone even vs 2020 (rhetorically, at least, there was hope then it could be "pushed Left" but none such thing now).
Thanks for this piece, as it made me feel a bit less "guilty" of my vote, personally.
Thank you for this. I am so angry that I felt that I needed to vote for Harris. And, as you and a friend said, it is not fair to play trans, Latinx, refugees, etc as bargaining chips. I so wish to vote for Jill Stein because I am disgusted with the democrats regarding Palestine, but I did and I will continue to organize for Palestine in support of a mass movement to end military aid to Israel.
I'm a "man," but I couldn't in clear conscience not vote for your sakes- if Trump is just going to do everything Harris has lurched hard Right on anyway AND take away women's rights, then ultimately, I had to hold my nose for the latter (I hate her, I don't have any respect for her or Biden personally, but I ultimately couldn't let women get hurt or my feelings get in the way of the painful reality here).
I would happily have abstained or gone 3rd party for the first time in my life if Reps weren't attacking women or trans issues, in clear conscience, given I can't condone or support how far Right Dems in power have gone on every other issue (the border, the genocide, no accountability for a coup de etat on 1/6/21, ignoring trans issues, no voting rights passed, and such most appalling to me).
Oh all SO well said jay! Thank you for this. I also hate the dems and their incompetence so. Much.