If you follow my posts on Facebook, you may have noticed that I mostly focus on topics that unite people. My daily work involves engaging with people from all backgrounds and perspectives. I listen and seek to understand, without trying to create and win an argument or change someone’s mind. Arguments usually don’t change anyone’s mind, but instead foster more insular extremism.
While I usually avoid the topic of politics, I do want to share some thoughts about what I’ve observed as I listen to conservatives and liberals this election year.
At the bottom of this document, I’ve shared more about my personal views and what prompted me to write this document under the “Document History” heading. First, I wanted to share observations.
Third Party Influence
This year, there’s a concerted effort to promote disillusionment and dissatisfaction among those on the left wing of the Democratic Party. Cornel West is encouraging Democrats to vote for him instead of Kamala Harris. [See campaign ad from 1 Nov 2024] Meanwhile, Jill Stein of the Green Party is encouraging Democrats to vote for her instead of Harris. [See interview from 1 Nov 2024] Some efforts to erode the Democratic Party base are, in part, funded by foreign governments. For example, the lengthy Jill Stein interview linked above was platformed by Qatari funded Al Jazeera.
Progressive Voters
Probably due to the influences mentioned above, a surprisingly high number of the people I know who are on the left politically — “progressives” and former Bernie Bros — are not supporting Kamala Harris. They are making a protest vote this year. They will vote for a third party candidate or a write-in candidate. Some have even engaged in public protests of her, mostly over concerns about Gaza. Their positions and reasoning are familiar because they are almost identical to the messaging I’ve seen that’s designed to persuade progressives. That messaging seems to be working.
Protest Vote
To anyone of either party, or no party, thinking about making a protest vote or not voting at all, I understand that urge. A protest vote will almost certainly feel good during the few minutes it takes to cast the vote. However, the consequences will last for years, and you may end up with someone worse than the candidate you were protesting. Whatever issue you care about may end up being made worse by the candidate you help win through your protest vote. If you’re frustrated about choosing between the lesser of two evils, doing nothing just ensures that the worst of two evils will win. [Watch: Video About Protest Votes]
Harris on Gaza
Bernie Sanders disagrees with Harris on Gaza policy, but explains in three videos why he is supporting her anyway. [Video 1 – Video 2 – Video 3]
Harris as a Conservative Choice?
Despite the unrelenting Republican ads portraying Harris as a leftist extremist, some progressives on the left believe Harris is:
- Conservative, mainstream, and bipartisan. She has literally hundreds of high-profile influential conservative Republicans supporting her.
- A capitalist. Among her supporters are Republican business leaders.
- Supportive of Israel.
- Tough on crime.
- Religious — She observes Jewish, Christian, and other religious holidays. She has the support of regular church attendees.
- Pro-Military — She has the support of many high ranking members of the armed services.
- Pro 2A — She and her VP choice are gun owners and support the Second Amendment.
The progressives who are disappointed with Kamala Harris actually make a good defense for Republicans and moderates to vote for her.
Is Harris Liberal or Conservative?
Kamala Harris has united those with diverse views, from Bernie Sanders to Dick Cheney, and many in between. That’s a good thing, but offers fodder for people on the far left or far right who profess fear-inducing claims that she’s aligned with “leftist socialists” or “right wing neocon war hawks.”
Conservative Voters
Many of the people I know who are on the right politically are not supporting Kamala Harris because, according to them and some political ads, she is too liberal. Even though they don’t particularly like Trump they plan to vote for him primarily because of their fear of Kamala Harris. They believe she is a socialist or communist. They think she is soft on crime, anti-religion, anti-Israel, and anti-Jewish. They believe she supports immigrants who are eating cats and dogs. They believe everything Trump and his surrogates have said about her and the Democrats. In summary, they believe she is a dangerous radical leftist extremist who will turn the United States into Venezuela. For those who believe such things, it’s understandable they might be afraid and vote against her by voting for Trump.
Republicans for Harris
Another consideration for this election are the hundreds of Republicans who won’t be voting for Trump, many who worked in his administration, including former Vice President Mike Pence and other top officials. [View List] Their concerns about Trump may cause other Republicans to join them in supporting Kamala Harris. The concerns are too numerous to be listed here, and have become the topic of many books, documentaries, and articles over the years. For highlights, read the 2016 article “Concerns About Donald Trump as President” which still applies today. There is also a 5 minute video featuring Trump vs Trump in his own words, speaking for and against various policies.
Well Informed and Critical Thinking
Democracy works best when voters are well informed and skilled at critical thinking.
With the presidential election, and local elections, my hope is that people will not vote based on their fears, but will vote based on the facts. Doing some research beyond just one news outlet and the messaging of just one party can help us have a better broader understanding.
Avoid fringe sources of inflammatory memes and speculative news. In some instances, state sponsored fake user accounts and propaganda are intended to simply stir up national division and strife with no regard to who wins.
Knowing the Candidates
It helps to listen to what a candidate repeatedly says, in their own words, on video, to huge crowds, in public. That can help illuminate a clearer understanding of who they are, better than attack ads which are often exaggerated or false. Watch the full videos of rallies. Consider what their promises are and what their supporters repeatedly applaud and cheer for.
Listen to what the chosen surrogates say. Sometimes surrogates provide a better picture of what a candidate really thinks, with plausible deniability afforded to the candidate.
Character Matters
I think character matters more than anything. Good character and shared values can solve problems and help us get through tough times. That’s true for individuals as well as countries. Some of the challenges we face, like extreme weather events, can’t be instantly fixed. Values can help us make the most of difficult situations, bring people together, and help those in need. Good character and values exemplified by business leaders and political leaders can help infuse our nation with examples for the next generation to emulate and benefit from.
Increased Voter Turnout
Most importantly, we need to encourage as many people as possible to be civically involved, be well informed, and to vote. When we have very big turnouts in elections, it helps protect us all from special interests, self-serving billionaires, small extremist groups, cults of personality, and charismatic forceful populists who may become tyrants.
Going Forward
Regardless of the election outcome, ultimately, we all need each other to prosper, promote wellbeing, and live our best life as a country. We need everyone rowing with oars on both sides of the boat. Otherwise, we’re just going in circles.
Additional Materials
- FEAR VOTE — An article in The Economist describes the fear vote: “Next week tens of millions of Americans will vote for Donald Trump. Some will do so out of grievance, because they think Kamala Harris is a radical Marxist who will destroy their country.” [Economist, 31 Oct 2024 – Archive View]
- GAZA — For a better understanding of the position taken by some voters regarding Gaza policy, there is an Al Jazeera report from that provides a clear summary at 10m 35s into the 25 minute report. [View] That report is from 2 Nov 2024. Bernie Sanders, on 28 Oct 2024, offered an alternative viewpoint to the position expressed in the Al Jazeera report above. [Video 1 and Video 2]
Kamala Harris Endorsements
Below are a few selected endorsements of Kamala Harris.
- REPUBLICANS — A list of Republicans opposed to Trump in 2024 can be found on Wikipedia. [View]
- THE ATLANTIC — “Because one of the most personally malignant and politically dangerous candidates in American history was on the ballot, The Atlantic endorsed Trump’s previous Democratic opponents—only the third and fourth endorsements since the magazine’s founding, in 1857. We endorsed Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. … This year, Trump is even more vicious and erratic than in the past, and the ideas of his closest advisers are more extreme. … About the candidate we are endorsing: The Atlantic is a heterodox place, staffed by freethinkers, and for some of us, Kamala Harris’s policy views are too centrist, while for others they’re too liberal. … Having devoted her life to public service, Harris respects the law and the Constitution. She believes in the freedom, equality, and dignity of all Americans. She’s untainted by corruption, let alone a felony record or a history of sexual assault. She doesn’t embarrass her compatriots with her language and behavior, or pit them against one another. She doesn’t curry favor with dictators. She won’t abuse the power of the highest office in order to keep it. She believes in democracy. These, and not any specific policy positions, are the reasons The Atlantic is endorsing her.” [Read More: Original Source | Archive ]
- THE ECONOMIST — “While some newspapers refused to back a presidential candidate this year, today The Economist is endorsing Kamala Harris. Tens of millions of Americans will vote for Mr Trump next week. Some will be true believers. But many will take a calculated risk that in office his worst instincts would be constrained. We see that as recklessly complacent. By making Mr Trump leader of the free world, Americans would be gambling with the economy, the rule of law and international peace.” [Read More: Original Source | Archive ]
- THE NEW YORKER — “The Vice-President has displayed the basic values and political skills that would enable her to help end, once and for all, a poisonous era defined by Donald Trump.” [Read More: Original Source | Archive ]
Additional Commentary
David Frum is a Canadian-American political commentator and a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He is a senior editor at The Atlantic. In the video below, he shares his thoughts on a second Trump term. [Source: Q+A with Jack Tame, 2 Nov 2024]
Document History
This document was first posted on on 1 Nov 2024 as a relatively short writing based on two simple observations:
- Progressives have been effectively persuaded not to vote for Kamala Harris though targeted messaging portraying her as not aligned with their interests.
- Many conservatives are being inundated from all sides with messaging intended to stoke fears of Harris as a leftist extremist. So, those who might otherwise not support someone like Trump, vowed to elect him because of their fear of Harris.
Whenever a bi-partisan moderate seeks to bring unity, we inevitably see a contradictory absurdity from the extreme ends of the political spectrum. Those on the right declare the person to be a radical leftist extremist. Those on the left broadcast alarmist messaging proclaiming the person to be a right-wing Neocon. In reality, moderate candidates are what we need. They have support from a broad coalition.
With the short version of this writing, I had hoped for conservatives to consider the list of conservative traits that progressives attributed to Harris. Similarly, I had hoped progressives might listen to the claims from conservatives about Harris being too liberal. Getting out of our silos and news bubbles can help us have a more informed view.
My sense was, and is, that liberals who choose to vote for someone other than Kamala Harris may later regret that vote if it results in Trumpism being restore to power, not just for the next four years, but indefinitely through subsequent surrogates possibly more extreme than Trump.
I also believe that conservatives who vote for Trump, may later regret that vote if it results in a change of our country’s soul.
In the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten the author describes some of the basic traits of kindness, civility, and common human decency. These traits are taught in children’s books and can be found in after-school television shows like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. They are common values across the world’s religions as well as humanist traditions. They are the foundation for civilization and civil society.
Evangelical conservatives look to the Bible as a guide to living a more compassionate life. A well-known scripture from the Bible about love is 1 Corinthians 13 4-7. Here is an excerpt: “love is kind … it does not boast … it is not proud … it does not dishonor others … it is not self-seeking ….” A similar message is found in Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
These are character traits and values that we must have in our leaders for the following reasons:
- We need to elevate and honor these values by acknowledging those who practice them. This way, a new generation sees that they are important.
- For a new generation to learn and internalize these values, they need to be demonstrated by mentors, role models, and leaders.
When we prop-up leaders who do not have these traits, and who indeed behave contrary to these values, we communicate the wrong message to the next generation, and seeing this example in leadership, they naturally model and internalize bad behavior — thinking it is the way to get ahead in life.
If ethical and virtuous teachings are not handed down to the next generation, if there is a break in the chain, we risk having anew generation that has no memory of these virtues and values. There will be nobody to pass these important lessons to the next generation.
These virtues and values are the highest priority for a leader’s behavior and policies.
With this in mind, regarding former President Donald J. Trump, I would respectfully conclude that his skill set is not a good fit for the position.
In her own way, just like all of us, Kamala Harris is a flawed human being. Yet, she seems to exemplify some admirable traits we need to have in a leader, role model, and national spokesperson.
Below are two videos. The first is a sermon-like speech Harris delivered at a Detroit church on 3 Nov 2024. That video is queued up at 4m 47. The second is a special report from the Christian Broadcasting Network.
PBS (3 Nov 2024)
CBN (28 Oct 2024)
Restoring Trust
In August 2023, I saw the chart below. I was concerned to see that many people trust Trump more than their friends, family, news outlets, or religious leaders. A healthy democracy requires that people trust friends, family, news outlets, and religious leaders more than the politicians.
Those who want a more compassionate world will need to transcend, transform, grow in confidence, grow in strength, see farther, see broader, see deeper, and retool for this new landscape. We need an enlightenment that is greater than the endarkenment.
Red and Blue Wave
The winning side of an election describes the outcome as a “red wave” or “blue wave” to imply that there was an overwhelming majority in favor of their agenda.
In reality, the percentages are very close to equally split down the middle. In this most recent election, about 50% voted for the Republican presidential candidate and 48% voted for the Democratic Party presidential candidate.
To the losing side feeling despair about the outcome, know that about 160 million people agree with you.
Public Interest Community Service
Years ago, I was visiting with a friend over coffee, and suggested that political parties should be shut down and dismantled, then rebuilt with public interest community service in mind.
When people donate money, use that to fund service projects such as:
- Mowing lawns for the elderly.
- Painting homes for those without means or the ability to do such projects.
- Creating urban gardens.
- Offer mentoring and vocational training.
Instead of traditional campaigning, take care of people’s needs.
I saw a message from a politician a few days ago asking for money do do what I described above:
- “Right now, our team is doubling down on what matters: Year-round community services. Direct support for working families who need help with housing, healthcare, or immigration paperwork. The kind of consistent presence that turns campaign promises into real community power. Your small-dollar donations make this possible.”
That’s the kind of campaign I can support.