A week or so ago I completed my mail-in ballot and voted for Kamala Harris for President. When I vote for a candidate, I have three criteria upon which I evaluate them: values or character, preparation, and policies. The most important of these is values/character.
Values/Character: I am a firm believer that character matters, that character is destiny. One of the primary values that I see in Kamala is her empathy, her ability to understand the feelings of others, the ability to understand their life experiences. This is crucial for any president who wants to represent and serve all Americans. Given her own family history, her empathy is on full display when she speaks of immigrants, the vast majority who simply want to come here for a better life for their families. Her empathy is on full display when she talks to minorities about their struggles in America. Her empathy is on full display when she speaks about young women who face the cruel realities of reproductive healthcare that denies them a voice in the decisions to be made. Her empathy is on full display when she speaks to young women who aspire to leadership and who have struggled to break the so-called glass ceiling or “good old boy network.” Her empathy is on full display when she speaks to average, hardworking, middle-class Americans with their dreams to have a good paying job, to own a house, and to have access to good healthcare. She understands the dreams that parents have for their children to have access to a good education and a better life than their own.
Kamala listens to people. I’ve watched her on the campaign trail when she stops to speak with individuals in the crowd. Rather than speak, she listens to them. Great leaders always listen. She is strong, courageous, and persistent. She is willing to speak her mind and to call out the differences between good and evil, kindness and cruelty, legal and illegal, acceptable and unacceptable. She has proven time and time again in her public life that she is responsible, trustworthy, and honest. She has promoted and protected the democratic values of justice, equality, and access to voting rights. She is respectful of those who have served in the military. Finally, Kamala is an optimist and a hopeful person. She sees a better America in the future, and she can communicate that hope to all, and she has and will continue to work to make that hope a reality.
Preparation: Kamala has spent her entire adult life in public service including District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, US Senator from California, and Vice-President of the US. She has worked in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government. It is this extensive broad-based experience in government and her commitment to serving all the public that I believe will make her a great President.
Policies: Kamala will continue to pursue economic policies that promote the growth of the middle class. I grew up in a strong union household. She is pro-union and recognizes that strong unions lead to a strong economy. My background in political economy and history tells me that America grows and develops when the middle and working classes grow. Her policies will promote home ownership, provide greater access to more affordable healthcare, greater access to higher education, and more assistance to small businesses. She will continue the tremendous growth in advanced manufacturing and good paying jobs in microchips, advanced batteries, and solar panels which were started under President Biden. She will continue to address global warming for the sake of our children’s future. She will work to restore reproductive freedom for women and strengthen access to voting rights. She will work with the Congress to resolve the problems at our southern border. Her foreign policy will continue to support democratic governments, strengthen our leadership role in NATO, the most important alliance in the world, and oppose authoritarians who engage in expansionism.
It is for these reasons that I voted FOR Kamala Harris. Whether you agree with me or not I strongly encourage you to vote. It is the most important right you have in a democracy.
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