The vibes are off
No me gusta.
I’ve always voted in presidential elections, even when I didn’t care for the candidates. My mom told me to cast a ballot for “the lesser of two evils,” which, for her, meant voting for the Democrat. I loved, trusted and admired my mom, so I’ve followed her advice for nearly 30 years.
Things are going to be different this cycle. When the Democrats swapped President Joe Biden for Vice President Kamala Harris, I was initially energized by her joyful message. Unfortunately, these vibes have faded. These days, I don’t feel much joy from Ms. Harris. She sucked the joy out of her campaign when she centered it around abortion politics.
Abortion isn’t something to get excited about. It’s the exact opposite. Abortion politics alienates men. When Roe v. Wade got overturned, I opined online and in real life that, while I was staunchly pro-choice, the reasoning behind Roe was flawed. It’s my view that there’s nothing in the Constitution guaranteeing the right to an abortion, so we should focus on passing pro-choice legislation. Even though I was a practicing human rights lawyer then, people didn’t want to hear my views. Instead, most women (and loads of men) told me that my take on the Constitution was wrong and that I should leave this issue to women. I read the room and left.
Accordingly, I can’t get excited about a campaign centered around an issue where the women in my life, including my mom, told me in no uncertain terms that I (and half the campaign’s constituency) lack a seat at the negotiating table. And, make no mistake, abortion politics involves negotiation, just like everything else in life.
I’ve watched and listened to Ms. Harris bait, insult and shame Mr. Trump for months, and I’m over it. Mr. Trump might be what he is, but he’s also a human being, and Ms. Harris doesn’t treat him like one. At this point, I have enough data to believe that she lacks presidential temperament.
Putting potential sexism aside, her campaign’s rhetoric is divisive. In this regard, I don’t think she’d be much better than Mr. Trump. She is a decent human, but, like Mr. Trump, the only thing she cares about at this point is winning. Which means she’s already lost, at least spiritually. Policy is important, but bringing people together is way more important. I don’t believe Ms. Harris is up to doing that part of the job.
“The lesser of two evils” is still evil. To be clear, Ms. Harris isn’t evil. She’s a decent human who felt called to stick up for women and got carried away, as we humans tend to do. If my dear mama was still alive, bless her soul, I know Sister Kamala would make her proud. But I’m still not voting for the Democrat this year.
