In the most consequential election of our lifetime, there has never been such a stark contrast between the two major-party presidential candidates. Vice President Kamala Harris is focused on carving a new way forward by bringing common-sense solutions to solve issues, protecting fundamental freedoms, and fighting on behalf of every American. Former president Donald Trump is focused on persecution of his political enemies, division, authoritarianism, and revisiting the dark path he took during his first term in office.
Many Americans are still fairly unfamiliar with Harris. Who is she and what has she done?
Harris was born and raised by a single mother in a middle-class family in San Francisco. Her mother instilled in her the value and importance of hard work. She still holds these same values today and will continue to uphold them as president.
Harris studied at Howard University and graduated with a degree in Political Science. She continued her studies at the Hastings School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor. She climbed her way up the ladder as a prosecutor, district attorney, attorney general, U.S. senator, and now the Vice President.
Now looking toward the future. What would she do as President?
As president, Harris would fight for our freedoms, and our constitution, and would build a nation based on opportunity, unity, and a better future.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Inflation reached a peak of 9.1% in the summer of 2022 on the back end of the COVID-19 pandemic but has since fallen sharply to 2.4% as of September 2024, comparable to the rate during Trump’s presidency. Harris will continue to fight inflation and high costs.
Harris will lower costs by passing a tax cut for over 100 million middle-class Americans, expanding tax credits for workers and parents, and finally make sure that billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
She will invest in building food supply chains, strengthen competition, and crack down on price gouging among grocers, all in an effort to lower costs for American families. She will provide a $25,000 tax credit to first-time homeowners and will expand the creation of affordable housing. She will also invest in small businesses to continue to grow our economy and create jobs.
Harris knows that our immigration system is broken. That is why she will revive the bipartisan border bill. This bill would increase the amount of border patrol and asylum agents, implement better technology to detect fentanyl, and provide more immigration judges.
According to a CNN poll from May 2024, nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which ensured a constitutional right to make your own reproductive healthcare decisions. As president, Harris would not hesitate to push a bill through Congress and pass a law reinstating Roe, restoring reproductive freedom for over 100 million Americans currently living under a restrictive abortion ban.
Climate change is a very important issue among young people. Harris will fight for the freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a world where our future generations do not have to worry about our climate crisis. She will do this by holding polluters accountable, lowering energy costs, and will work with world leaders to fight climate change abroad.
Gun violence has made our nation, and especially our schools less safe. Harris will continue the fight against gun violence by banning assault weapons, requiring background checks, and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.
On the other hand, Trump appears to have no real platform that would benefit Americans and “Make America Great Again”, only vague visions with no plans to execute them. He made this very clear when he stated he had “concepts of a plan” for healthcare during the
Presidential debate in September, something he failed to implement a plan for during his four years as president.
Beyond the candidates’ policies, we must make the decision on what type of person we want to lead our country for the next four years.
Trump would run our country just like he has run his presidential campaign. He is focused on creating division and propagating hatred among immigrants, the LGBTQ+ population, women, Muslims, Jews, and groups that do not align with his hateful ideology, as seen during his rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27.
He would also not hesitate to use unprecedented presidential power to utilize the military against American civilians who disagree with him and would deport hard-working undocumented immigrants that benefit our economy who have been living in the United States for years.
Additionally, Trump is a convicted felon, has been found liable for sexual assault, and we are still awaiting the verdicts of the national security and election interference crimes he has committed. If felons and criminals are not allowed to vote or own a gun, then they should not be allowed to be president of the United States.
Harris promises to be a president for all Americans and move our country forward. She will create policies that benefit all people, including her desire to put Republicans in her cabinet who might now always agree with her to promote a more unified approach to governing the United States.
As Americans, we have a very important decision to make. Some will base their decisions on policy, and some on character. It is clear that Harris vastly outperforms Trump on both metrics, making her the only candidate fit to take our nation forward as our next president.
We are looking at two starkly different candidates with starkly different visions for America. Let’s choose the right one. Vote Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on November 5th.
