Two months ago, our country was in a crisis. The two presidential candidates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, both had tragic flaws. One was a convicted criminal, the other a man who couldn’t keep his thoughts straight. Voters all across America were going to be forced to decide between the lesser of two evils.
Then, in July, Biden decided to step down, giving way to a younger, more capable candidate, Kamala Harris.
Harris has already proven herself to be the best option for the future of the United States. Serving as California attorney general for six years, senator for four, and now vice president for almost four years, she has already shown her willingness to fight for the American people.
Contrarily, Trump has shown himself to be a danger to democracy. His incitement of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the 34 felony counts he has been convicted of, and two impeachments demonstrate his clear lack of respect for American law.
During the Sept. 10 Presidential Debate, the stark contrast between the two candidates was put on display. Harris advocated for reproductive health care, climate change mitigation policies, and a new system of immigration while Trump made blatantly false statements about Haitian immigrants eating pets and Democrats supporting abortion after birth, and advocated for tax cuts and heavy tariffs.
The debate showed Harris’s ability to keep her cool and stay true to her ideals under pressure, whereas Trump ranted about his crowd sizes.
However, this should not be the focus. Harris in her own right is an excellent candidate, and her policies on key issues are what America needs.
Starting in 2017, Trump purposefully filled the federal judiciary with firm abortion opponents to achieve the overturning of Roe v. Wade and destroyed fundamental civil liberties. Now Harris is looking to restore reproductive rights by vowing to reinstate Roe v. Wade and improving access to abortion.
“I will continue to fight for our fundamental freedoms while bringing together those throughout America who agree that every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body – not the government,” Harris said.
Harris has also taken a few key stances on immigration. In July, under the Biden-Harris administration, there was the lowest number of illegal crossings over the border in the past three years.
She has also promised to bring back the bipartisan border security bill. This bill would have deployed more detection technology and added 1,500 border guards, aiming to close loopholes that are currently being exploited by criminal cartels. However, at Trump’s request, Republicans in the Senate killed the deal because it was bad for his campaign.
Harris has also vowed to invest $8 billion to increase detention center capacity, which is where people are kept during deportation proceedings, and has spoken about an earned path to citizenship. Harris recognizes the American immigration system is broken, and she will be a torchbearer for change.
On the other hand, Trump wants to reinstate the travel bans, which restricted people from eight countries, primarily from the Middle East, from traveling to the United States indefinitely. He has also said he will end birthright citizenship so that children who are born to parents who do not have legal status in the U.S. will not be considered U.S. citizens, directly contradicting the 14th Amendment.
Trump also disregards the climate crisis.
“The biggest threat is not global warming, where the ocean’s going to rise one, one-eighth of an inch over the next 400 years,” Trump said, in an interview with Elon Musk in August.
Not only is the statement completely false, but it also shows how Trump refuses to take this issue seriously. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that by 2100, the sea level in the U.S. is projected to be two feet higher, and Trump has still not made any plans to promote clean air.
As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which promotes clean energy usage; she has supported the Green New Deal in the past; and in 2020 even proposed a $10 trillion climate plan.
Harris has also promised to lower costs for everyday needs like health care, housing and groceries, and to cut taxes for more than 100 million middle-class Americans.
Despite Trump saying the economy will be much worse under Harris, independent analysts like Goldman Sachs have forecasted larger economic growth, lower inflation, and more new jobs if Harris were to be elected instead of Trump.
Harris has shown herself to be a strong and capable leader. Her policies on abortion, immigration, the climate crisis, and the economy are what this country needs. The future of our country is at stake, and there seems to only be one answer. We choose democracy—we choose Kamala Harris.