Kamala Harris and the future of America

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Ron McAllister | The Observer

Events happen in everyone’s life that disrupt their existing narrative. You lose a parent or a partner; you wed, or you have a baby. In an instant, you no longer think about yourself as you did. From that point forward, you are a different person.

Similar patterns appear in the history of nations as well. An earthquake destroys a village, or a terrorist attack elevates feelings of vulnerability; new technologies appear, or the government is swept away. I’ve been thinking about the shifting American narrative as the November election draws near. Change is in the offing.

President Joe Biden’s July 21st announcement that he would not stand for re-election was one of those moments when the national narrative changed. Passing the torch to the next generation is the political equivalent of tectonic plates shifting. The ascendancy of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s standard bearer changes the country for the better; her election will do so even more.

If she loses to Donald Trump, you can expect a different kind of historic disruption. He’s already told us (December 5, 2023) that he will be a dictator “on day one.” Last month, he told a gathering of his devoted fans: “You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed.…” (July 26, 2024).

If you read the campaign promises he has made, you will see the sort of country we will have if he wins. The Trump-47 playbook is detailed in the 900-plus page tome “Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project” developed by the Heritage Foundation. The whole document is available online. Read it, and you will understand better what is at stake.

Project 2025 paints a dystopian picture of America today: a country ravaged by crime, trampled by immigrants, dominated by foreign interests, burdened by environmental regulation, corrupted by government bureaucrats, and destroyed by diversity initiatives. It’s a grim picture that completely fails to describe the country I know and love.

A prefatory note (page xiv) written by Paul Dans, Project 2025’s former director, summarizes the worldview behind it all: “The long march of cultural Marxism through our institutions has come to pass. The federal government is a behemoth, weaponized against American citizens and conservative values, with freedom and liberty under siege as never before.” That’s simply ridiculous.

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Standing against all that is Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president. Her selection as the person to stand up to Trump and his party will be made official at her party’s Chicago convention later this month (August 19-22).

Winning is not going to be easy owing to a campaign season colored by misleading mass media, outright lies, racism, sexism and violence. What has struck me is that for all the Project 2025 hot air about family values, self-governance, national sovereignty and the “blessings of liberty,” it is the nomination of Kamala Harris that rings true about America.

The Declaration of Independence declares that “all men are created equal.” This was a revolutionary idea in 1776, and it remains so today. The nomination of Kamala Harris embodies that idea — understood in ways that were not understood 250 years ago. “All men” means all people regardless of gender, race, social status, accumulated wealth, or parental history. The nomination of Kamala Harris is a promise made to the nation, and I, for one, happily embrace it.

I have watched Trump’s campaign against her and have thought: is the former president really the best we can do? Given his impeachments, indictments, convictions and blatant acts of corruption, which are his hallmark and his lifestyle, is this someone who should be allowed to succeed Joe Biden and the other honorable presidents before him? The man’s character is plainly visible in his rambling public speeches and all-caps social media rants.

Are Trump’s angry, vengeful, and dishonest tirades what we want from our leaders? Kamala Harris is the promise of change that makes her a great choice for America: hopefulness, courage, honesty, tough-mindedness and experience. Her gender, her immigrant heritage, her racial complexity, her character, and her intelligence all suggest the potential of a better America.

To vote for Trump is to help bring about an apocalyptic future these charlatans claim is already here. It is a work of fiction. As president, Kamala Harris will change the existing narrative to one we all can be proud of.

Ron McAllister is a sociologist and writer who lives in York.

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