Political Chaos – What’s Next?
– By Lisa Rutherford –
So much to digest! Poor presidential debate performances. Democrats against Biden for his debate missteps. Trump supported in spite of many lies. An attempted assassination of Trump followed by a Republican Convention “lovefest.” President Biden’s announcement that he will not run for re-election but wants his VP, Kamala Harris, to run instead. Top that off with Republicans’ assertion that Biden should be removed from office under the 25th Article of the Constitution and filing impeachment articles against Harris regarding her immigration efforts and for misleading Americans about Biden’s physical and cognitive well-being. It’s been a head-spinning summer.
Many Democrats are supporting VP Harris. She appears to have the nomination sewn up given her endorsements, but what does she bring to the table? She certainly will have to answer for Biden’s administration actions and decisions, at least according to Trump and his people. However, she has her own legacy which will be discussed thoroughly before the August convention and after.
Her positive attributes include being more youthful, plus smart and experienced, including having been close to the presidential decision-making process. We’ve had far too many years to get to know Trump. There’s no new news there. But Harris, a daughter of immigrant parents, is a new individual for us to learn about.
Perhaps her biggest flaw, in the minds of some, is that she’s a woman. Many other nations including Mexico, as recently as this year, have or have had women leaders. One of President Reagan’s closest allies was Margaret Thatcher who led the U.K. from 1979 to 1990. The United States fails in this arena in spite of the brilliant women we have and who could lead this nation well.
Then there’s the race issue. Given that white supremacy has raised its ugly head and factored into Trump’s political rhetoric, many have been swayed to his side. For those who are unsure of their preferred candidate, this issue may hurt Harris.
She’s been associated with the more progressive wing of the party. The definition of “progressive” includes “open to or favoring new ideas, policies, or methods” and “moving forward.” I don’t agree with everything the far left promotes, but I certainly don’t want a nation that’s stuck in old ways of thinking, either.
Some of her decisions as a prosecutor have been questioned. But, when you have a career that’s been in the limelight, there will be decisions that don’t please everyone. People should look into this more closely to ensure the claims that are being made are true and not part of another false narrative as we so often hear.
Harris is a strong woman who some assert can be a tough boss. Those who want to return to the days when women were kept in the home whether they wanted to be there or not, as is promoted by Project 2025 and J.D. Vance, probably don’t care for her desire to do more with her life. But those who appreciate intelligent, strong women who are forward looking and want to make a difference in places other than the home, like that very much. The home is important but so are other aspects of life.
What we need from Harris is a strong vision for a forward-looking – not backward-looking – America, a vision that sees value in immigrants who come here for jobs that others don’t want, a vision that sees how important it is for us to be engaged in the world for our own well-being, not one that hunkers down as the Republicans seem to want, one that recognizes the dynamism of this nation and all our people. This is not to say that we don’t need better immigration control or that we shouldn’t expect our international partners to carry their weight, but Trump’s dire vision of immigrants and our NATO alliance is not one that bodes well for this nation. In fact, Democrats and Republicans had crafted an excellent bipartisan immigration bill until Trump forced his party to reject it for his own political ends. That’s not the leadership we need.
Republicans feel progressives in this nation have created problems that are shredding this nation’s cultural fabric and that we need to return to the “good old days.” But those “good old days” had their problems, too. Many who are finding their voices now were here in the “good old days” but had no voice – women, gays, Blacks, Latinos, and others. They want a voice now for themselves and those who follow. Republicans fear Harris for her DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) stance. But, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 56% of employed U.S. adults feel the focus on DEI is a good thing. Even Forbes, a business magazine, asserts that diverse teams lead to more creative and innovative solutions. That’s what we need!
If Harris is elected president, she will have a tough job ahead. With the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision that basically gutted the 1984 Chevron decision, the work done by Biden to push forward a green agenda is in jeopardy along with other decisions that agencies have made. From now on, rather than experts making decisions having to do with environmental and other laws, we will be relying on politicians and courts.
The upcoming weeks and the Democratic Convention will reveal a lot about where our future is headed. I hope it’s not just more chaos!
