Tenchu's Thoughts - Why I'm Voting for Kamala Harris
(Trigger warning to the MAGA cultists - This contains a hefty dose of tEe dEe eSs, inconvenient facts, logic, and moral reasoning, which as I understand it will drive you guys insane. Continue reading at your own risk.)
EDIT: I tried to keep it as short as possible, but it turned out to be rather long anyway. Oh well.
Why am I voting for Kamala Harris? Here are the reasons, in no particular order:
Character Counts
Unlike most self-described "conservatives" these days, I still believe character counts. 'Nuff said.
Kamala's Humility
She has shown a willingness to listen to her handlers, listen to her constituents, and improve herself. She used to be horrible, even in a scripted environment, but ever since she took the reins from Brandon, she has become much, much better at playing the part of being president.
Immigration
She and Brandon were initially horrible when it came to immigration and the crisis on the southern border. But since then, they sponsored a bill that would have taken steps toward controlling the situation. It was far from perfect, but it would have been a significant step toward getting control. (Of course, the GOP tanked the bill fearing that the Democrats would take credit for it.)
Moreover, the Republicans used to be hawks against illegal immigration, but they were all for LEGAL immigration. That is no longer the case. Trump's rhetoric has turned toward xenophobia, which I cannot support under any circumstances whatsoever. Almost everyone I work with, live with, go to church with, do business with, etc., are either immigrants themselves or children of immigrants.
Economy
Although I don't believe the Brandon administration did all that much to help the economy, I also don't believe they did all that much to hurt it, either.
Markets are making new highs. Unemployment is low. Wages are going up. Productivity is increasing. Most importantly, inflation is back under control.
Voting for the incumbent means voting for the status quo, and I believe, in terms of keeping the economy rolling, the status quo is preferable to the Orange wrecking ball.
Note that I wouldn't have held this against Trump had he not portrayed himself as said "wrecking ball," but he did. This is different from the way he portrayed himself in 2016 and 2020, by the way.
Globalism and Tariffs
I am a globalist. I believe in the so-called "rules-based world order," even though that phrase isn't very well-defined. I believe in securing free trade so that all countries, both rich and poor, can all benefit from each other. This, of course, is preferable to isolationism and Fortress America.
So when it comes to tariffs, I say NO.
Of course, both candidates seem to be fans of tariffs. That's unfortunate, but I believe one of them has defined his entire economic policy around it. The other is just resorting to tariffs in specific cases (e.g. EVs, semiconductors, etc.).
Peace In Our Time
If we're going to avoid WWIII, we need to stop guys like PooTin from doing what he's doing. And although I don't believe Brandon is doing enough to stop PooTin, I also believe Trump will give PooTin everything he wants and more. Hence the choice here is clear.
Trump has also expressed admiration for authoritarian strongmen. He has no idea what a classically liberal democracy is all about. He has no appreciation for our alliances like NATO and our commitments toward security in the Asian Pacific. (I don't believe Trump is "literally a Nazi," but he sure has proclivities toward authoritarianism, enabled in large part by his cultists.)
Does Harris have an appreciation for classically liberal democracies? I'm not sure, but I think, based on her character, she is more likely to understand and appreciate it more.
Anti-vax and the Q Continuum
The GOP is now aligned with the antivax movement, which is part of the Q Continuum. As a firm believer in vaccines, and as a supporter of Big Pharma's benefits to human society and the American economy, I cannot be aligned with these backwards idiots.
Moreover, to place a dumbass like RFQ Jr. in charge of our various health departments like the FDA and the CDC is not only st00pid beyond belief, but it could lead to catastrophic consequences for our public health, our food production (think about what happened in Sri Lanka), and the role that science plays in public policy.
Postmodernism
I have always argued against postmodernism, or the view that truth is relative. Unfortunately both candidates are products of our postmodern culture, which I don't like.
But it's clear to me that Trump is MUCH more postmodern than Harris is.
One example is how Trump is fostering complete distrust in ALL of our public institutions. Yes, our institutions have often failed us, but Trump wants his cult-like followers to not just hold our institutions accountable, but to eliminate the very idea of institutions in the first place.
I can already see where this is going. Without actual scientific experts to guide public policy, the only "experts" that will matter to a second Trump term will be those that are amplified by right-wing social media, especially Xitter run by the Muskperger.
In short, the Trump supporters are waging war against objective truth itself.
Mental Acuity
Some people ask me whether I would have voted for Brandon had he stayed in the race, but I would not have. I believe he is too far gone to serve effectively during a second term.
Meanwhile, it's obvious to me that Trump has started to lose his mind since November of 2020. Age plus the reality of losing an election seems to be too much for his ego to handle. That's why these days, he is sounding more and more incoherent. (And I think he knows it, too, which is why he tries to make up for it with more brazen shit, like performing fellatio on a microphone, or calling for his political opponents to be arrested or shot, etc.)
Again, I realize that Harris doesn't sound all mentally there, either, especially when she's off script. When she's out of her element, she compensates by cackling, coming up with word salads, and sounding like an absolute ditz. But I think that, whenever she IS in her element, she demonstrates a level of competence that I can't see in Trump.
Indian-American heritage
I'm not a fan of identity politics, so I'm not going to vote for Harris just because she will be the "first woman to be president" or the "first Asian-American to be president."
But to be frank, I work and live with a LOT of Indian-Americans. And I'm hoping that relations between America and India can improve. We need India on our side in order to counter China's aggressive imperialism, and we also need India as a growing trading partner.
Hence there's a small sliver of hope in using Kamala Harris' Indian heritage as an asset.
(And yes, I know JD is also married to an Indian woman, but quite frankly I don't believe JD will ever give a Brandon about India.)
Area of Concern: Kamala's Tax Policies
Of course, no choice for president will ever be black or white. Hence I'll list out things I DON'T like about Kamala Harris, just to show that I'm not a blind cultist like the Trump supporters are.
First of all, I don't like Kamala's tax policies. Raising taxes on the super-rich will just further motivate them to move their wealth out of America. They are already taxed enough.
Also, I believe she is a fan of taxing unrealized capital gains. That is just plain stupid, and I don't believe she will be successful in passing such a tax even if she tried.
Area of Concern: Woke Law Enforcement
Yes, I know about Kamala Harris' record as prosecutor. I like that about her. However, for the longest time, I didn't see the lawyer in her emerge, and that worried me. Only when she became the Democratic nominee for president did I see the lawyer re-emerge.
But just as easily as her prosecutor side emerged, it can easily go back into hiding.
And I'm concerned that she may side with the woke district attorneys, the so-called "Soros-funded DAs," that have allowed crime to skyrocket over the past four years.
There are signs that even Democrat DAs are getting a clue. Here in San Francisco, we recalled out stupid-ass woke DA, Chesa Boudin, and replaced him with Brooke Jenkins. And she reminds me a lot of Kamala Harris, which is a good thing.
However, some woke DAs still hang onto power, such as George Gascon of Los Angeles and Pamela Price of Alameda County. And if they still represent the future of Democrat law enforcement, then even I would vote for an Orange wrecking ball over these bozos.
Area of Concern: Woke Hamas Supporters
I believe Harris will carry out the best policy toward Israel, which is continued support against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, but with conditions that try to rein in Net-N-Yahoo and his heavy-handedness.
However, I fear that Harris may lend an ear to the woke Hamas supporters out there like the so-called "Squad" that includes Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. And that would be an utter disaster.
Area of Concern: Woke Indoctrination
There are only two genders, not 47.
Prescribing puberty blockers to kids is cruel.
Teaching kids to change their genderfluid every 3,000 miles is st00pid.
Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, and other attempts to revise American history are already backfiring.
All of the above was meant to teach kids not to be racist and sexist, but it's actually having the opposite effect.
Shit like that is why Trump remains popular.
Shit like that is why I still have concerns voting for Harris.
Conclusion
For the past two elections, I have abstained from voting for either Trump or the (D).
But in this election, I can no longer stand by and watch as a crazed, unhinged Trump take over the nation.
I am voting for Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States.
And mark my words. Despite all of her faults, despite all of my disagreements with her political positions, I will not regret voting for her one bit.
Tenchusatsu |
