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The past few weeks have been eventful: a terrible presidential debate, an assassination attempt, a major party embracing a convicted felon as its standard-bearer, the selection of a fairly weird guy from Ohio as the Republican VP nominee, and a sitting president deciding not to stand for re-election. Beyond the constant shakeups, the stakes in the upcoming election are much more obvious now, and the contrast is stronger than ever.
Kamala Harris entrance in the race has upended the presidential race even further – for the better. For starters, it has brought a new sense of enthusiasm and possibility; a generational change, full energy, ready and willing to look forward. Second, she brings forward a new, renewed energy in stating what is at stake this election, the dangers and peril of the Republican ticket. Third, and most importantly, she is ready to fight for working families, setting a new agenda of opportunity for all for the country. Paid family leave, child care for everyone, real support for families with an expanded child tax credit, healthcare as a right, clean energy and a just transition; Harris represents the promise of a better future.
The contrast with the other side is stark. The Republican Party is increasingly embracing reactionary, authoritarian, antidemocratic ideals. Their presidential candidate is a man who launched an all-out effort to overturn the results of the last presidential election, to the point of calling on a mob to lynch his own Vice President in a failed coup. That man is a fraudster, a serial sexual abuser, and a convicted felon who oversaw a disastrous response to a global pandemic under his watch, an economic collapse, and the biggest spike in violent crime and homicide in over a century. His only economic accomplishment was a massive tax cut for billionaires and corporations, and a comprehensive effort to allow big businesses to freely pollute and predate on their workers.
When President Biden decided to drop out of the race, many political observers were expecting (even giddy for) a big fight to choose his successor. What we saw instead is the Democratic Party quickly consolidating their support around Biden’s VP, Kamala Harris, and a burst of energy in support of her candidacy. And right along with them, we had the Working Families Party endorsing Harris as our candidate.
Our urgency is not giddy but sober, a recognition of the political realities at hand and our long-term priorities. At Working Families Party, we want to build a better country, one where every one of us has an opportunity to thrive. A country that puts working families at the center, with affordable housing, healthcare as a right, good jobs, paid family leave, vibrant cities, and safe neighborhoods. Before we can build this future, however, we must block the forces of authoritarianism and reaction this November. And this means defeating Trump, Trumpism, and everything he represents at the ballot box in the upcoming election – and ensuring that the Republican party (his Republican Party) is also routed across the board.
Kamala Harris is an imperfect candidate, and we’ll disagree with her on many issues, both during and after the campaign. We will also have the chance, then and now, to advocate, protest, mobilize, and lobby for the people and ideas we care about. In the coming weeks, for example, WFP will continue calling on her campaign to support a ceasefire in Gaza. Once in office, a Harris administration might be more willing to expand healthcare access, defend abortion rights, support paid family leave and labor rights, continue and expand a fair transition to a green economy, and they will offer a chance to fight for these issues, and keep fighting for them in four years. A Trump victory will not just close the door completely to any of these priorities, but might close the door to even having the opportunity to vote on them come 2028.
The Republican Party has made clear where they stand. They did it with their actions on January 6, and they have done it in writing, with their alarming Project 2025 plans, and with their own words, over and over again. Our choice this November is between a chance to build a better country and endless reactionary politics; between being able to fight for working families or losing our democracy.
This past week, there has been an unprecedented surge of energy and enthusiasm to fight for a better America. Time to get to work, and ensure this dream of freedom and opportunity for everyone, not a privileged few, becomes a reality.