From the Editor’s Desk: “In 2024, Harris is the Only Choice for Democracy,” Wesley R. Bishop

Vice President Kamala Harris, of the three presidential choices American voters have/had this election cycle, is the best on the question of stopping Israel’s genocide, as well as moving the progression of American democracy forward. In particular, her record on defending women’s right to reproductive justice, and her stance on expanding LGBTQ rights makes her the preferred choice in 2024.

President Joe Biden has always been a warmonger. It surprises me how many are surprised by the way he has governed. He has been ineffective in too many arenas, from student debt forgiveness to foreign policy, and people have suffered as a result. At best Biden will be marked as a forgettable executive, more known for his relationships with Obama, Trump, and Harris than anything he accomplished. At worst, he will be known as one of the butchers of Gaza.

In my undergraduate studies, I remember learning about Biden’s career in the Senate when we read Walter LaFeber's Inevitable Revolutions. From his support of the expansion on the war on drugs, mass incarceration, the mistreatment of Anita Hill, and the full throated endorsement he has often espoused for war, it is finally time to retire him from public office. I was disappointed to see so many "liberals" flock to him in 2020 instead of supporting Sanders. But liberals are nothing if not disappointing.

Former President Donald Trump is an unacceptable candidate for any office. His vitriol, racism, disregard for rule of law, and celebration of violence toward women, immigrants, and racial minorities is repulsive. His hyper-fixation on various aspects of his public image is weird. He represents the single biggest threat to American democracy today.

Donald Trump will not only allow, but encourage, an expansion of Israel's war and genocide further into Lebanon and other Arab nations. Under Trump we will see an expansion and worsening of the genocide if he returns to office, in the same way Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capitol in his previous administration (a decision we will not see reversed anytime soon) as well as encouraging further settlements into Palestinian land. Trump will guarantee an expanded genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and a further erosion of the civil liberties of Palestinian Americans and their allies. Likewise, Trump will abandon Ukraine, all but guaranteeing a massacre of the Ukrainian people by the Russian state.

Harris is the only of the three that will, either on her own volition or through protest, be held accountable on these issues.

The election of 2024 is far from ideal, but if people are going to vote then Vice President Harris is the only one who could do better in terms of governance.

The other option, of course, is not voting for a presidential candidate, which I understand. I am not going to debate this with people, as I just do not see how you can argue with someone who has, rightfully, said genocide is a deal breaker.

And so, we come into these final days of the election. On the one hand we have a capable politician who I think can be pushed to the left, who will appoint better judges to the courts, and who will fight for reproductive and civil rights. Harris will undo much of the damages Trump has caused.

If Trump wins, the genocides will spread, and we will not see an honest and fair election for several years to come. We will also move irrevocably to a sectional crisis.

The fate of our democracy is moving through Gaza and this election. America’s destruction or redemption may very well be wrapped up in the plight of Palestine. There is something to be understood here-- we cannot continue to operate as an empire while maintaining a multi-ethnic, pluralistic, and liberal democracy. One must fail for the other to succeed.

That is our choice.

With Harris-- it is a continuation of the fight we have been in for years. It is a fight I know we can win.

With Trump-- it is a preparation for civil war. It is a war I am worried no one can win.

That's all I got, dear reader. Good luck to all of us.

Wesley R. Bishop is Managing and Founding Editor of North Meridian Press