Here it is. The anxiety-inducing, tense, “oh-please-let-this-election-cycle-close” article.
The goal here is not to make anyone even more nauseated by the current political atmosphere than they already are, especially with the close nature of this election. It is also not to put Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris on a pedestal. However, if she wins the election, she will keep America from sliding into a state that puts anyone but cisgender, heteronormative, white and rich people at risk of real-time discrimination, harassment and death.
These terms may seem abstract. Readers may skim over the words and agree that, yes, a Trump presidency would result in discrimination, harassment and death to any minority. What do these actually look like in real life?
The real-time results of these actions look like parents and grandparents being stripped of their access to medicare. A Trump presidency looks like your queer loved one’s having to leave the country in concern of their own safety. The harm of individuals looks like an individual being abused or assaulted, and the courts taking the side of the perpetrator when there is hard evidence that the victim was put in danger.
It would be remiss not to mention that, as a transgender person who does not pass well, a chronically ill young person, and a diagnosed neurodivergent person, I find this election terrifying.
There is a real risk which comes with people not understanding that every law affects people. There are less than 15 days until the election, and people are still finding ways to only care about the former economic policies of Trump, and not the current economic approaches of both candidates to compare and contrast their stance of how to move forward as a country financially.
There is never a perfect candidate. There is a candidate who will most likely not cause detrimental action to how people communicate and interact with one another. A moderate political person should see the need to vote as someone passionately waving a flag in their face, even if it is just on the basis of a convicted felon should not have the ability to run for President.
Within the past week, CEO of fashion company Tunnel Vision and internet public figure Madeline Pendleton went viral on TikTok for disclosing that third-party companies who want to support the Democratic Party are offering to pay influencers thousands of dollars. In return, these influencers would promote policies they may agree with, as long as they do not specifically say, “Vote for Kamala Harris.”
This reveal resulted in a lot of internet backlash. While leftists were infighting about the results of what would become a 20 video response from Pendleton, Trump was quoted saying he would invoke a 1798 law to carry out mass deportations according to Al Jazeera.
White leftists, if you can for one second compare Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, you need to firmly reevaluate your mentality towards politicians and their approach to policy.
This is a policy election. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has laid out policies in a publication titled Project 2025, policies that the foundation fundamentally believes reflects itself as an organization. The reaction to the policies are not of confusion or misalignment, but of genuine concern that a group of people could carry so much apathy and hatred for other people. The only goal for their policies is to create laws which gut individuals’ access to knowledgeable and safe healthcare resources.
No matter the personal or political beliefs you hold, every person who is eligible needs to vote Blue down the ballot in the 2024 presidential election cycle. According to the United States Vote Foundation, 30% of individuals do not fill all sections of their ballot.
Ballotpedia is a respectable resource for nonpartisan information about political candidates. League of Women Voters and NextGen Pittsburgh are phenomenal organizations with a local presence to better inform new and returning voters. Take the time to vote Blue on Nov. 5.