When we head to the ballot box this year, we will be faced with a choice between a career public servant who wants to bring the country forward and a 34-time convicted felon who only cares about himself and his rich friends. We must elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz as the next president and vice president of the United States.
Harris entered public service in California, becoming a district attorney, the state attorney general and then the state senator. She ran for president in 2020 and subsequently became President Joe Biden’s pick for vice president.
Walz began his career at 17 when he enlisted in the Army National Guard. Under the GI Bill, he served his community by becoming a school teacher and football coach. He served five terms as a Minnesota congressman until he became governor of the state. He delivered historic wins for the people of Minnesota by capping insulin at $35 a month and providing free school lunches to the children of the state.
Abortion and voting rights
Harris has pledged to protect the right to an abortion, keeping the government out of our doctors’ offices. In Ohio, 57% of voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights after Trump-appointed conservative judges overturned Roe v. Wade. Harris has pledged to protect that right by urging Congress to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade nationally.
It is also important that Harris supports our right to vote and make our voices heard. By falsely claiming fraudulent elections and attempting a coup on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump cannot be trusted to support the will of the people or the integrity of our institutions. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) endorses Harris’ record on voting rights and lauds her support of legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Harris can be trusted in the executive branch.
Economy
Democratic presidents do better on the economy. A paper by economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson claims that Democrats do better under almost every statistic including job creation, economic growth and more. Harris will continue this trend and build an economy to support the middle and lower classes, rather than the rich.
Harris will not raise taxes on the middle or lower classes. Anyone who makes less than $400,000 a year will not see increases. She wants to make it easier to buy a home, get rid of junk fees, expand the child tax credit and do much more to ensure that people have a good foundation under their feet in today’s economy. Building off of the success of the Biden-Harris administration that stopped the bleeding economy that Trump left, Harris will do well for any student who is worried about their economic future.
Why should you care as a student?
The Biden-Harris administration wants students to succeed. They proposed the largest student debt cancellation plan in history, which a conservative Trump-appointed court struck down once again. This plan would have allowed recent graduates who need it most to have a breather and start their careers on the right foot.
Furthermore, Harris can blaze a path to a new era of politics. With how much division and hatred is spewed from the Republican party, politics has become annoying and even dangerous to discuss within a family, friend groups and especially on social media. If we put a rational public servant into office, who wants to improve the lives of everyday Americans, we can start to heal as a nation. I cannot imagine the damage another four years of a Trump presidency would do to our country. I get exhausted thinking about the news cycle alone.
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I did not hit on all or even most of Harris’ important policy positions, so make sure you go to her website to read her policy positions for yourself. But, if you want to see a new era of normal politics, where we can discuss issues on merit instead of being fueled by hatred, vote for Harris-Walz. If you wish to see this country move forward and support our futures as eventual college graduates, vote blue up and down the ballot.
Patrick Houlihan is a senior political science student. He is president of the College Democrats of Ohio and the Miami University College Democrats, and the Northwest Regional Chair of the Butler County Democratic Party.
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