I will Vote for Kamala Harris

by Rod Williams, July 26, 2024- In November I will cast my vote for kamala Harris. 

It is not with any enthusiasm. I don't want to, but I feel I must. It is the only responsible thing to do. I do not think she will advance good policies. I expect I will seldom agree with her. I do not think she will steer America in the direction I think it should go. However, I do not think she will become a dictator. I do not think she will shred the constitution. After four years of Kamala Harris, I expect America to still be a democratic republic; with four more years of Donald Trump, I have my doubts.

This decision to vote for Kamala Harris was not an easy one to make. Quite frankly, it saddens me to come to this decision. I have been a Republican my whole life. I have worked in campaigns and contributed money. I have not been just a casual Republican either, but one who was a Republican because I was a conservative. I am a student of political philosophy and ideas. I know what I believe and why I believe it. 

I have never voted for a Democrat for any significant office. I have never voted for a Democrat for president or congress or governor. The only time I have ever voted for a Democrat was for Davidson County offices when only Democrats were running, or the only serious candidates were Democrats. This time, however, at this advanced age and after a lifetime of voting and working to elect Republicans, I will vote for a Democrat for president. 

I will vote for Kamala Harris, not because I like her or agree with her but because Donald Trump is unfit for office.  In our 248-year history there has never been a threat to our republic like that of Donald J. trump.  That is why I will vote for Kamala. If there was a bumper sticker or yard sign that said, "Harris for President ... because she is not Trump" I would display it.

I did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016. I thought he was a political lightweight and a showman. I saw him as a carnival barker and a reality TV personality. I did not see him as someone serious enough to run the country. I did not see him as a conservative or even a Republican and did not see him as a very thoughtful person. Trump was certainly not a traditional Republican. I thought he was Republican just as a matter of convenience and thought he would have been just as comfortable being a Democrat.  Trump was a wealthy successful businessman but there are a lot of wealthy successful businessmen who are Democrats. 

I did not see what it was that made Trump attractive to Republicans. He had a lot of Hollywood liberal friends and did not talk like a Republican. On the issues, it was difficult to find anything that would define him as a Republican. Trump was pro-choice before he was pro-life. He registered as a Republican in 1987 and since that time, he had changed his party affiliation five times. In 2001 he was a registered Democrat. In a 2004 interview, Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat."  In a July 2015 interview, Trump said that he has a broad range of political positions and said, "I identify with some things as a Democrat." (link) I thought his Republican credentials were very thin. And I did not like his bombastic, crude, and rude and undignified demeanor. So, I did not vote for Trump in 2016. I don't remember who I voted for. I think I cast a protest vote for the Conservative Party candidate.

Durning his four years in office, Trump often made me cringe and I thought he was often reckless and undignified. However, he did not screw up badly and I was pleased with his stopping the massive influx of illegals pouring across our southern border and I was very pleased with his successful Supreme Court picks. So, when 2020 rolled around, I voted for Trump. 

After Trump lost the 2020 election and tried to hold on to power despite his loss, I knew he was a dangerous man unfit for office. In my view, the truth matters and the lies about the2020 election are dangerous. Donald Trump's refusal to concede an election he had resoundingly lost was unamerican and dishonorable. Donald Trump attempted to unravel the fabric of our democracy and attack the foundations of our republic. He tried to overturn an election and he violated his oath to the constitution. I knew I could never vote for him again.

My disgust with Trump was about more than just the one-day or rioting of January 6th when he incited a mob to prevent the counting of electoral ballots. It was also the fielding of fake electors, the pressuring of state election officials to find him the votes to change the outcome, the putting at risk the lives of election workers by false allegations of fraudulent vote counting and stuffing ballot boxes, and the lies about Dominion voting machines changing votes, and the draft executive order that would have directed the defense secretary to seize voting machines. The lie upon lies for months as he tried to hang on to power did it for me. The only reason Trump did not go further in his attempt to hang on to power was that he was surrounded by some good people who talked him out of what he wanted to do and people who would not do what he wanted them to do. If Trump were reelected, he would not have those kinds of people around him. We hung on to our democracy because a few honorable people would not buckle.

As a practical matter it really doesn't matter for whom I vote. There is no doubt which way Tennessee will go in the election. In reality we do not vote for a presidential candidate; we vote for electors who vote for the president. All of Tennessee's 11 electoral votes will go to Donald Trump and I know it and I fully support the way we elect our president and am supportive of the electoral college.  As a result of the electoral college and knowing how Tennessee will vote, I recognize my vote will not affect the outcome. While I could never vote for Trump, I could vote for a third party candidate, or simply not vote, or I could write in a name. Until recently, I thought I would write in Mike Pence, or Liz Channey, or maybe write in my own name. However, the more I thought about it, I have felt that that was insufficient and, in some way, cowardly. 

Voting is normally about casting a vote for the candidate who most closely aligns with your values and your evaluation of what are the best policies for the country, or for some people, in some cases, which candidate will give you something or not take something away from you.  

For me, this election is about more than that. This election is about making a moral statement about the threat to our democracy. I know my one vote won't make a difference, but if we lose our Republic and my grandson ask me, "Granddaddy, what do you do when Trump ended American democracy?" I don't want to have to explain the intricacies of the electoral college and why I set on the sideline. I want to say I voted against him

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