Dear Editor:
I wanted to express my support for the idea of having a female president, and I always celebrate when minorities achieve leadership roles.
However, I must admit that Vice President Kamala Harris feels more like a political plant than a genuine candidate. I celebrated when President Obama was elected, as it marked a significant moment for representation in the highest office in the land. But this situation feels different.
During his campaign, Biden promised to choose a Black woman as his running mate, and he did—sort of. While no one should judge our heritage, it raises questions when videos show her consistently identifying as Indian until it became necessary to identify as African American to meet Biden’s criteria.
Am I the only one who believes that selections should be based on merit rather than gender or race? Appointing someone solely for representation is both misguided and, frankly, racist (not reverse racist either – good old-fashioned racism).
It’s important to note that everyone has experienced racism in some form, and I have more African heritage than she does, yet I do not leverage it to get ahead in life.
She struggled during the legitimate primaries held by the Democratic Party, being one of the first candidates to exit due to unpopularity, largely because of her extreme positions and her record in California.
Then, Biden selected her as Vice President—a role I initially accepted until she misled Americans about her oversight of the southern border, where countless lives have been lost or destroyed.
How many obituaries do we need to see in the newspaper of young people, including two locally whom I know who died from fentanyl coming across the border? Black communities across America have been devastated by horrific fentanyl and other drug-related deaths, including the use of Tranq, a horse tranquilizer that turns people into zombies—all stemming from issues at the southern border.
We sit in the comfort of our homes, disconnected from the pain and suffering occurring in our country, while our current leadership seeks four more years without telling us the truth.
After 3.5 years, she finally visited the border for a photo op, much to the disapproval of ICE and Border Patrol.
Why didn’t she do so earlier when many politicians from both sides of the aisle have gone on their own accord for years to explore the problem firsthand?
As a union member, I tend to vote Democrat, but I cannot, in good conscience, support Harris. Unions across the country, including surveys among their members, now show significant support for Trump. It’s simple: we need values.
We should focus on reducing prices in America and keeping money out of the hands of our enemies overseas, who are funded through oil sales. Building in America used to be a reason I voted Democrat; now, I only hear Trump advocating for this, which is why many union members who traditionally vote Democratic are now supporting him.
It’s time to stop voting based on looks and personality; we need to start voting for common sense. Whose policies truly support middle-class Americans?
Who is boasting about eliminating Trump-era tax cuts that experts warn will devastate the middle class? I would rather vote for the orange man, who makes me shake my head half the time he speaks and who is not politically correct, than for someone whose extreme ideas have proven ineffective during her nearly four years in office.
Shame on the Democratic Party for pushing her into the spotlight and sidelining Biden. Once again, she was appointed, and the party of democracy placed someone who received no votes from the members.
My old party could have chosen from dozens of candidates I would have supported over Trump. Harris is a facade and not what America needs or deserves.
Wake up, Democratic Party, and realign your values, or you will only hold power in the most extreme, woke areas of the country.
P.S. Biden, who told my family, “we ain’t black” if we didn’t vote for him, should consider using that line on his choice, who feels more like a plant than a true leader.
Shawna Hill
Holland, Ohio
