Biden-Harris is the Dynamic Duo that will Restore Democracy to America
By Stephanie Gerber Wilson, PhD
I’m 48 years old, and until now I felt that voting was enough to fulfill my duty as a citizen of a democracy (and, yes, I always vote). Now I know that our very democracy is at stake and voting isn’t nearly enough. I’m working every single day to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Joe Biden is a compassionate, caring, empathic man with decades of experience in real governing. He was a loyal lieutenant to President Obama, and he headed up some of the biggest initiatives in the Obama administration.
He also knows what a great VP looks like, and he picked a great running mate. Now it’s time to work unceasingly to elect Biden and Harris to succeed Trump. The future of the United States is at stake: democracy is crumbling, 1000 people a day are dying of an unmanaged pandemic, we are in a cratering economic recession, and our stature on the world stage is plummeting.
Kamala Harris is a brilliant and fearless woman, lawyer, legislator, and candidate. She kicks butt and takes names, and is one of our strongest candidates — full stop. During the Senate Judiciary committee hearings, I wished that she would ask all the questions of Trump’s judicial nominees. She stands out for being forthright, honest, and razor sharp. She earns my highest compliment: she’s a badass.
She will stand up for all Americans — native born and immigrants — who have been marginalized, discriminated against, pushed to the side, and been told that they are somehow less-than the White Christian majority. Kamala is a daughter of immigrants and understands the wealth of cultural, economic, and intellectual benefits immigrants bring to America. She’s also a Black woman who knows first-hand that Blacks in America have been too long relegated to second class citizenship, their bodies and their brains treated as less valuable than those of the surrounding Whites. Her voice will help us see and address the entrenched systemic racism in this country.
Kamala has been told to tone it down, to smile more, to show less ambition and less intelligence. That’s the kind of woman I want to see campaigning against the misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, and anti-science Trump ticket. Trump will call her names and has already called her nasty (so predictable), and she will out-smart him, out-last him, and defeat him and his movement.
I am thrilled to be supporting Kamala, with her experience as California’s AG and Senator, and her towering intellect. Kamala’s positions are in line with my own: she supports reimagining public safety, supporting women’s reproductive health and the LGBTQ+ community, focusing on climate change, increasing teacher pay, respecting science and fighting Covid, implementing sensible gun restrictions, raising up the middle class, and implementing universal child care, among many other things. Most importantly to me, she is an independent woman who thoughtfully approaches each issue, and then pursues her goals with brilliant focus and astounding intelligence.
Watching a smart, thoughtful, competent, beautiful woman of color be picked for the Democratic ticket gladdens my heart. And watching a badass vice presidential candidate partner with Biden to save our democracy feeds my soul.
Originally published at https://medium.com on August 12, 2020.
