November 4, 2024

Closing Arguments

With one day to go before the presidential election, polls show Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to be roughly evenly matched. FiveThirtyEight

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From the Left

The left urges voters to support Harris.

When it comes to policy, the contrast could not be clearer. On abortion, Harris supports reproductive rights and will work to enshrine them into law. Donald Trump does not and will not. On immigration, Harris recognizes — as most business owners do — that we need comprehensive immigration reform that both secures the border and makes it easier for people to come here legally. Trump’s plan to deport millions of people living and working here is a recipe for economic disaster…

“On gun safety, Harris supports common-sense measures that will help save lives and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and other dangerous people. Trump, after talking a big game about standing up to the gun industry’s lobbyists, buckled under their pressure and did their bidding. On the economy, Harris’ tax and tariff proposals are politically driven, but as many economists have noted, they would do far less damage to consumers and businesses — and to the national debt — than Trump’s.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, Bloomberg

“[Harris] will lead an administration that honors with action the countless contributions of working women, just as she has for her entire career. As attorney general in California, she protected the jobs of nurses across the state and won back millions of dollars for women and workers who had been illegally underpaid by greedy companies. As a senator, she stood with fast-food workers by walking the picket line in our fight for a $15 minimum wage, and fought to end ‘right to work’ laws…

“And for the past three-plus years, the vice-president has been a critical part of this historic pro-worker administration – passing massive legislation to create millions of union jobs and protecting millions of workers’ pensions. And when we elect her as president, Harris has outlined her bold vision to finally give care economy workers the pay and protections they deserve, while also lowering prices for all working families… As the first female president of the United States’ largest labor federation, I’m proud to support the vice-president.”

Liz Shuler, The Guardian

“Unless American voters stand up to him, Mr. Trump will have the power to do profound and lasting harm to our democracy. That is not simply an opinion of Mr. Trump’s character by his critics; it is a judgment of his presidency from those who know it best — the very people he appointed to serve in the most important positions of his White House. It is telling that among those who fear a second Trump presidency are people who worked for him and saw him at close range…

“Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s vice president, has repudiated him… ‘I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,’ Mr. Pence has said…

“Mr. Trump’s attorney general has raised similar concerns about his fundamental unfitness. And his chief of staff. And his defense secretary. And his national security advisers. And his education secretary. And on and on… A second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first. Kamala Harris is the only choice.”

Editorial Board, New York Times

From the Right

The right urges voters to support Trump.

The right urges voters to support Trump.

“Three things matter to me in this election: foreign policy, the economy and border security. Trump has shown he can handle all of these… Under the Biden-Harris economy, inflation spiked to a 40-year high of 9.1% only two years ago. Grocery prices, rent, mortgage rates and auto prices remain high. Many Americans are struggling to pay for necessities as a result… Inflation was manageable under Trump, and deregulating the energy industry would be a boon for everyone…

“Foreign policy is another crucial matter. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the United States has looked weak… In politics, perception is powerful, and Trump is more likely to be perceived as a stronger leader than Harris. He is nothing if not a dealmaker, and that is what America needs in this moment of world history… [And] If he does nothing else, Trump will secure the border for the well-being of U.S. citizens.”

Nicole Russell, USA Today

“It is the Democratic Party that stands against free speech… that opened America’s southern border until public outcry forced it closed; that supports decriminalization of drugs and ‘decarceration’ of violent criminals; that presides over one giveaway after another to its favored interest groups; and that is willing to risk the American economy over its fears of climate change – it has, with little notice, pushed through regulations that will make gasoline-powered vehicles all but unaffordable within a decade…

“What exactly does Kamala Harris stand for, if not more of the same? That’s not a rhetorical question. I truly don’t know. But she is happy to take the endorsement of Dick Cheney, the chickenhawk warmonger who for 50 years has stood for everything wrong with American elites and American politics… [Meanwhile Trump] is working harder to win votes than he ever has, in the face of an elite media that hates him more than ever…

For too long, our self-appointed betters – in the media, in public health, in academia – have told us they know best. They have told us that men can be women if they just click their heels three times, that the United States is an evil nation founded mostly to protect slavery, that there’s no such thing as an illegal immigrant. Most of all they have tried to shut down – to cancel, to censor – anyone who disagrees. They’ve gone too far.”

Alex Berenson, Fox News

“Simply put, I’m more worried about the country’s future than any problems I’ve had with Trump in the past. I’m worried about the impulse to restrict political speech, which some on the left (including Harris) have embraced. I’m worried about the left’s demonization of America’s origins and the future of Western civilization…

“I’m worried about the Democratic Party’s bait-and-switch tactics. First, it was: Trust us, Biden is a moderate and he’s totally with it. He turned out to be neither. And now, it’s: Trust us, Harris no longer holds all the crazy positions that she clearly and passionately campaigned for in 2019. Fool me once, as they say. Harris is clearly in over her head, as anyone can plainly see from her media engagements.”

Scott Jennings, Los Angeles Times