Monday, November 4, 2024

Why I voted for Kamala Harris - and why that decision makes me feel dirty

A few weeks ago, I asked Scot Goes Pop readers for advice about my dilemma over whether to vote for Kamala Harris or Jill Stein.  I think you could see from the reactions that the 'right' and 'wrong' answers in this case are very much in the eye of the beholder, because some people thought it was incomprehensible that I could even consider voting for Harris while she is in the middle of facilitating a genocide, but there were other people who found it equally incomprehensible that I could even consider not voting for Harris given that she is the only person who can stop Donald Trump.

In the end I voted for Harris, and I did the deed weeks ago, so I've had plenty of time to mull it over, and it does make me feel dirty.  I'm pretty sure the me of fifteen years ago would have taken the opposite decision, and the me of fifteen years ago might well have been right.  If I'd heard Bill Clinton's astounding pro-genocide speech before rather than after I voted, that might possibly have changed my decision, I don't know.  But for what it's worth, my reasoning was as follows -

* I just couldn't see what a vote for Stein was actually going to achieve.  If she had a realistic chance of getting to 5% of the vote, that would have swayed me, because it would have unlocked federal funding for the Greens.  Even a realistic chance of getting to 3% would have interested me, because that might have started a serious conversation among Democrats about the policy changes required to win that substantial bloc of votes back.  But at 1% or less of the vote for Stein, even if that's enough to swing the election in Trump's favour, the Democrats will stay in their comfort zone and the only lesson they'll learn is that they need to lecture voters even more about not wasting their votes.

* It's quite true that the first-past-the-post voting system forces you to choose at times between a glorified abstention and casting what is effectively a fifth-preference vote to prevent your sixth preference from winning. In a sensible America with a preferential voting system, I wouldn't have felt remotely conflicted about giving Harris a fifth preference vote to make sure I ranked her above Trump, and arguably the principle of voting for her tactically under FPTP is much the same.

* Harris is only one of two people on the Democratic ticket, and I gather Tim Walz is regarded as having had a left-ish record as governor of Minnesota (although he's no better than Harris on the genocide issue).  So that at least sprinkles a little glitter on the Democratic option.

The bottom line is that I always knew I would regret my decision regardless of which way I jumped, because there was no good option available.  I'm certainly not going to be willing Harris to win tomorrow night, but at least it won't be on my conscience if she doesn't.

If it wasn't for the fact that Trump is certain to be irresponsible on climate change, and is not the sort of person you'd ever want to put in total control of the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal, there would be an argument that a Trump win might even be the least worst option, because it would undermine American leadership of the 'international community', which has been so utterly toxic for decades.  For example, why else are some European countries so slavishly loyal to the Netanyahu regime, no matter how many atrocities it commits?  It's because US politicians are bought and paid for by the Israel lobby, and many European governments think, say and do whatever the Americans tell them to think, say and do.  A Trump win could indirectly stop that destructive cycle, because European voters will no longer recognise the US government as representing moral leadership.

49 comments:

  1. Why am I not surprised. I refer to the fact that Israelis want Trump to be President again. To me that means you got your decision right.

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    1. Did Hamas make their endorsement? How about Iran?

      At least we the Donald is Putin's man. Quite the coalition behind the Republicans abroad.

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    2. 10.16pm. How about Lebanon? How about Iraq? How about posting something that makes sense?

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    3. Hamas, Iran, Lebanon, Iraq: all of them surely want Harris, as Trump is a bampot with the hots for Bibi. Pretty obvious.

      Putin's the interesting one. Unlike the Ayatollah and the rest, he thinks he can influence Trump. Last time round, he seemed to get what he wanted. This time, obviously, it's a good thick slice of Ukraine for starters.

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    4. IFS is speaking for the people of Israel now
      It's not only your mouth that's huge, now it's your head
      What a stupid idiot clown you are

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    5. Its my unfriendly troll again at 6.49pm. According to the troll I am a stupid idiot clown 😂😂😂😂. He must have been foaming at the mouth when he posted this. What a dimwit - only one word required. Try and pop a chill pill.
      It's not my opinion it's what surveys say - Israelis want Trump.

      Delete
  2. Which state are you registered in, James? Just want to know if it's a swing state (where you did the right thing) or beyond contention (in which case you could have written in whoever you liked).

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  3. You did the right thing. Stop feeling dirty and start feeling justly proud.

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    1. Well, proud is maybe a touch too far. I wouldn't feel proud for having voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, then or now for instance.

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  4. I feel like the US badly needs to move on from Trump and return to some sense of normality. US elections have turned into more of a reality drama rather than something serious.

    The most telling thing in this election was the Walz v Vance debate. There was no name calling, they were civil, respectfully disagreed and even at times agreed with one another. That debate was reminiscent of Presidential debates from pre-2016. What's the common dominator since 2016 that changed that?

    Imo the US needs to get back to where you can disagree politically but not see your opponent as the enemy. Since Trump entered politics the US hasn't been more divided. John McCain was quick to shutdown people who called Obama an Arab who wanted to destroy America, now we have Trump lighting the flames and giving power to that sort of hatred.

    Harris may not have the best policies but Trump simply cannot be allowed back into the White House.

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    1. Very well put. I agree entirely.

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    2. Vance surprised Walz by being nice to him. Everyone expected a Rottweiler, not a Corgi.

      But I remember you saying this before, and never answering my similar point then: what was so "normal" about Vance being unable, when asked, to criticise the mob who invaded Congress to murder the Vice President of the United States and overturn the government? Wasn't that a little unusual to you?

      Vance did call him the American Hitler not too long ago, too!

      The only way America's getting over Trump is when he dies. Fortunately for all of us, he hasn't picked his own successor. Indeed, every favourite of his sooner or later turns on him. Diddums.

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    3. Tbh Vance acted more like your typical right-wing Republican politician. Pivoting to redirect the conversation to a topic he's more comfortable discussing.

      He's just a political opportunist and being Trump's VP pick boosts his profile. But he acts more like a typical politician, where's Trump tries to act like a TV star.

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  5. I would like somebody to win without even standing for election. Like Harry Stiles.

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    1. I think there is a mechanism called 'write-in' whereby the name if a person not on the ballet paper can be written in and counted as valid. I'm not sure who Harry Stiles is and haven't heard his name mentioned as a possible contender.

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    2. Big Eater from PerthNovember 5, 2024 at 9:53 AM

      You rang?

      #NewScotlandParty2026

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    3. America has write-ins. (Many states do, anyway, not all of them.)

      We don't.

      Have you ever tried to spoil your ballot with some well worded protest? There's almost no space to squeeze it in. The result is that spoiled ballots all look like they came from diddies.

      Delete
  6. In the early 1930s the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) campaigned on a slogan 'After Hitler - us next'. Most of their leaders subsequently died in his concentration camps.
    Trump offers nothing but distilled brutality, greed and lies. There is no way on earth that a Trump presidency will be anything other than disastrous for the planet.
    Voting systems in the USA, UK and many other 'democracies' are deliberately crap to keep the monied elite beyond political accountability. All that can be done is to vote for (slightly) lesser evils.
    I won't sit up to watch the ghastly spectacle but a Harris win is the less bad outcome without a doubt.

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    1. What I've heard from American politics nerds is that they don't expect things to become clear till late in the night, which makes it the next morning in our time. So, sleep tight!

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  7. I don't think either candidate overly concerns or defines themselves with pre existing foreign struggles. They are neither to blame for them or can present a lasting, easy fix.

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    1. American voters, especially the ones in play between the parties, just don't give a toss about foreign affairs.

      It shows.

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  8. Voting for anyone in America is enabling the murdering of the children and mothers in Palestine. They are all the same. Then again you did vote for Sturgeon.

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    1. Which leaves absention? How does that help?

      I presume "vote for Sturgeon" is code for "vote for SNP under Sturgeon's leadership", because I certainly never voted for Sturgeon for any particular office. SNP members didn't have a chance to vote for or against her as leader in 2014 because she was the only candidate.

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    2. For all the horrors of American politics, I really do favour our independent Scotland having a directly elected* president for the very reason you spelled out, James. We the people should all have the opportunity to elect our leaders, every time.

      *National vote count, preferential ballots, essentially STV for a single winner across all of Scotland.

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    3. Anon@10:26,
      “I really do favour our independent Scotland……….."

      Hypothetical!
      There’ll never be an independent Scotland.
      All but the most gullible of fools can see that.

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    4. If you’re so sure about that, then why bother posting daily on this blog to claim it, KC?

      Delete
  9. This discussion is nuts. Trump is the GOP candidate. Vote for the Democrat to keep him out. Simple.

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    Replies
    1. But he’s so random and silly and drags America’s face through the shit, he’s such fun!

      Delete
  10. O/T but increasing number of critical
    posts are appearing on WOS. I did point out some time ago that WOS was struggling and it then experienced a revival on the back of the death of AS, but that was brief, and presumably he needs the posts to keep up his numbers. Ironically it may improve the standards btl.

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    1. I think he's motivated by his feelings more than some calculation based on pageviews. Admittedly, he does like to flaunt those every once in a while, but his long periods going dark between posts, and regular insistence that "nothing is going on in politics" aren't consistent with that idea.

      Delete
    2. What site are you reading? I don't see any critical comments on his latest post.

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    3. Anon at 3.28. A question you need to ask yourself. Go away and read btl on his recent posts, you lazy boy.

      Delete
  11. There's a yougov survey:

    How much attention are you paying, if any at all, to the US presidential election in 2024?

    A lot of attention 12%
    A fair amount of attention 35%
    Not much attention 37%
    No attention at all 17%

    Badly worded - I'd put myself in the middle but there's no option for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Red or black? Place bets now!

      And if lands on zero, then the House of Representatives always wins.

      Unless you're into gambling, there's really not much for us to do. Just suffer the consequences of whichever corrupt regime the Americans roll for us next.

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    2. Outwith my control. Comments to date have been meaningless. (Spare me the including your’s crap. It’s so boring). None of us with exception of James Kelly have any say in the U S election. Wait and see.

      Delete
  12. "In the end I voted for Harris, and I did the deed weeks ago, so I've had plenty of time to mull it over, and it does make me feel dirty. I'm pretty sure the me of fifteen years ago would have taken the opposite decision, and the me of fifteen years ago might well have been right." - some signs of political maturity from James, better late than never.

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  13. Re. "the only lesson they'll (i.e. the Dems) learn is that they need to lecture voters even more about not wasting their votes." - your tortured swithering a case in point why this lecturing is obviously so badly needed. Well done for getting there in the end, though ;-)

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  14. A possible positive re voting for Harris is that she refused to meet Netahanyu when he visited the USA.

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  15. I see Campbell has posted a pretty pathetic twitter attack on this article. It looks like the sort of tweet that is just posted because he wanted to attack James personally.

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  16. Poor auld Stu ! No one takes him seriously anymore ! He'd be better going back to reviewing computer games.

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  17. KC at 4.55pm getting a bit nippy because James keeps deleting his posts. Now I see why he supports the ethnic cleansing in Palestine. KC's solution is if you don't like being opppressed in your own land leave and let the oppressors have it. House Jocks like KC just love being oppressed. Subservient to the core. Their trousers drop instantly when they hear an English accent. Ain't that right KC.

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  18. The hapless IFS gets it wrong once again. Anon@4:55pm ain’t KC !

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  19. You have to laugh at these posters posting as anon playing hide and seek. Oh it isnae me. It's another anon. Oh no it's not it's me the real anon. Oh no it's not. Oh yes it is. What a bunch of 🤡🤡🤡🤡.

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  20. IFS. Stop humiliating yourself.

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  21. Troll at 6.36pm - that's only in your mind. Small as it is.

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  22. Chester J Eagleberger IIINovember 5, 2024 at 9:20 PM

    I voted for Chad Hogan

    ReplyDelete