Why I support Sen. Harris for president by Brian Benjamin - July 13, 2019

[bluewater]

I’m backing Kamala Harris because she knows that real, meaningful criminal justice reform must be on the agenda for our next president. Right now, our justice system — with its private prisons, cash bail system, and failure to restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions — does not align with our American values. These are the issues I have dedicated my career in public service to addressing, and I know that Kamala deeply understands them and has tackled them head-on in her career and in this campaign, which is why I am excited to support her for president.

Many of us in the Democratic Party underestimated the current United States President for far too long. The same level of disbelief we had when Trump won the Republican nomination and then the general election in 2016 continues to drive our thinking today.

We think all we have to do is to nominate someone with a pulse because America won’t re-elect Donald Trump. This way of thinking is a mistake. Now more than ever, we should support the candidate whom we believe has the best chance of beating Donald Trump. In my opinion, that candidate is Senator Kamala Harris.

First, I think we need someone who can take the fight to Trump on the debate stage. Hundreds of millions of Americans will be watching the general election debates and they will have an outsized influence on voters’ perspectives.
Her years as a District Attorney and as an Attorney General have taught her how to make her case and she is masterful at it. Watching her in the Senate Judiciary hearings questioning Justice Brett Kavanaugh and then recently watching her on the debate stage during the Democratic Primary debate it is clear she excels in this forum and can deliver the punishing blows in these settings to shift the narrative. We need someone who can forcefully and efficiently make the case against Trump in a way that excites the base and at the same time does not alienate swing voters.

Second, by any calculation, her candidacy is historic. If elected, she would become the first woman and the first woman-of-color to become the President of the United States. Frankly, it is long past time for a woman to occupy the White House. This country has already shown us that it will vote for a woman as was shown in 2016 with Hillary Clinton’s popular vote tally.

https://thegrio.com/2019/07/13/opinion-why-i-support-kamala-harris-for-president/

[Andy823]

1. K&R nt