Refusing to Vote for Kamala Harris over Gaza is Idiotic and Selfish
Memes make everything better, don’t they?
Before I get to the meat of this post, I want to get something out of the way. I do not support the actions of the Israeli government, even if my own government does. I think Benjamin Netanyahu belongs in a war crimes prison, and I support the freedom of the Palestinian people. The US needs to stop selling weapons to Israel so that they can no longer be complicit in this genocide. This is one reason why I have already voted for Kamala Harris.
It is no secret that Donald Trump is incredibly pro-Israel. There’s literally a place in the West Bank called Trump Heights, and there’s a reason for that. The fact that he pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018 was a major contributor to Iran’s proxy Hamas carrying out its October 7 attack against Israeli civilians and creating the casus belli for Israel to invade Gaza and later Lebanon. Trump has literally called for Gaza to be turned into beachfront property. As little as Kamala Harris may care about the Palestinian people, Trump cares even less. Harris could in theory be persuaded to end US support for this genocide; Trump could not be. I’ll admit that if she were smarter, Harris would have disavowed Israel at the very beginning of her campaign. Even on this issue, however, there is a clear difference between the two candidates. If you support Palestine, you should vote for Kamala Harris.
However, the Israel-Palestine issue is not the only one in this election. Even if both major candidates were the same on this issue (which again, they aren’t), other issues matter as well. Consider the fact that if Donald Trump were to win this election, he would pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once more. Admittedly, these accords are largely symbolic, but what isn’t symbolic is the fact that Trump’s Project 2025 will dismantle the EPA and officially pit the United States against the environment. To some extent, this already happened in his first term, but we’re still seeing the damaging effects of that. Additionally, when he doesn’t have to worry about running for reelection, he’ll have a much wider latitude to do whatever the hell he wants - which, again, is kind of the point of Project 2025. Other countries might step up their climate targets to plan around that, but I doubt it would be enough.
Gravestone of Amber Nicole Thurman, victim of Georgia’s abortion ban, taken from The Guardian. Say her name.
Consider social issues as well. Trump’s Supreme Court has already stripped women of an essential right - the right of bodily autonomy. It cost Amber Nicole Thurman her life, and no doubt thousands of other women whose families aren’t comfortable sharing their stories to the nation. Donald Trump did that, and you don’t even have to take my word for it - Trump himself brags openly about killing Roe v. Wade. If Trump becomes President again, he is likely to pass a national abortion ban, which would remove “going to another state” as an option for women who want or need to terminate a pregnancy. Pregnancy-related deaths would skyrocket in that scenario, which is a result I consider unacceptable.
Moreover, consider the rights of LGBTQ+ people, particularly the T. Republican politicians like Donald Trump have flat-out called for genocide against trans people - Trump himself has promised to “end this madness”, a very ominous line in this context. I’ve noticed that many people who say they’re not voting for Harris over Gaza have “trans rights are human rights” in their bio on BlueSky. But if you really believe that, I find it hard to fathom how you can possibly take any action that makes Donald Trump more likely to return to power. If you do not vote for Harris to prevent Trump from winning, and Trump does in fact win, I don’t want to see you showing up at any pro-LGBTQ+ protests. Quite frankly, the day to save these rights was November 5, 2024, and you didn’t show up when we actually needed you.
There are many other issues in this election in which Kamala Harris is unquestionably better than Donald Trump. If you choose not to vote for Harris, you make it more likely Trump wins, particularly if you live in a swing state such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Wisconsin. Voting for Jill Stein, or not voting at all, makes you complicit in allowing Trump to return to power. If you’re truly okay with making Trump’s reelection more likely, there’s only so much I can do to stop you. But if you aren’t, I believe you have a moral obligation to vote for Kamala Harris. She might have dogshit political instincts, but she’s still the only choice if you care about the environment, abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, or the rule of law.
