Today, in a group of friends on Zoom, one told us about her seatmate
on a recent flight who commented that she was undecided, that she did not know for whom
to vote. My friend said she found herself a bit tongue-tied and posed the
question to the rest of us: what would you have said? A good question: one all of
us should be prepared to answer over the next two months.
What’s your answer?
Some among us talked about safeguarding Democracy; others,
about comparing Trump’s and Harris’ characters and values. For me, I sought to
find common ground between Red and Blue, and then to argue for Blue priorities
and approaches that address today’s household realities. My comments might go
like this:
Trump is right when he says many
Americans feel our nation is not well, that we have been going in the wrong
direction. Take living costs: in April, the price of the standard USDA
statistical basket of groceries was over $86, up more than 25% in the last five
years. Yes, it’s fine that the rate of inflation is dropping, but prices have
gotten painfully high.
Household incomes of the first
three quintiles of the population, i.e., the poor, the lower-middle class, and
the middle-class, have not kept pace. That inflation is down and incomes have
begun to rise still leaves many families squeezed for kitchen-table costs. Car
insurance, auto repairs, costs of eating out -- all are up. Until prices drop and/or pay
increases sharply, many Americans will rightly feel less well-off than before.
COVID is still with us. We don’t
seem to be able to enforce peace on the world anymore. Illegal immigrants keep
coming, even though that too has slowed. And isn’t it wonderful that people all
over the world want to come here? We must be doing something right.
Trump exaggerates when he proclaims coming
depressions, but he’s right that many Americans feel insecure. But – But.
But all of Trumps proposed fixes
only make matters worse! And some of his ideas are total nonsense, such as
rounding up 10 million immigrants and transporting them out of the country. Who’s
going to find and hold them, and how? Who’s going to fly away 10 million passengers,
and to where? What countries are going to take these 10 million folks? And anyway,
if it could be done, who would install his gold-colored escalators and mow his
golf courses?
Seriously, take cost of living
and tariffs. Tariffs will increase the prices of kid’s back to school clothes
and shoes, your pants and shirts, your underwear – making the squeeze on all
but rich families even greater.
Take his tax cut proposals: they favor the upper two quintiles of the population, giving the upper-middle
class and upper class even more advantage over the rest of us. And not taxing
Social Security and tip income? That will drive the deficit up, make the dollar
weaker, increase our national debt, increase interest rates and make it harder
for small business to find the money to invest and grow –- and most of our job
creation comes from small businesses. Not taxing tips only adds to the deficit and leave the Social Security trust fund short. Harris and Trump are both wrong on tip taxation.
No, while Trump’s concerns about
America’s problems may be right, his answers are dead-wrong and help only
billionaires like himself.
Harris and Walz are on the right
track and have the right priorities: improve education, competition, child-care.
Give women freedom to choose to work by providing universal child-care. Extend child tax credits to strengthen families’ ability to raise healthy and confident
children. Underwrite signing bonuses to attract new, top-of-class teachers and promote improved public schools.
Welcome legal immigrants, make it easier to come here properly, and provide a
path to earned citizenship. Rein in banks using your savings to speculate – what used to be called Glass-Steagall – and restrict selling off your home
mortgage and car loans to investors at inflated, phony prices. And raise the National
minimum wage. Use anti-trust and consumer protection powers granted by Congress
to stop huge mergers and rein in big enterprises. Foster competition which
drives prices down. Increase inheritance taxes on the ultra-wealthy to slow
down passing on wealth to offspring who haven’t earned it.
And, overseas, stop
molly-coddling dictators and stand up for democracies, justice, and fairness.
Harris and Walz, in my opinion,
are the trustworthy choice and have the right priorities, values, and programs that address
our problems and opportunities.
Yes, too much; too long-winded, but you get the drift. Your
seatmate may not care about or understand risk to our democracy; he or she may find
Trump’s kick-ass personality and crudeness entertaining, a vicarious venting of their frustration. But everyone cares about their family’s or household’s
daily sense of well-being. That’s what I would focus on.
You may well have a very different answer; indeed, you may
favor Red over Blue proposals. But that’s not the point. The point is to have
an answer ready and to encourage the undecided to make up their mind and vote.
America needs concerned and thoughtful voters this fall as never before.
So,
what are you prepared to say to the undecided you encounter?