Hope in Political Imperfection
With the 2020 election drawing close in a scorched political landscape, Editor-at-Large Lauren Olmeda argues that Biden and Harris are our best bet for removing Trump from office and putting America on a new, redeemed path.
It has been a long time since I’ve felt anything resembling hope in American politics. We have had a few small electoral victories over the course of the Trump administration, our largest set of wins happening in the 2018 midterm election. But with the Democratic ticket now officially Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, I think it’s time we try to harness whatever hope we might have left and put it toward ensuring that they become our President and Vice-President.
Before I make my case for Biden/Harris – least of all being that the alternative is an actual narcissistic monster – I want to state that this isn’t my perfect ticket. But I had no hope for a perfect ticket. I don’t even know what that would look like at this point. Someone to lead us through this mess? I have no idea who I would want that to be, and I don’t think anyone else does either.
Like other self-proclaimed progressives, Joe Biden was last on my list of candidates for president. He’s old, he’s white, his record isn’t fantastic, he blunders, and he is creepy. Other than Elizabeth Warren, none of the candidates inspired in me a tidal wave of excitement for November. It was hard to feel anything other than dread, even at the best moments during the primary. The obstacle of unseating Trump just felt so huge, so great. That in itself seems impossible to believe given the way he has run the U.S. into the ground, but it’s true. His base remains a force to be reckoned with.
So when Biden emerged as the nominee, I was resigned. I wasn’t surprised – I don’t think anyone was. I had a hard time imagining Biden giving Trump the thrashing he deserves, but I also recognized that Biden represents a ‘safe’ kind of Democrat, a moderate one that the left unfortunately desperately still needs on its side in order to put Trump behind us. It isn’t good enough. Biden is not good enough, and we need to strive for better the next time around. But more importantly in this moment, we need to take back the highest seat at the table, whatever it takes.
I firmly believe that we can be simultaneously disappointed in Biden as our nominee and recognise that he is our best shot for removing Trump from office in November. We can be excited about a woman of colour as the vice presidential nominee and be disappointed in her criminal justice background and hold her to higher standards in the future. We can be excited about having a woman in the second-highest office in the nation and be annoyed at the way Biden diluted the importance of choosing a woman by announcing beforehand that he was going to choose a woman. All of these things can be true at the same time, and if we focus on one over the other, we risk losing sight of what matters most: winning in November.
Vote for Biden/Harris with gritted teeth if you have to. But remember that voting for them is a vote for Secretary of State. A vote for them is a vote for Supreme Court Justice nominations. For the US Postal Service. For children in cages. For victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Choosing not to vote or voting for a third party is absolutely not an option when the alternative is Donald Trump. If you’d sleep better at night doing that, then your privilege has protected you yet again. Do not hold back your vote because they are not perfect. Justice does not happen in a straight line. Progress does not happen overnight. If we refuse to take the chance we’ve been given, we will have no opportunity to turn things around next year.
Neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris are perfect. But there are no words to describe how important it is that they win in November. Another Trump term would be dangerous in ways we have yet to experience. There will be no re-election to worry about, no one to hold him accountable. We have a real chance to take back the presidency, install two Democratic candidates, hold them accountable in every single way, and continue in our fight for justice and change. We need to take that chance.
Lauren Olmeda holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations. She works in public affairs in Dublin, Ireland and is Editor-at-Large of the Attic on Eighth.
