Tick tock…
The 2024 election is getting close. Deadlines have been announced for mail-in ballots, registering to vote, and the early voting period. The long-awaited debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is mere days away. As we prepare for the election, more information is becoming clear. Politico has warned us not to trust the election forecasts, but we knew that. We always take polls with the proverbial grain of salt. The largest collection of poll participants to date is 4,000+. In a country of millions, that’s not even a drop in the proverbial bucket. The author of this piece, Justin Grimmer, is a political scientist. He is clear about how this works: “The truth is we don’t have nearly enough data to know whether these models are any good at making presidential prognostications.” At least he’s honest about it, but again, we knew we couldn’t rely on them. That’s why we must keep working for the outcome we desire.
The differences between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are stark. Harris entered the race, and the money started pouring in. Trump, meanwhile, was busy at Mar-a-Lago trying to bribe big oil executives into supporting his campaign with promises of what he would do for them. He also plans yet another corporate tax break. The Washington Post discussed Harris’s plans to roll out new economic policies before the debate next week. Those policies support small businesses and entrepreneurs. She and her advisors have also been discussing child-care or paid leave expansions and tax proposals of their own, which will likely benefit the middle class. Distribution of wealth is important in this country, and expecting CEOs to use tax cuts to help their workers won’t happen. Trickle down has not worked since its introduction in the 80s. Harris’s plans, however, tend to come from the heart and reveal what’s important to her. In fact, WaPo reported that Harris has raised so much money that she’s giving some of it away.
Harris’s campaign has raised more than $540 million since her campaign was launched. She is sending $25 million to other committees to benefit Democrat House and Senate campaigns. According to WaPo, this is the largest sum of money ever transferred during a presidential cycle. Yes, we need to focus on winning the presidency; however, it would certainly be helpful to ensure a Democratic Congress. That will help Harris implement her economic plans instead of fighting with a bunch of MAGA Republicans who prefer to fund the already wealthy. Some of these funds will also go to Democratic governors and attorneys general. Trump, alternatively, has promised to reduce the corporate rate from 21% to 15%, which he claims will help businesses grow, spend, and hire, which is nothing more than trickle down and has been proven not useful to the economy or the people who work for those companies. Harris plans to increase taxes for those earning more than $400,000 per year. While Trump’s plan is projected to add $5.8 trillion to the debt over 10 years, Harris’s plan will add $1.2 trillion over the same 10-year period. The choice between Trump and Harris cannot be clearer.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years