Ben Apatoff

Because America can’t afford to elect a president who encourages violence 

I’m voting for Kamala because she’s light-years better than Donald Trump on every single issue. If we want a chance of Roe being restored or Citizens United being overturned in our lifetime, Kamala Harris needs to win. If we’re going to continue and expand on the Biden administration’s unparalleled action to thwart climate destruction, or its historic pandemic-era economic recovery, Kamala Harris needs to win. If we’re going to make any progress at all on America’s gun violence epidemic or the opioid crisis, Kamala Harris needs to win. If the experiment of American democracy is to continue, Kamala Harris needs to win.

America can’t afford to elect a president who is subservient to genocidal dictators, encourages violence among citizens, and will spout any lie he can think of if he believes it will help him gain power and attention. I often think of Ian MacKaye’s quote, “At every election, my vote goes to the candidate less likely to declare war.” America gets the president it deserves, but the rest of the world does not get the American president it deserves. The people who are least affected by a Trump presidency often like to pretend the candidates are equally bad or that elections don’t matter. Most people don’t have that luxury.

I think Kamala Harris can be a great president. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and complain that the president isn’t progressive enough. I’m reminded of how someone like Franklin Roosevelt is lionized as a hero of progressive politics these days. During his administration, people complained that the New Deal was insufficient, unable to see what reforms like social security could do for Americans over the next several decades. Seeing Kamala Harris’s and Tim Walz’s energy and brilliance on the campaign trail has me feeling uncharacteristically optimistic about the future of America, and I’ll be honored to check their names on my ballot this November.


Ben Apatoff is the author of Metallica: The $24.95 Book and Body Count’s Body Count (33⅓).