The Wall Street Journal, with three weeks left until the most important presidential election in modern times. report Voters in America's battleground states “think Donald Trump is better able than Kamala Harris to address the issues they care about most: the economy and border security.”
But we should expect voters to recognize what really matters. Inflation and immigration can be solved. In fact, both are steps in the right direction. Far more important are the character, credibility, and stability of the people we choose for America's top jobs.
Congress has more say than the president on immigration. The Federal Reserve, which operates independently of the White House, has more influence over the economy. And neither issue is as serious as Mr. Trump would have voters believe.
The economy, which has struggled with its own version of the coronavirus over a long period of time, is doing well. inflation has reached its limit lowest level Since President Biden took office. The interest rate is come downwages are exceeded inflationstock market keep setting recordsThe current unemployment rate is around 4%. 6.4 percent When Biden became president. The monthly average unemployment rate is It will go down under Biden. More than any administration going back to Gerald Ford.
Biden used his limited immigration powers this summer to crack down on people entering the country illegally. The result was a dramatic reduction. Last month, the number of illegal immigrants who entered the United States in September reached the lowest point of Biden's term. His vice president, Kamala Harris, promised to sign Bipartisan immigration reform bill stalled in Congress after Trump took office ordered the Republicans To kill it.
As important as they are, these problems will go away. But candidates for high office either have integrity and high moral standards, or they don't. We must trust our president to be truthful, follow the laws of the land, and uphold his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. We need a mentally astute and emotionally stable president who will put the well-being of the nation above personal and political interests. We need a president who will protect and preserve democracy.
Over the past decade, President Trump has repeatedly proven that: he doesn't have those qualities.
The danger is that voters become preoccupied with short-term concerns at the expense of the long-term, or focus on superficial issues over far more important matters. last week, Gallup reported Voters find Harris more likable, moral, trustworthy and caring, but they see Trump as a strong leader who gets things done.
Impudence, bravado, ridicule, and brutality are not strengths. They reveal a fragile ego. The value of “getting things done” depends on what the person wants to do. Mr. Trump, who has little or no grasp of policy, wants to use his presidency to: punish his enemiesabandon democracy, sabotage its institutions, and assume unchecked power.
Analysts have found a large gender gap in this election. brookings report Most male voters support Trump in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona. However, there are still more female voters than male voters in the United States, so there is still a chance that Harris will win the Electoral College. Traditionally, women vote at a higher rate than men..
“Here’s the conclusion.” According to Brookings analyst Elaine Kamarck. “Even if the gender gap in presidential approval ratings remains the same, it would be good for Trump if male turnout increases dramatically compared to 2020, while female turnout remains the same as in 2020. If it stays that way, it could be a good year for Harris. If it increases, it could be a very good year for her.”
But the deeper question is why the gender gap exists in the first place. The presidential glass ceiling is an obvious explanation. But another factor is how men define strength.
Men should be allowed to be confused about the meaning of masculinity. It began with a course correction for the women's liberation movement. Tony Campolo, a pastor and advisor to former President Clinton, said: said“When a man feels threatened by a woman in a leadership role, he has a major problem with his own concept of masculinity.”
used by psychologists various adjectives For Trump. He is “bold, impulsive, violent, and divisive” and also “eccentric, brash, and belligerent.” He associates the image of the strong with selfishness, aggression, and manipulation. Shortly after Trump entered national politics, 60,000 mental health professionals He signed a petition warning it was potentially dangerous. Various mental health experts have described President Trump's personality as typical of a narcissistic, sociopathic, and delusional disorder.
These are not characteristics of great masculinity. These are not qualities voters should want in their elected leaders, whether male or female.
If a team of doctors were asked to diagnose what's wrong with American politics today, they'd probably pinpoint an overdose of testosterone. They would prescribe less Mars and more Venus, and in the words of director Ken Burns: Increase Pluribus and decrease Unum.
We need to serve our people instead of governing them, tell the truth instead of lies, protect our freedoms instead of destroying them, learn from our critics instead of jail them, trust them, and trust them. He is a president I respect.
There are only three weeks left until the big announcement. We will soon find out who will become president. More importantly, we need to know who we are as a nation.
William S. Becker is executive director of the President's Climate Action Project and a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Energy.
