In 2016, I voted for Hillary Clinton.
Historically, I'd been fairly conservative in my voting record, casting my first presidential vote for George W. Bush in 2004. In 2016, I was living in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband and kids, trying to keep my head above the crazy river of politics that swept through our community. All the other moms were voting for Hillary. Everyone I knew was voting for Hillary.
It was a big deal: The "First Female Presidential Candidate From A Major Political Party." A tiny voice in my head told me Hillary was evil and terrifying, but at the last minute I decided to check the "Clinton" box on the ballot.
Hey! She was a woman, and I was (and still am!) a woman. She was a mom and I was a mom. I believed having a president who shared my chromosomes was more important than having a president who shared my political values. It was an emotional choice; I felt like the best person suited to improve life for women had to be a woman. And as I cast my vote, that ridiculous logic overcame me and I checked the box for Hillary Clinton.
That evening, my husband and I went out to dinner. As we sat in the restaurant watching the election news, it became clear Trump was going to win. Instead of feeling disappointed, an immense wave of relief washed over me. I realized I'd made a huge mistake; the majority of the things Hillary Clinton stood for were antithetical to me and the lives of women.
I realized I'd let my need to feel good about who a candidate was outweigh the importance of voting for a candidate who would actually enact policy best aligned with my values.
In 2024, I once again face down another presidential election between Trump and a "Historic Female Candidate." This time, I'm committed to not making the same mistake twice. Kamala Harris will not improve the lives of women, she will not advocate for policies that help women, and she will not work to bring women and men together - but rather will pass as many laws as possible to divide women and slow our progression.
As women, we might feel like voting for Kamala Harris is what's best for women, but that's the opposite of reality.
Women tend to be more empathetic and focus more on the emotional reasoning behind decision making (speaking from years of personal experience and lots of proven data). Empathy can be a superpower; it enables women to lend relief and provide service in vital areas of society. But being driven by empathy without also accounting for logic can lead to terrible outcomes. Enabling bad behavior feels empathetic but it's terribly unwise.
For example, providing $25,000 to new home buyers feels good. Making it illegal for companies to raise prices feels like caring for the poor (without all the mess of actually having to help the poor). But these policies have been tried before ... and they have always been destructive for society (and women specifically).
Kamala Harris represents the very worst of this phenomena, often referred to as weaponized empathy. Weaponized empathy is a manipulation tactic used to gain sympathy for an ideology by targeting a person's emotional and empathetic nature.
Kamala's positions (when decipherable) point to a platform riddled with emotional manipulation, particularly targeted at women. This is seen prevalently in her opinions on the trans movement, abortion, entitlement programs, and immigration.
Instead of allowing men in women's spaces, we need to protect the privacy and safety of women.
Instead of providing abortion on demand, we need policies that empower women to be strong mothers and laws that support the nuclear family. Instead of funding more programs that create single mothers dependant on the government, we need policies aimed creating upward financial mobility.
Instead of flooding our cities with illegal immigrants, we need laws protecting safe neighborhoods and police officers and judges committed to effectively prosecuting dangerous criminals.
It's been eight years since I voted for Hillary Clinton. I've had a long time to think about the choice in that moment. There are still many uncertainties for me when it comes to politics but I know voting for a female candidate because she's a woman and I'm a women is, well, idiotic.
As a mother and an American citizen, I'm responsible to vote for the candidate with the best policies and the best experience to effectively execute those policies. Kamala Harris has bad policies that hurt Americans, hurt families, hurt opportunity, and trap people in poverty.
Kamala Harris is bad for women. It's as simple as that.
A NTB Take by R. Alicia Garfield
