Kamala Harris: The Quest to retain Dignity and Compassion in the Presidency

Former President Donald Trump has dominated, consumed, and unleashed a virtually steady barrage of vitriol upon the American psyche for about nine years.

And recently he has literally stated that if elected President again he would use Federal Prosecutors to investigate his political enemies. He has called the perpetrators of violence on January 6 ‘ political prisoners’ and has vowed to pardon them if elected President.

His attacks upon America have been racist:just two examples in the past year involve a statement he made to an assembly of Black journalists that ‘Black Voters are drawn to him because of his criminal indictments and mug shots’; and there is the well publicized comment he also made to a congregation of Black journalists that immigrants are taking ‘Black jobs’. In 2018 the former President referred to African countries, Haiti and El Salvador as ‘shit hole’ nations, and asked why the U.S. can’t have more immigrants from Norway.

His comments have sought to divide Jewish people among themselves by questioning their loyalty to America if they vote Democratic. Just in the past week he has reiterated that ‘Jews that back Democrats are absolute fools that need their “heads examined”. Clearly, these comments are intended to gain the votes of Jewish people in critical battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, where there are approximately 300,000 registered Jewish voters in a state President Biden won by about 80,000 votes. This is rhetoric that is anti-Semitic at its core. There is no question that support for Israel and the agony of watching Israel struggle for its survival amidst enemies committed to its annihilation in the aftermath of October 7 burns the souls of most every Jewish person in America. And the horror of the murder of the six Israeli hostages in this past week, apparently executed at point blank range according to reports, is a continuation of the October 7 nightmare.

However, there are many issues that Jewish people consider every single day–domestic and foreign–just like all Americans do. And Israel–its existence and policies–is high on the list of serious concerns for many Jewish Americans. But the answers to solving the problems are not as simple as Jewish people voting for Donald Trump. And it is the height of anti-Semitism and political opportunism to use Israel to try and drive a wedge between Jewish people in America, questioning their loyalty to their religion and their country if they do not cast their vote for the former President.

Mr. Trumps anti-Semitism was on full display immediately after the Democratic National Convention last month when he referred to the speech by the Governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro as a terrible speech by the “overrated Jewish governor of Pennsylvania.” Clearly this was an attempt to lessen the influence of the Governor on the people of Pennsylvania–and undermine his preference for the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris.

The former President has a long history of misogyny. It was quite surprising that he would go on to win the Presidency after his infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he stated for the world to watch that he had the ability to ” grab women by the pussy” with impunity because he was famous.

The former President was convicted of sexual abuse against author E.Jean Carroll. The day after the trial he stated on CNN that Carroll was a ‘whack job’ whose winnings were a ‘rigged deal against him’. When he was running for the 2024 Republican nomination this past Spring he famously said of his political rival,Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Governor that the “birdbrain doesn’t have the talent or temperament to do the job”. And referring to Stormy Daniels, the porn star to whom illegally concealed hush money was paid that has recently resulted in Mr. Trumps conviction of 34 felonies he has said that ” I never liked horse face”.

The combination of misogyny and racism has converged in the former President’s statement regarding the laughter and racial self-identification of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. At a rally in Michigan recently the former President stated, ” You ever watch her laugh ? You can tell a lot by a laugh. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.” And with reference to Ms. Harris’ racial identification, Mr. Trump stated that ” I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black…So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black ?” Word to the former President: you did not create Vice President Kamala Harris’ color or ethnic origin. And it is not for you to decide the nature of her soul.

I had never though that Mr. Trump would ever survive politically after he attacked Arizona Senator John McCain as not being a hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese. This disrespect toward Veterans continued throughout his Presidency and to this present moment.

Mr. Trump’s former chief of staff, Marine Corps General John Kelly, confirmed on CNN last year that it was true that the former President had actually stated that, “soldiers wounded in combat or tortured as prisoners of war were suckers because there was nothing in it for them.”

And in the past week the U.S. Army criticized the conduct of Mr. Trump and members of his campaign team for clashing with an Arlington National Cemetery employee who had tried to stop them from having a photo opportunity in an area of the cemetery that was off limits to political events. The former President persisted and took the photograph.

Mr. Trump continues to lower the bar of political decency in the furtherance of his misogyny. This past week he re-posted on social media a crude sexual remark about Vice President Harris. It stated basically that she had traded sexual favors to help her political career.

In November America can reject forever the malevolent, disdainful, toxic, divisive and vitriolic politics of Donald Trump. Political disagreement, vehement arguments about the direction of the country, its foreign policy, economic policy, domestic programs, immigration issues are healthy aspects of a strong democracy. It is important for political parties that disagree about the direction of a country to have healthy debate, issuing strongly considered and well reasoned policy ideas. However, there is room for compassion and empathy in American leadership. And it is past time for the politics of hatred and divisiveness, whereby people are scapegoated and dehumanized, to come to and end.

Bruce Farrell Rosen