Recently, President Joseph Biden was a guest on "The View,” facing a panel of supportive professional women who afforded him opportunity to discuss his recent recusal from the current presidential campaign and his present and future plans.
The President, slower with age but clear in his statements, did not disappoint. Not as sharp with retorts as he has been, his most recent success was in delivering last year's State of the Union address to Congress, now regarded as his presidential swan song.
Age is a factor for all of us, some luckier than others, but Biden has certainly, over 50 years of public service, given more than his due to advance an optimistic and international alliance-oriented view of America. The current participants in a public battle for the White House are Vice President Kamala Harris and the perennial aspirant, former President Donald Trump.
Contrast between them in lifestyle, communication and approaches to government could hardly be more extreme, reflecting a divide among rural, suburban and urban cultures in the United States today.
Vice President Harris represents a woman of education and achievement common among second-generation immigrant children such as herself and former President Barack Obama. Given a chance in a free society, intelligent and ambitious men and women from cultures around the world have flocked to America for opportunities such as those afforded to Obama and Harris. Persistence in the face of prejudice and obstacles pays off, and the gifted among immigrant children who are not discouraged by still-extant racism can triumph, as have these two.
The question in this presidential contest is not - how qualified is Harris? - but - how acceptable is Trump, given his indelible public record of less than honorable conduct in business and personal life? This last depends upon several demographics, none of which are flattering to the millions of likely voters gearing up to select what will become the dominant ethos of executive government during the next four years in Washington.
Extremism is on full display, more so than usual since the reversal of the Supreme Court's ruling on the legality of abortion in the U.S.
As an Anglican priest, I believe life at its inception is both real and sacred, deserving of a chance to continue, grow and be nurtured. I'm glad to be here. If one does not accept this biological definition, such life is never fully human until it emerges at birth. Given the de facto right of each woman to choose whether she will carry a new fetus to viable term, two priorities emerge.
Women have a choice; a fetus does not, but is dependent for life on the will of the mother. Given that the new life feels pain if destroyed after a certain number of weeks, it is clearly inhumane to abort a baby which has now become sentient. I believe legislation will ultimately be required to resolve this, or the Court will seesaw between two contradictory rulings as it has done.
Voters' influence comes in our choice of legislators, and to a certain extent, of the presidency. Kamala Harris' campaign, outraged at denial of women having ANY choice, has clearly stated its case. Donald Trump's campaign has danced around an option of killing the new fetus only up to the point it may become aware of suffering, but not clearly stated so. There is more going on in this presidential race than this issue. Harris has consistently and clearly championed the rights of women and expectations of her presidency, AS SHE UNDERSTANDS IT NOW.
Trump, repeating past threats, amplifying fears, is trumpeting frequent non sequiturs and exaggerations which educated persons may easily see past.
He is close to Harris in polls, and the majority of his core backers, moneyed or otherwise, continue to support him.
The typical Trump enthusiast shares several characteristics: Older, white, religious, rural and less or uneducated. Except for the latter term, that describes myself, living on a country horse farm, religious - but educated in critical thinking at several good colleges, and unable to comprehend why more voters do not see what I do, past his effusive PR fog.
The typical Harris voter scans a demographic across the board: rural/urban/suburban, religious or politically active, multi-racial and understanding democracy as the founding form of government that created the United States. Harris supports that strongly; Trump does not.
There is also the matter of national defense and security, including positive alliances with other nations. Trump is not a fan; the Vice President is practiced in this. On balance I believe Harris is the best choice.
Linda Berry is a Northsider.
