I thought that Jessica Bennett made a very good point in her August 31, 2024, column in The New York Times. Bennett's column was titled as follows: "Harris Is Breaking Barriers, but Isn't Talking About It."
If elected as our president in November, Harris will be the first woman to hold that office. She will be the first South Asian to hold that office. She will be the first Black woman to hold that office. In essence, Bennett (and Harris) are suggesting that these are not, actually, good reasons to decide either to vote for her or against her.
We should elect our presidents - and all of our political representatives - not because of their "identity," but because of their abilities, their personal character, their effectiveness, their past record, and because of what they say they will try to accomplish if elected.
We should not, in other words, be practicing "Identity Politics." Click this link for a Wikipedia definition.
In her CNN interview in August, when asked about criticisms and complaints from Donald Trump, that spotlighted Harris' ethnicity and gender, Harris responded by her now famous statement: "Same Old Tired Playbook - next question."
Bennett (and Harris) are making a very good point. "Identity" is out. "Character" and "Competence" are in!
By those tests (my view) Harris is clearly the better choice!
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