Unfiltered Millennial

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore)

In elections as close as 2024 has portrayed itself to be. Political nerds like myself are always trying to find the right angle. This angle convinces just enough people in the right places and states. It can lead a candidate to an election win. 

In 2016, it was can we trust Hillary Clinton. In 2020, it was can we survive four more years of Donald Trump. Going back to 2008, the question was whether we embrace the radical idea of hope and change presented by Barack Obama.

So this year, I thought what is that determining factor in this 2024 election. Then I thought back to the three examples I highlighted above. Why were those three things so important? What makes them unique over all the different political stances and policy promises that each candidate running for office makes? It is because we are inherently desirous of seeing a person not policy proposals.

In 2008, after years of malaise over two wars in the middle east and then an economic collapse. It honestly didn’t matter what Obama was advocating for, it was how he was advocating for it. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a critique or downplaying of the importance of his policy proposals or Sen. McCain’s. Instead it was Barack Obama’s message of hope and change that drove Americans to the polls. Obama was a breath of fresh air to a country begging for something different.

In 2016, our country was in a much different place. We were watching a reality tv star and businessman who regularly declared bankruptcy running against a former first lady, former U.S. Senator from one of the largest states in the country and a world leader through her role as a Secretary of State. It wasn’t about a candidate’s qualifications. It wasn’t about what a President Clinton would enact versus a President Trump. Americans went to the polls believing that at the end of the day they couldn’t trust Secretary Clinton in the Oval Office.

In 2020, I think it was the same thing. It wasn’t about what President Biden would do if he were elected. Though his policy stances were important for all of us to understand. Instead, the country faced an unending pandemic. It dealt with an administration of chaos for four years. We decided that we couldn’t do it any longer. 

So what am I getting at here? In 2024, I really think and believe that Kamala Harris’ greatest strength aren’t her policies. It isn’t what she would do on day one. Instead, I think her greatest strength is her joy. The sheer joy she has in meeting Americans where they are and understanding what their plight is. That joy was amplified by social media. You couldn’t get away from a video of the Vice President meeting a little girl. Her genuine smile captured everyone’s attention.

Does this mean Vice President Harris will win? I don’t know. Former President Trump’s greatest strength isn’t his policies either. It is his fierce advocacy and his strong personality that have led many to support him. Either of these candidates could win based on these factors alone.

At day’s end for America again, we need to decide what we want in our next President. One more day. Most importantly, if there is still time, VOTE!