A Beacon of Hope: Kamala Harris, Our Champion of Freedom

German philosopher Georg Hegel famously said: “We learn from history that we do not learn from history.” It’s time to change that. We’ve seen what a Trump administration looks like, and that’s why over 100 people who served with him are now urging voters to support Kamala Harris. In these tumultuous times, when the very fabric of our democracy is frayed at the edges, we find ourselves yearning for a leader who not only understands our fears but also kindles our hopes. That leader is Kamala Harris.

Picture, if you will, a mother cradling her newborn, her heart swelling with love. In Harris's America, this mother can rest assured that her choices about her body and her family's future remain hers alone. But in the America envisioned by her opponent, this same mother will face the agonizing reality of being forced to carry a pregnancy against her will, her autonomy stripped away by strangers who presume to know better.

Envision a curious child, eyes wide with wonder, reaching for a book that might open new worlds. In Harris's America, that child's thirst for knowledge is encouraged and protected. Her opponents would have us live in a world where some ideas are too dangerous to be read, where ignorance is preferable to understanding. One only needs to look up the road at the recent book bans in Rutherford County to see an example of this type of dystopian world. 

Think of the young couple, hands intertwined, hearts brimming with love, dreaming of a future together. In Harris's America, they can marry freely, their love celebrated and protected, regardless of gender. Her opponent would drag us back to darker days, where love is policed and some families are deemed less worthy of freedom than others.

And finally, picture yourself, dear reader, standing in the voting booth. This is where our power lies, where our voices become action. Harris will fight tirelessly to protect this most fundamental freedom, ensuring that all eligible voters can make their voices heard. Her opponent, by contrast, is determined to silence those voices that disagree with him; he has vowed to be a dictator on day one; he has said that “you only need to vote for me once, just this time, next time I'll fix it so we win”; he lied to people and lead an insurrection on our capitol building.

The choice before us is stark. We can embrace a future where our freedoms are cherished and expanded, where hope outshines fear, and where every American has the opportunity to thrive. Or we can allow ourselves to be dragged backwards, watching helplessly as our rights are eroded, one by one. We will not go back! 

Kamala Harris offers us not just a candidacy, but a cause. She offers not just policies, but a promise–a promise that our children will inherit a nation where freedom isn't just a word, but a lived reality for all. Let's choose freedom. Let's choose hope. Let's choose Kamala Harris.

Mike Stein

Chair, Coffee County Democratic Party