My 19-year-old daughter, a committed radical, is certainly no fan of Donald Trump. However, in this, her first presidential election, she’s not particularly fond of Kamala Harris, whom she thinks of as a cop. She seems to think RFK Jr. is a clown, so I’m not really worried about her voting for him, but I am worried about her not voting at all or voting for, like, “Karl Marx” or “Skibidi Toilet.” She’s a fiercely independent young woman who respects us, her parents, broadly but definitely thinks we’re bourgeois liberals on political issues. Should I press her on this issue and forcefully make the case for Kamala? Or should I ease off for fear of pushing her too hard (or, IDK, corrupting the democratic process or whatever)?
—Communist Daughter
Dear Communist Daughter,
Your daughter’s first election as an eligible voter! That’s a milestone. And she already has intense political convictions and strong opinions? You’re off to a good start. I’ll answer this thoughtful question in two ways: first, assuming she doesn’t live in a swing state, then with a caveat if she happens to be a swing-state voter.
But first, consider that your daughter might have a point, even if it’s one you disagree with. Without getting too deep into specifics, it is very possible for your daughter to have real and substantive objections to Kamala Harris’ candidacy. Despite the Democratic Party’s attempt to buff out some of the stains on her record as a prosecutor, there is plenty from her time in law enforcement to be troubled by, for fire-breathing radicals and good-government liberals alike. Her reputation as a “cop” is not for nothing; for example, her role in maintaining California’s horrifically overcrowded prisons even after the Supreme Court called the situation a constitutional violation—you can read more about that here—was not a proud one.
