Coming out of the coconut closet

why I am endorsing Kamala Harris for President

I was an early leader in the Trump movement and have been a Republican all my life. In 2016, I saw Trump as a figure who could restore American sovereignty, refocus the GOP on the middle class, and push back against woke-ism as a social moderate. But today, unburdened by what has been, I am endorsing Kamala Harris for President. A lot has happened in the intervening years, with many lessons learned. The upshot is that this is a lesser-of-two-evils decision. My endorsement is demure rather than Brat, as Gen Zers might say.

The main reason I’m endorsing Harris is because Trump is fundamentally unfit. As those who’ve followed my writing know, I made a clean break from Trump after January 6th when I concluded he had attempted a coup. That realization felt like pulling off the blinders and wincing in the light. I looked at MAGA with new eyes and didn’t like what I saw — the buffoonery, narcissism, corruption, and toxic behavior. This was personally humbling because I had staked so much of my time, reputation, and identity on it. I felt like a fool. But for me, Trump’s electoral misconduct was a hard red line, and I vowed to never support him again.

On top of that issue, Trump is old (78), buffoonish, corrupt, and far more co-opted by foreign forces than people realize. He is cringe as hell and has turned the GOP into a family grift operation, with Lara Trump now heading the RNC, Javanka cashing in with $2 billion in Saudi money, a meme stock, and NFT cards. Plus, he still faces four serious criminal cases. Yes, character actually matters.

source: The Nation

Over the last few years, I’ve embraced political independence, which has been freeing and also lonely. I like being able to call balls and strikes as I see them. Being a parent has shifted my perspective too, as has working through the grief and anger that fueled much of my journey. Despite rightwing bonafides that would impress any conservabro, I now view myself as fundamentally centrist.

When Biden dropped out, my initial plan was to sit out this election. Harris came across to me as a cackling, not-too-bright, affirmative action VP with fun-lady vibes and socialist leanings. I wanted her in my book club, not the White House. But after studying her more seriously, I recognize now that I misjudged her. Harris is more likable and formidable than I had thought. I understand that the entire media and Democratic machine have propped her up with all their might, but her campaign’s level of execution and energy has been awe-inspiring. I like that Democrats are reclaiming boobs, white men, borders, and meme energy, even if these things are symbolic.

To be clear, I am not deluded about Kamala Harris’s leftism. Those still on the Trump Train will argue that, despite all of Trump’s follies, Harris-Walz poses a greater threat to the country when you factor in the consequences of policy issues like the border, economics, geopolitics, and other issues. My friend

Richard Hanania

provides the “steelman case” of this view in a recent post. Richard believes Trump’s policies will promote greater economic freedom than Harris’s and that the net effects of these policies outweigh all of Trump’s flaws. He says this even while acknowledging Trump tried to steal the election. He writes:

It sounds funny to say ‘Trump should be jailed for attempting a coup but since he hasn’t been he should be elected president since he’s the more pro-market candidate,’ but this is pretty much where I am at.

This view is a head-scratcher. My question back would be: If stealing an election isn’t a red line for you, what is? I don’t mean to be righteous about it; I just see it as an automatic disqualification and as a macro threat that should be taken seriously. Richard would likely push back by showing data on the net damage caused by electing Harris due to her economic policies. He might even flip the script, arguing as one of his commenters does that, “Making the country poorer in perpetuity by reflexively opposing markets is the red line.”

Hating Modern Conservatism While Voting Republican

But Trump literally just proposed a dumb 10% tariff on all imported goods. Meanwhile, Harris is supported by many hard-core capitalists on Wall Street, tech, and big corporations. Yes, Trump and Harris have differences in economic policy, and Harris has said dumb things, but their differences are not as stark as Richard portrays. I understand the concerns over policy issues, including immigration, but they are not enough to offset a coup attempt and the risks of Trump chaos, corruption and narcissism in my view. The GOP had every opportunity to nominate someone more fit and didn’t.

I respect that Richard and others of a similar mind weigh risks differently than I do. We are still friends and agree on most policy issues. But I think their mindset is penny-wise and pound foolish. Factor in nuclear codes and geopolitical issues, and Trump is obviously a greater threat to the country than Harris, and it’s not even a difficult call.

To put a finer point on this, Richard makes a mistake when he characterizes this election as a choice between democracy and capitalism. This is a destructive, false binary. I don’t see America dropping capitalism any time soon, whereas the threat to democracy posed by Trump is concrete and visible. Once you talk about trading democracy for capitalism in the context of an election, you have already given up on America. I don’t think that is wise.

We can debate geopolitics and other policy issues all we want. But at the end of the day, I agree with the assessment of conservative Judge Luttig, who recently endorsed Harris, writing:

Regrettably, in the presidential election of 2024 there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.

It feels cliche to land in this MSNBC-esque place of “defending democracy,” but it is where my logic and conscience take me. As a consequence, I am taking the coconut pill and voting for Harris, demurely yet joyfully. I encourage others to do the same.

Special thanks to

CansaFis Foote

for draft feedback.

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