Kamala Harris – The College Democrats

In the words of President Joe Biden, “America is at an inflection point.”

For many students, this is the first presidential election in which we are able to vote. When casting your ballot on Nov. 5, 2024 it is important to consider not only what each president will do over the next four years, but also the legacy they will leave long after they are out of office.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the only candidate who is focused on the future of the United States. She has more than a “concept of a plan” for this country. As she has stated numerous times, “We are not going back.”

Former President Donald Trump’s plan for the American people does not prioritize anyone outside the top 1%. The Senate Joint Economic Community shows jobs have increased by 16 million under the Biden-Harris administration. Under Trump, jobs fell by 2.7 million. The tariffs that he intends to extend if elected are currently driving the economy into a recession. While Trump claims that the economy boomed under his presidency, this is simply not the case. The economy under Trump was the trailing effects of the Obama era economy.

Harris has a plan that can pull us out of the downward spiral that Trump’s first term left us in. Her economic goals include building up the middle class by giving tax breaks to first time homeowners and those starting small businesses, as well as protecting Social Security benefits. Harris is calling for the first ever federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries. Trump asserts that he is the best candidate for the middle class, but it is Harris who will pick up the pieces of the mess he created during his first term.

Harris also wants to make healthcare accessible to the entire American populace. As vice president, she worked to control the price of prescription drugs including insulin. As president, Harris hopes to reinstate the protections of Roe v. Wade. The moral debate of when life begins will likely never be settled, but we should all agree to trust women with their bodily autonomy.

When Trump tells you the kind of president that he will be … listen. He claims to believe in exceptions to abortion bans like the life of the mother, rape and incest, but his main talking point demonizes late-term abortions. He made damaging and false claims that abortions can legally occur “after birth.”

Trump would like you to think that all abortions are done with a viable embryo and because the mother finds it convenient. The reality of this is very different: Less than 1% of abortions in America occur after 21 weeks, and the vast majority of these are done to protect the life of the mother. Look at the unnecessary death of Amber Thurman in Georgia. Her 6-year-old son is missing his mother because physicians were afraid of the legal repercussions they would face for taking her into surgery before she was in critical condition.

Trump and his supporters have created a false narrative that they care about the children of our country. The “pro-life” label should include a footnote that they are pro-life until birth. The precursor to any legislation that will cause a population boom must make housing more affordable, protect access to medical care for mothers that suffer miscarriages and create a foster care system that protects children. Trump has no plan to make any of these changes a reality before destroying reproductive freedom in America.

Harris has a plan to provide a tax credit for families, making childcare more affordable. She will also protect IVF treatments, Medicare and Medicaid services and will not criminalize parents who go through a miscarriage — an already devastating event for parents.

Trump has bragged about how he managed to stack the Supreme Court to overturn Roe. If he is reelected, he will have the opportunity to continue his mission for unchecked political influence if Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito retire during his term. If this occurs, Trump will have appointed 5 out of 9 Supreme Court Justices. The Supreme Court of the United States will have a Trump majority. No president should have that impact on an institution that is designed to be unbiased. These justices would have unchecked power to attack the rights of other minority groups, like the Dobbs decision that led to the legalization of same-sex marriages.

If policy differences aren’t enough to convince you that Harris should earn your vote, consider the moral differences between the names on the ballot. Harris often says that she has only ever worked for one client: “The People.” As attorney general, she has fought against drug lords, corrupt businessmen, rapists, predatory for-profit universities and even more noble causes to protect Californians.

Trump, on the other hand, falls into many of these categories himself as a man found liable of sexual harassment, fraud, election subversion, racial discrimination and deceptive practices with his real estate seminar scam, Trump University. He is a felonious failed businessman who claims to be a man of God, hawking out his Trump branded Bibles like a false prophet.

Harris has always stood for all people — not one race, class or gender. She has the support of people on both sides of the aisle, including former members of Trump’s administration. Harris will fight for you whether or not she receives your vote, while Trump said that he would prosecute those who fought against him.

Stand with the candidate who will represent the entire population of the country. Harris is that candidate. Harris is that patriot. Harris is “For the People.”

Will Blumel and Emily Theroux
President and Social Media Manager of the College Democrats at Duquesne University

Donald Trump – The College Republicans

The greatest scandal of our election is the misrepresentation of Donald Trump by the media.

This man is not a radical dictator. In fact, he hosted same-sex weddings at his house and aided in desegregating nightclubs in West Palm Beach, Florida through his business ventures. I encourage everyone to explore old tapes and videos of Trump. You will see many celebrities who adored him. Even Oprah was considering being his running mate during his 2000 campaign, telling him in a private letter that it was “too bad we’re not running as a team.”

I am hopeful that many people are beginning to find this out for themselves. They distrust what traditional media tells them and want to do their own research. Scott Pressler, who is working to register voters in Pennsylvania, is a shining example of a gay conservative, and I am so proud of the love our party has shown him. I am glad that he broke away from the traditional narrative being told about Trump.

President Joe Biden has stated repeatedly that Vice President Kamala Harris has had a hand in all of his policy and decision-making, Biden said of Harris, “She was a major player in everything we’ve done.” Don’t continue the status quo if you think the country is on the wrong track. I have heard concerns over Trump’s age. There was outrage over claims made against Biden’s old age and obvious mental decline, yet I hear no criticism toward Harris, who has repeatedly stated that his health was fine. She cannot seriously expect voters to be so stupid as to believe she had no idea about his clear deterioration and allow the nation to be in such a dangerous, jeopardizing position.

Republicans are the party of peace. No new wars began under Trump. Must I say more? The Republican Party has taken a turn from foreign interventionism and instead relies on the successful strategy of peace through strength.

Young men fear being drafted into WWIII. Trump is a man who has held family members of the deceased in his arms and spent hours learning about them and comforting them. I see a man who wants no more deaths, and one who was, and still is, savvy enough to maintain peace without bloodshed.

Many of us come from military families or have loved ones who serve. No one should have to grieve the loss of a tragically avoidable death.

Afghanistan was a tragedy that has been swept under the rug. I expected to see feminists rally to help because since we left, women’s rights have been violated. Reforms are being brutally enacted that are dangerous, deranged and disgusting. Women are no longer allowed to finish school. They are not allowed to speak or sing in public. If they show even small amounts of skin they will be attacked. And they are forced to have a male chaperone wherever they go and women cannot be seen by male doctors.

Whenever we hear about women’s rights our minds are trained to go to abortion. This issue divides even the Republican Party. Trump stated that he would not enact a national ban, and his wife is very pro-choice. I am pro-life because I seek to help women choose life by providing them with resources, support and information to do so.

I am saddened by the way that the racist and misogynistic abortion industry has frightened women and made them feel alone. I have spoken personally with many women who were manipulated into making a choice they didn’t want to make. Some still sob with grief each time they retell the traumatic story. I am also pro-life because I believe in the value of every person, and I think it is extremely dangerous to devalue life.

Inhumane foreign business ventures, especially in African and Asian countries, have become especially cruel and environmentally unsafe. This is why we must make products affordable for businesses to create and innovate here in the U.S. This will also benefit the consumer by ensuring quality and aiding in lessening climate change.

Another at-home humanitarian crisis is happening at our southern border. The Biden-Harris administration has lost record amounts of children and allows the continued abuse and assault of women and young girls. Harris says she wants a secure border, but as “border czar” she failed to act on her delegated presidential powers over the matter.

Free speech has become a core value of the Republican Party. Free speech, including speech that is unpleasant or offensive, is often painted as ‘violence,’ however, this definition consisting merely of mean words belittles real violence. Free speech does not include violence or hate crime; I have friends and colleagues who have been victims of vicious antisemitism, not mean words but street-side violence that left blood streaking down their faces and bodies.

Lastly, I would like to address economics. I have had students tell me that the economy is their biggest concern. If the economy takes much more of a downturn, they won’t be able to afford college anymore. Normal people have felt the weight of the economic downturn since the Biden-Harris administration. Harris’s solutions sound attractive in vague generalizations, but if you dig into her plans, you will see how disastrous they are. They are not designed to aid the middle class but push people into poverty and dependence on the government.

We all deserve a nation that is prosperous and a world that is safe. We can achieve these goals not by being soft, but by being strong. Vote for Trump!

Ava Hickman
President of the College Republicans at Duquesne University