(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



The Economist's unique endorsement of Harris [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-10-31  

The Economist was founded in 1843 with the stated goal of supporting economic prosperity through free trade. When the magazine makes an endorsement, they tend to do so with a perspective that is a little different from the average voter. I wanted to share a few elements of their perspective with you, which might be behind a paywall.

A second Trump term comes with unacceptable risks

In particular, The Economist goes after the voter who may be thinking that the US got through one Trump presidency and survived. So why couldn't the US survive a second term? The Economist argues in terms of risks:

The answer is that today the risks are larger. And that is because Mr Trump’s policies are worse, the world is more perilous and many of the sober, responsible people who reined in his worst instincts during his first term have been replaced by true believers, toadies and chancers.

I love the way The Economist can mention a couple examples to give us a vivid reminder of how crazy Trump is. On the international front:

The president who mused about firing missiles at drug labs in Mexico was held back by the people and institutions around him. Since then the Republican Party has organised itself around fealty to Mr Trump.

On the domestic front:

Good presidents unite the country. Mr Trump’s political genius is for turning people against each other. After the death of George Floyd, he suggested the army shoot protesters in the leg. America’s prosperity depends on the idea that people are treated fairly, regardless of their politics...

Of course, given its business focus, The Economist cares that Trump’s economic “policies would be inflationary, potentially setting up a conflict with the Federal Reserve. They would risk igniting a trade war that would ultimately impoverish America.”

On a broader level, the greater fear is for world peace and freedom:

Even worse is his contempt for alliances. Although these are America’s greatest geopolitical strength, Mr Trump sees them as scams that let weak countries scrounge off its military power. Bluster and threats may see Mr Trump through, but they could equally destroy NATO. China will be watching as it weighs up how aggressive to be against Taiwan.

We all have different reasons for supporting Harris, and I doubt if many of us would summarize them in the way this editorial does. But I love hearing different perspectives, and this one could appeal to some undecided voters.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/31/2281298/-The-Economist-s-unique-endorsement-of-Harris?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/