I know I’m not alone in feeling pretty horrified and despondent about the two major presidential candidates, neither of which will use the considerable power of the executive office to address the many crises we face.

Neither candidate cares about Palestinians, but one wants us to believe she does. Except, the longer she goes without stating the obvious–that the U.S. must enact an arms embargo–her concern is revealed to be nothing more than a veneer of compassion.

One candidate is a climate denier. The other says the right words about the climate crisis, yet vows to lead the world’s “most lethal military” (the U.S. military emits more carbon dioxide than entire countries) and fully supports funding and facilitating a nonstop bombing campaign. Sorry, but that seems an awful lot like climate denialism.

Neither candidate is talking about Medicare for All while we face down year five of a global pandemic. Both candidates are trying to out-hate the desperate people showing up at U.S. borders. They both want more cops and more criminalization of people trying to survive in this capitalist hellscape. No matter which one takes office, the brutalization will continue.

To be clear, I loathe that horrible little greed-head. I detest his othering of vulnerable people and his naked desires to further enrich himself and his already-rich fascist friends. But couldn’t we have a candidate who offers more than the fact that she’s not him? Couldn’t we have bold and aggressive policies that will meet people’s material needs (and allow humanity to survive) rather than a Democratic candidate who cares more about peeling off a few Republican votes? (Challenge: name one Republican presidential convention in which Democrats took the stage).

Anyway, those are some of the thoughts bouncing around my head as Zippy and I walk through our neighborhood with its many political signs.

We love this homemade sign aimed directly at the two houses across the street with Tr*mp signs in their yards. 

While I feel visceral disgust for those with Tr*mp signs, I don’t feel a whole lot better about those with Harris signs (except for the above). I get it, the duopoly has put us in a horrible position. But Harris signs bring another kind of despair, forcing an acknowledgment that this country has normalized mass death, disability, and suffering. We’ve never reckoned with the million-plus people who died and the millions of others disabled due to Covid (Biden did so much damage in his four years) and way too many voters are completely happy to overlook the slaughter of Palestinians (fully sponsored by the Democrats). Yet we’re supposed to believe these same voters will “push Harris left” if she’s elected? (They said the same about Biden and I wonder, for example, how many of those who were rightfully outraged by images of children in cages due to Tr*mp’s policies know that Biden also put children in cages and unleashed this at the border?)

The one and only good thing about the Electoral College is that, living in Colorado, I don’t have to agonize about my presidential vote because it doesn’t matter. The state votes blue no matter who, and Harris will win Colorado. Not so in the swing states where there are basic steps Harris could have taken to insure those votes. She chose not to take those steps. I hope people remember that on November 6th.