Why I Wanted a Harris–Whitmer Ticket — July 2024 Opinion

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July 2024 opinion archive. Edited September 13, 2026. This preserves the position I argued before Joe Biden left the 2024 race. It is not a current election recommendation. Unverified quotations, loosely attributed claims and unsupported figures from the earlier version have been removed.

For the record: my opinion. A Dalai Lama lov’n hippie in Tahoe, living the dream one day at a time and wanting better from the people we send to Washington.

In July 2024, I wanted President Biden to step aside and make room for Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer. I respected his years of service. I also believed a different ticket offered the Democrats a better chance to take on Donald Trump and the direction represented by Project 2025. That was my judgment at the time—not a claim that such a ticket had been agreed upon.

What I wanted from leadership

I wanted Harris and Whitmer to bring a new generation of leadership forward: protect women’s rights, respect the communities that make up this country and take the hard questions without turning every disagreement into a performance.

I wanted people willing to work across the aisle. You can disagree with someone’s politics and still listen long enough to understand the problem they are trying to solve. #Tolerance and #Respect should survive a hard conversation.

Take care of the people who served

Our commitment to servicemembers should not end when they take off the uniform. Veterans need timely care, including mental health care, and a fair shot at education, training, housing and work. Benefits they earned should not disappear into a stack of paperwork.

That was a priority in my original argument, and it deserved more than a campaign slogan.

Make the basics work

I argued for accessible health care and limits on the power of large drug companies. I wanted public assistance to protect people who cannot work and help people who can through training and a path into a job. A program ought to help someone get somewhere.

On immigration, I wanted a workable border policy, a clearer legal process and a fair path for undocumented people already contributing to their communities. Both parties need to do the difficult work of making rules that can be administered humanely.

On foreign policy, I wanted strong alliances, serious diplomacy and less appetite for endless war. National security and concern for human life belong in the same discussion.

Follow the money

My tax proposal was to ease the burden on people earning less than $250,000 and ask more of people earning above $500,000. Those were proposed thresholds, not a description of tax law. I also wanted corporations to pay a fair share and loopholes to face real scrutiny.

I argued for two terms in the Senate and three in the House. I wanted campaign funding disclosed so plainly that you could read it like the sponsors on a NASCAR jacket. Show us who is paying.

I wanted enforceable ethics rules for the Supreme Court, clearer accountability for social platforms and tougher scrutiny of the influence of oil, pharmaceutical and tobacco companies. Public office should come with an obligation to explain yourself.

Rights, responsibility and the place we live

I wanted strong protection for speech and peaceful disagreement, along with action against threats and violence. I supported preserving gun rights while working across party lines to reduce gun violence. I did not want manufacturers writing the whole conversation.

I wanted cleaner energy, less pollution and care for the water, forests and snow that shape life here. The next generation should get more than a bill for what we used up.

On the cost of living, I wanted more attention on competition, corporate conduct and whether working households could afford the basics. Blame is easy. Show people what the policy does and let them judge the results.

Keep the argument human

This was my case for a different Democratic ticket in July 2024. You may have seen it differently. Bring the facts, say where you disagree and leave a little room for the person on the other side.

That is the conversation I wanted: less worship of politicians, more attention to the people they are supposed to serve.

Stay’nThirsty for Democracy
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