The choice for President has never been more clear: Vote for Kamala Harris

As someone who used to be on the editorial board of a mediium-sized newspaper, I am surprised at the trend of among the nation's publications to not issue an endorsement for President of the United States.

The decision of the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times to not give a recommendation for President made the news recently. The nonendorsemnt was met with surprise, criticism, resignations of some of journalists and subscription cancellations. 

However, it should not have been a surprise nor should it have been reported as something unusual. The Post and the Times were not alone in not endorsing a preference for President. Many newspapers did not issue an endorsement  as a matter of longstanding policy. However, others joined a growing trend among periodicals to avoid the appearance of partisanship, according to a surve by according to a survey by Semafor.

FYI: See what publications have given or not given an endorsement for President.

Let the facts speak for themselves and let the readers make up their own mind, they rationalize. Or, so they say. 

That reasoning rings hollow because the same publications have no compunction in making recommendations for other elected offices or complicated measures. 

Despite the trend to avoid making a recommendation, it was still a disappointment to see many respected publications like the Washington Post and L.A. Times because many of those same publications have called this year's election as one of the most important to face the nation in years. It is not, as some jaded critics claim, a chose between Tweedledee and Tweedledumt.

Regular readers of this blog know that the very existance of US democracy based on the Constitution is at stake.

The contrast between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is so stark it seems that it would be easy to make a recommendation that would steer the country in the direction of democracy as put forth in the US Constitution.

Could the newspapers' abandonment of their traditional endorsements be out fear? Might the giant corporations that own the majority of newspapers be hedging their bets in case Trump somehow wins the election and follows through with his threat of punishing "the enemy withinin." He has often put mainstream media at the top of his enemies list.

 There may be another factor for those newspapers not part of corporate chains but owned by billionaires that is less complicated than deciding the fate of the country. It may come down to common greed. Trump's tax laws that favor the top 1% may be a factor in some of the billionaire owners of major newspapers like  Jeff Bezos' Washington Post and Patrick Soon-Shiong's Los Angeles Times, both of which chose to not make an endorsement.

Still, many newspapers, including the august New York Times, the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle have made recommendations, putting country above profit. Of the newspapers that did give an endorsement, most of them recommended Harris.

For the staid, stuffy New York Times, the choice is a no-brainer:

I've often criticized the NY Times for its coverage of Asian America. But in this instance, we are in agreement. 

There are many reasons Kamala Harris should be our country's new President that have been outlined by experts more knowledgeable than I. Beginning with the economy, giving the right of a woman to decide her own health issues, strengthen the right and ability to vote and she believes in science. 

Harris would become the first US President with an Asian racial heritage, and will widen the image of America beyond the white, male image of what an American is that has been fostered for centuries. This alone is the main reason many people are  supporting Trump, even though his supporters won't say it outright. They don't want to lose their status at the top of the ladder and the social and economic privileges that  position gives them.

The choice for President has never been more important and for that reason, Views From the Edge will break from tradition. It may not matter to anyone what this little blog recommends, but then again, perhaps it will. Every vote counts. Each of us must do what we can, therefore, I recommend a Vote for Kamala Harris.

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