My Turn: Joining The Atlantic in endorsing Harris

By Barbara Slayter

In less than two weeks, Lincoln voters will be selecting a candidate who will become President of the United States for the next four years. Although there are six pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates, most voters will choose between Harris and Trump. It is a momentous decision, and we would be wise to learn as much as we can about the candidates and to seek the wisdom of respected sources. That brings me to The Atlantic magazine to which my family has subscribed for much of my adult life.

The Atlantic, a widely read and respected American journal, was founded in 1857. It is a literary and cultural commentary magazine with a national reputation. The journal has published leading writers’ commentaries on abolition, education, and other major issues in contemporary political affairs, and it has won more National Magazine Awards than any other monthly magazine. 

Only four times in the course of its existence has it endorsed a candidate for president. The first time was in 1860 when it endorsed Abraham Lincoln. The second time was 100 years later when it endorsed Lyndon B. Johnson; the third and fourth times involve support for Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden in the face of an unstable and incompetent candidate.

Now in 2024 with its fifth endorsement of a presidential candidate, The Atlantic concludes that Trump’s “insults, cruelties, abuse of power, corrupt dealings, and crimes, most particularly, his efforts on January 6 to overturn the election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power, have rendered him ineligible for the highest office in the land… Trump has made clear that he would use a second term to consolidate unprecedented power in his own hands, punishing adversaries and pushing a far-right agenda that most Americans don’t want….

“About the candidate we are endorsing,” the editors write, “we know a few things for sure: Having devoted her life to public service, Harris respects the law and the Constitution. She believes in the freedom, equality, and dignity of all Americans. She’s untainted by corruption, let alone a felony record or a history of sexual assault. She doesn’t embarrass her compatriots with language and behavior to pit them against one another. She doesn’t curry favor with dictators. She won’t abuse the power of the highest office in order to keep it. She believes in democracy. These, and not any specific policy positions, are the reason The Atlantic is endorsing her.”

Acknowledging the extraordinary character and values differences between these two Presidential candidates is not intended to suggest that I am not concerned about Trump’s policy positions. His policies arising from his isolationism, dismissal of climate change, misogyny, hostility to reproductive rights, embrace of tariffs, intimidation of those who speak against him, and his verbal assault on the military, among other things, could transform our country in profound ways.

Let’s do everything we can in the days remaining before the election to ensure that this transformation does not happen.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.