"We're not going back!"
I hate the Kamala Harris campaign slogan, and for a variety of reasons. It's not just stupid for logical reasons, it's cliché, and dismisses the context of the past three-and-a-half years. The brutal truth is that, in actuality, we should definitely go back.
When I say that, I'm obviously speaking in a different context than Harris is. Harris is using this phrase in a nebulous way. What don't you want to go back to? Yeah, she means that.
If you're a feminist, you're not going back to this country being "The Handmaid's Tale" — because it never was. If you're one of those people who believe Donald Trump is the reincarnation of Hitler, then she means we're not going back to him — although he's not even the one supporting socialism or antisemitic behavior. If you're one of those people who think she means a time when racism was rampant and people were disadvantaged because their skin was darker, then that's what she means — even though we're the least racist country and voters elected a black man as president in 2008.
But as many have pointed out, when Harris says, "we're not going back," she adds a "new way forward" — her other slogan, although she's not exactly clear on what forward looks like. Her economic positions are horrific, including a tax on unrealized gains and price controls on groceries, and... Well I'm sure she has others, but we have to elect her to find out what they are. Hint: It's likely a lot of the same nonsense we've seen over the past few years, but worse.
She says she wants to close the border and build the wall Trump started, but does anyone truly believe her? She spent the last few years doing absolutely nothing with the border and even worked to oppose red state governors that tried to protect their borders, almost resulting in a stand-off between the Texas National Guard and Biden's border patrol.
If you think back to the post-pandemic era, Trump did have a highly secure border, a thriving economy, lower crime, and that was an across-the-board fact. The black community even saw massive gains for themselves under Trump, something they've recently noticed given how many have abandoned the Democrat Party and plan to endorse bad ol' orange man.
I don't know about you, but I think the nation should head back there, and I'm not entirely sure a fat chunk of the country disagrees. I can't help but wonder how many people think "I'd like the pre-Biden/Harris" days of America" and whether this slogan is Harris's campaign shooting itself in the foot inadvertently.
To quote (you guessed it) C.S. Lewis about resolving problems, the trick is to go back to where you started going wrong and rework it until you get the right answer.
"We're not going back" she says.
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) September 3, 2024
I'll just leave this C.S. Lewis quote here.
“A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on.” pic.twitter.com/R6hJCfzgfa
Continuing on with Harris will only compound the problem. It's not like she's going to fix anything she says she'll fix or keep any of her promises. She's under the same thumbs as Joe Biden, and the only thing new about this "new way forward" would be the Kamala-style mask they replace their Biden mask with.
We absolutely need to go back. To quote Harris herself, we need to become unburdened by what has been... for the last three-and-a-half years. We need to secure our future by reworking the mistakes of the Biden-Harris administration. Once we set it right, then we can proceed forward.
Forward is no good if you're sliding forward into ruin.