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Every four years, the two-party system dreamed up by the syphilitic slave holders we call “founding fathers” usually produces two empty shirts. These ghouls occupy various points on the character alignment chart from “kinda-sorta evil” to “batshit-crazy evil.” Still, we at Playboy aren’t naive to the fact that this election could have serious consequences, should we get it wrong. Here’s what’s at stake in the 2024 election, and why you should seriously vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, especially if you’re in a swing state.
Abortion Rights in a Post Roe V. Wade World
In June of 2022, one of the most conservative courts in recent memory overturned Roe V. Wade. This meant that the right to an abortion was no longer codified at the federal level. The nightmare ramifications of this decision have already begun unfolding. As wishy-washy as presidential candidates are during election season, Harris is staunchly pro-choice. If elected, she promises to codify abortion rights into law, and would veto any nationwide ban on the procedure. As of October 2024, 24 states have enacted abortion restrictions, with an outright ban in 13 of them. These decisions don’t line up with any sort of plurality of American voters, and luckily, it may be one of the reasons many voters will pull the lever for Harris. This is a stark contrast to Donald Trump. The Republican candidate has attempted to distance himself from his party’s position on choice, but at the end of the day, he’s more than happy to “dance with the one that brung him.”
And as recently as this year, Trump would advocate for, at the very least, a 15-week ban. If you’re anyone who cares about choice, the distance between the candidates couldn’t be more stark.
Expanding Housing, Expanding Opportunities
In recent elections, Democratic candidates have played footsie with most policies related to economics. This election brings similar tepid vibes, at least as far as campaign stops are concerned. That aside, the Harris/Walz ticket is offering a few chestnuts that may help Millennials and Zoomers finally build wealth.
Right now, the average American renter pays more than 30 percent of their take home pay on housing. Harris plans to help lower these exorbitant costs by pledging to expand the rental supply by more than 1.2 million. Aside from expanding supply to lower demand, Harris pledges to take on “abusive corporate landlords” by ending unfair practices that make it easier for your landlord to hike up your rent.
The cherry on top of this housing policy is helping first-time home buyers with downpayment assistance starting at $25,000. Compare that to Trump’s housing policy, which is less a policy, and more a Fascist wet dream. According to his running mate Senator J.D. Vance, housing costs are high because of undocumented folks scooping up all the real estate.
“We should be kicking out illegal immigrants who are competing for those homes, and we should be building more homes for the American citizens who deserve to be here,” Vance said at the Vice Presidential debate. The whole concept strains credulity from every angle. Even if it were true, there’s something especially evil about mass deportations leading to more housing. More breathing room, if you will. I think the Germans had a word for it, which escapes me right now.
The Courts, The Bureaucracy, The Everything
What’s at stake in the 2024 election is the very idea of elections themselves. With the way the Overton Window was blown open in 2016, just about every election now sort of feels like it could be the last one. The exaggeration from liberals aside, the Republican Party and its fay God Emperor has its eyes peeled on the demographic and social shifts in America and has come to the conclusion that it may not be able to compete at the federal level much longer.
Plenty of conservative thinkers and mega donors like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Curtis Yarvin have long stated how much they believe Democracy is a threat to their deluded idea of freedom. Worst yet, they’re putting their billions where their mouths are to help Trump achieve a second term. Project 2025 is a culmination of many of their dreams to reshape America into their image, which is to say, a nightmare for the rest of us.
And while the evils of Project 2025 have more twists and turns than an M.C. Escher painting, one of aspects many don’t talk about has to do with staffing. Trump and his administration are planning a purge of all government agencies, to fire anyone and everyone who isn’t loyal to his bottom line. Do I have to make another German comparison? I don’t want to, but I will.
Aside from the nasty framework devised by real-life Bond villains, there’s the practical matter of the courts. A couple Supreme Court judges are getting up there in age, and will likely be replaced by the next president. Do you want another Brett Kavanaugh or do you want another Ketanji Brown Jackson? For us, that answer is simple: the one who wasn’t accused of sexual assault.
Final Thoughts on What’s at Stake in the 2024 Election
Despite the points made above, please don’t take this full-throated endorsement of Harris as cheerleading. In the homestretch, there have been plenty of moments from her own campaign that make me feel like I’m in the movie Event Horizon. Whether it’s gleefully bragging about wanting to build Trump’s wall or proudly sharing the stage with a Cheney, Harris is doing her level best at being as flawed a candidate as possible. Following Biden’s playbook from the last four years will end in disaster, and she may be forced to do what Democrats seemingly hate to do: govern. But from the courts to abortion rights, and any semblance of economic recovery, a second Trump term is anathema to anything resembling progress.
