This got my attention on the main website page of The New York Times.
I use the word naive in my title not as a pejorative but rather as it is defined:
It is a long article. Click here to read it if you have a subscription. I found it both informative and excruciating to read. There were parts that both dismayed me and scared the daylights out of me. This was the worst:
Give me a word or phrase to describe Kamala Harris.
Jack, 22, N.Y., white, underwriter, voted Biden in 2020
Political P.R.
Joseph, 24, S.C., white, high school teacher, voted Biden in 2020
Fake.
Angelo, 19, N.Y., Latino, college worker, didn’t vote in 2020
Confident.
Mark, 24, Calif., Black, chef, voted Biden in 2020
Politician.
Pierce, 26, N.C., white, sales, didn't vote in 2020
Phony and terrifying.
Lillian, 27, Va., white, digital advertising, voted Trump in 2020
Liar.
George, 21, Ga., white, student, didn't vote in 2020
Rehearsed.
Ayshah, 21, Iowa, South Asian, student, didn't vote in 2020
Flip-flopper.
McLane, 25, D.C., white, legal field, wrote in Romney in 2020
Insincere and shallow.
Abigail, 23, Va., white, graduate assistant, voted Biden in 2020
“Run, Spot, run.”
Jasper, 25, Calif., biracial, food service, voted Biden in 2020
An empty suit.
Ben, 20, Mich., white, student, didn't vote in 2020
All over the place.
Laura, 20, Md., white, legal intern, didn't vote in 2020
Actress.
Chris, 24, Fla., white, law student, voted Trump in 2020
Vibes candidate.
What they said about Trump reflects what I, and most observers, saw:
Let’s go to Donald Trump. Give me a word or phrase to describe Donald Trump now.
Ayshah, 21, Iowa, South Asian, student, didn't vote in 2020
Hothead.
Lillian, 27, Va., white, digital advertising, voted Trump in 2020
Undisciplined.
Laura, 20, Md., white, legal intern, didn't vote in 2020
Unstable.
Jasper, 25, Calif., biracial, food service, voted Biden in 2020
Selfishly hysterical.
Chris, 24, Fla., white, law student, voted Trump in 2020
Unviable candidate.
Abigail, 23, Va., white, graduate assistant, voted Biden in 2020
Unfocused.
McLane, 25, D.C., white, legal field, wrote in Romney in 2020
Lacking character and discipline.
Ben, 20, Mich., white, student, didn't vote in 2020
Further deteriorating.
Pierce, 26, N.C., white, sales, didn't vote in 2020
Needs a Xanax.
Mark, 24, Calif., Black, chef, voted Biden in 2020
A joke.
Angelo, 19, N.Y., Latino, college worker, didn’t vote in 2020
Pathetic.
Joseph, 24, S.C., white, high school teacher, voted Biden in 2020
Spiraling.
Jack, 22, N.Y., white, underwriter, voted Biden in 2020
Unfocused.
I was stuck that Pierce (left) called Harris "phony and terrifying" and said that Trump "needed an Xanax." I would like to have asked him what about Harris he found terrifying. Try as I might to put myself in his place I can't even imagine how anybody could describe her as invoking terror. I'd want to know why he'd even consider voting for a candidate who he thinks needs a tranquilizer. I'd like to ask Pierce about whether he wanted a president who needed tranquilizers to be rational.
The bottom line from this article for me, which really was in the first portion, is as follows:
When we asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, five said Mr. Trump; four said Ms. Harris; and the remaining five said they didn’t know or leaned toward writing in someone else’s name. Still, the election isn’t today, and these voters haven’t committed to any candidate.
Considering the contrast between their opinions it is mind boggling to me that five of the 14 still would vote for Trump over Harris and five weren't sure.
While maintaining democracy is the crucial reason for voting for Kamala, leaving Trump's wanting to be a dictator out of the question, why on earth would any of them want a president who is irrational and out of control?
