The New York Times columnist writes a closing argument for Harris:
My fellow citizens,
When the tumultuous history of this year’s presidential election is written, future generations will note that the choice boiled down to this: the certainty of division versus the possibility of unity.
Whether you love Donald Trump or loathe him, prefer his policies or mine, you can be sure of one thing: If he wins next month, we will be a bitterly, vocally, emotionally, exhaustingly divided country.
You know this because whatever you thought of his first term, you remember how that division became a part of your daily life. Thanksgiving dinners you stopped going to — because of Trump. Friends and neighbors you stopped speaking to — because of Trump. Topics you wouldn’t broach — because of Trump.
There was no getting away from it. Trump is a human jackhammer pounding outside your window at 6:30 a.m. The noise is incessant. It’s in the ad hominem tweets, the nasty nicknames, the disparagement of anyone who disagrees with him as an idiot, a weakling, an enemy of the people. And let’s be honest: The noise also came from the enraged reaction that Trump provoked, whether on cable TV or the streets of many of our cities.
Trump brought out the worst in everyone, not just his most ardent fans but also — yes — his most acerbic critics. In the four years of his presidency, he turned us into a nation of haters. He’ll do it again if you elect him next month…
I’m a proud Democrat. I’ll fight hard for the policies in which I believe: a woman’s right to her reproductive choices; a child’s right to quality public education; a worker’s right to collective bargaining; a citizen’s right to safe streets. Above all, I’ll fight for what we cherish most: the American dream, which for so many of us starts when we sign the purchase agreement for an affordable first home.
But in a healthy democracy, division must ultimately be framed by unity. Democrats, Republicans and independents must be able to recognize one another as fellow patriots. The party in power should not abuse its temporary majority to change the rules of the game — something both parties have been guilty of. When consensus reached through compromise is possible, we should prefer it to divisive, and reversible, partisan victories. That’s how progress isn’t just achieved but also secured.
I’ve been a partisan in my past — sometimes in ways that perspective has caused me to regret. But I’m not ashamed that some of my opinions have changed: It is what thoughtful people do in the face of new information. Better that than being stuck, like my opponent, with the worldview he seems to have adopted when he was 6.
Read the entire piece here.