Why is Kamala Harris making it so hard for progressives to vote for her?

I’m a progressive who plans on voting for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. I’ve accepted the unfortunate reality we live in a two-party system and the Democrats, for all their myriad flaws, are better than Republicans, especially as the latter grow more explicitly fascist. Whatever the issue, a President Harris would be a better opponent to have than a President Donald Trump.

Because of the number of sentient beings involved, my top issue is animal protection. I believe the development of cellular agriculture is currently the most promising means of reducing nonhuman suffering and premature death. President Joe Biden’s administration, of which Harris is a part, has done important things for the nascent field, and Republicans, on the whole, seek to outlaw it.

Still, since Biden dropped out of the race, a move I advocated for and don’t regret, I frequently wonder why Harris is making it so hard for progressives to support her. This question came to mind recently when the candidate made a joint appearance with Republican Liz Cheney. Harris praised the former congresswoman and her father, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney.

This praise of the great villain of President George W. Bush’s administration needs to be put in context. At the same time, Harris is refusing requests by the Uncommitted National Movement to meet with Americans with family members in Palestine and Lebanon, areas under assault by Israel with weapons supplied by the United States. It’s inexplicable and deeply shameful.

Harris’ unwillingness to establish any distance between herself and Biden’s murderous foreign policy is baffling on a political level. According to a June Gallup poll, only 42 percent of Americans support Israel’s war on Gaza. Meanwhile, the support amongst Democrats and independents was only 23 and 34 percent. One can only assume Harris genuinely backs the military campaign.

On a moral level, of course, it’s terrible. One thing I find frustrating about foreign-policy discussions is those defending the status quo often insist you need some exhaustive knowledge of history and geopolitics to make basic moral judgements. I don’t pretend to have that. But how much do you need to know, really, to oppose sending 2,000-pound bombs to a state dropping them on children?

I’m largely ignorant when it comes to the Middle East. What I do know is that for almost a year at this point I’ve seen daily images of poor civilians being blown to pieces with American-made weapons and, far from winding down, the conflict appears to be on the verge of boiling over into a region-wide war. I can’t tell you anything about the Camp David Accords, but I oppose this violence.

I hope Harris defeats Trump in November. In the event she does, however, progressives need to immediately start planning a serious primary challenge for her in 2028. Even if it’s unsuccessful, such a challenge would help prevent Harris from drifting further right. And if it is successful, we would have a more left-wing Democratic presidential nominee who isn’t quite so enamored with war.