By Lawrence Hamm
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
[Op-Ed]
The following endorsement was issued today by Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress, and former candidate for U.S. Senator (NJ):
Today, I am personally and publicly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic Party nominees for President and Vice President of the United States. I urge all voters to cast their ballots for the Harris-Walz ticket on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
The election will take place In less than thirty days. As of today, all things remaining the same, there are two possible outcomes as far as who will win the election. It will either be Harris-Walz team or that of former president Donald Trump and Senator J. D. Vance, the Republican nominees.
Between these two I believe the Harris-Walz ticket to be the better choice for the country. Trump has already shown us what he can do. He served one term in the White House and it was a disaster.
He was a failed president. That is why he was defeated by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020. I have every reason to believe a second Trump term would be more catastrophic than the first.
It is imperative that Trump is defeated in November. He was one of the worst presidents in American history. He must be prevented from winning a second term in the White House.
The Harris-Walz team is the only ticket with the potential strength to defeat Trump at the ballot box. Doing all we can to ensure their victory is the means by which to keep Trump out of the White House again.
The race between Harris and Trump is very close. As of today it is too close to call. Every vote is going to count. We must vote in record numbers and do everything else necessary to realize a Harris-Walz victory and defeat Trump in November.
My endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket does not mean I agree with the Vice President on all of her policy positions. In particular, I have strongly opposed the Biden-Harris administration’s support of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians.
I have issued statements opposing U.S. support for this war since it began last October. Over the past year U.S. has given billions in military aid to Israel for its genocidal war against the Palestinians. In so doing our country has become a partner in genocide.
With U.S. made bombs, aircraft, and weapons of war Israel has killed, according to conservative estimates, more that 45,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom have been women and children. Others have put the death toll has high as 186,000 when you include those that are missing and buried under the rubble.
It has wounded more than 100,000, and displaced more than 2,000,000 which is nearly the entire population of Gaza. The majority of Palestinians are suffering from starvation and disease because of the war.
Israel has bombed and destroyed more than 86,000 housing units and damaged more than 300,000 more. It has destroyed 32 hospitals, 100 universities and schools, and more than 25,000 other buildings including mosques and churches.
Israel has turned Gaza into an apocalyptic uninhabitable wasteland, but the destruction has not stopped there. It has expanded the war to the West Bank. It is bombing Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and threatening all out war with Iran. Israel is turning the war in Gaza into a regional conflagration and dragging the international community closer to world war.
As a candidate for U.S. Senate in the NJ Democratic Primary I ran in opposition to the war and called for an immediate ceasefire. Because of the Biden-Harris administration‘s continued support for the war I voted uncommitted in the presidential primary race and urged others to do the same in order to send a strong message to the administration to change course.
In July, President Biden bowed out of the race and threw his support behind Vice President Harris who went on to the Democratic National Convention to win her party’s nomination for president. At that time she said she wanted a ceasefire and that the administration was working to bring the war to an end.
Whatever the Biden-Harris administration is doing to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza is not working. In fact, it has produced the opposite effect. Saying you want a ceasefire while doing everything possible to send more weapons to Israel will prolong the war and genocide, not end it.
The Biden-Harris administration must drastically change course on the Gaza war and Middle East policy. Just saying you want a ceasefire is not enough. Vice President Harris must call for an arms embargo against Israel in order to bring the fighting to an end.
Other nations have announced a halt to weapons sales to Israel. The U.S. should do the same. The majority of Americans want a ceasefire in Gaza. The majority of Americans want the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel for the war in Gaza.
I believe that if the Vice President called for an arms embargo against Israel to bring about an end to the war it would improve her chances for victory in November. Continuing on the current course will only increase the chances of defeat.
I have opposed and protested against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, and U.S. support for it under the Biden-Harris administration. And I will continue to do so if there is no change and policy under a Harris-Walz administration.
Trump must be defeated. We cannot allow a would be dictator who tried to seize power through a right wing coup attempt, conspired to overturn an election, and led a violent insurrection, become president of the United States. A second term will only allow him to try to do it again.
He is leading a reactionary movement that has in its ranks white supremacists, neo-nazis, and violent extremists. Their movement wants to roll back nearly one hundred years of hard won rights and social progress. A Trump victory will only strengthen that movement.
Trump has used the U.S. Supreme Court to also accomplish the goals of that movement. He has by made appointments that have led to a conservative super majority on the court. It has issued decisions that will negatively impact the lives of millions of people.
Trump is a racist, fascist, sexist, bigot, and pathological liar. When he was elected he failed to win the popular vote. While president he was impeached twice. He is the only former president convicted of a crime.
He is facing upcoming trials on other charges. He has vowed to pardon those of his followers who violently attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump is corrupt and unfit to hold office.
Both he and his enablers in the Republican Party must be defeated. Democrats must must win the White House, win back the majority in the House of Representatives, and hold on to and widen their majority in the Senate.
There are less than 30 days until the election on November 5th. I urge everyone to engage in voter registration efforts until the October 15th cut-off date. Those folks who are registered should check their registration and make sure everything is in order.
There must be massive voter mobilization. Everyone must vote. Don’t sit this election out. Everyone must get involved. Those who can should help get people to the polls.
We must vote in record landslide numbers in order to hand Trump a crushing and incontestable defeat on Election Day in both the popular vote and the electoral college.
Lawrence Hamm
Chairman
People’s Organization For Progress
Former Candidate For
U.S. Senator
