Plus, Reflections on the Harris Effect
There Are Some Special People Among Us
I had the pleasure and the opportunity to work with some of them over the years. Some were political appointees, but most were career civil servants, government leaders, or military officers. A couple of characteristics made them special over the long haul.
One, they were dedicated to the principle of service to the country. They were, without exception in my experience, leader-servants. They all believed passionately in the country. Most had a copy of the constitution with them pretty much always (me, too). More importantly, they understood the constitution and what it means. Most importantly, they served in both Democratic and Republican administrations without difficulty, even when they sometimes disagreed with a given policy or decision.
These were powerful and high ranking people, but they were most comfortable behind the scenes. Most citizens had no idea who they were or how much they contributed to the security and quality of this country. They almost never would even consider endorsing a candidate or speaking out publicly against one. These people served outside politics and kept the important parts of government functioning.
They would never even consider signing a letter endorsing or condemning a presidential candidate. Until now.
Two Letters
In the last few days, hundreds of these people chose to sign two letters, both with the same two messages. One, Donald Trump is an unacceptable danger to all this country stands for. Two, Kamela Harris is fully prepared to assume the duties of President and they endorse her. Knowing these sort of people as I do, I can assure this is extraordinary and worthy of paying attention. And taking their advice.
For most, this is the first time they have done anything like this, following 20-50 years of service. Many are Democrats themselves but have never saw their service or commitments as a political matter. They served the country, not a party or a president. They felt this was so important that they broke their own mold and chose to speak out. Every one of them are extraordinary citizens. I encourage you to take a moment and read the letters, as well as the names attached to them. Extraordinary stuff, here:
350 national security leaders called on their fellow citizens to support Vice President Harris. The Washington Post article identifies the group as Democratic, but many are not. Still, they provided a copy of the letter, complete with all signers listed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/07/23/kamala-harris-foreign-policy-endorsement/
Over 40 judicial system leaders did the same: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25002785-statement-thanking-president-biden-and-supporting-vp-kamala-harris
Other such letters are apparently in the works. Says a lot.
But At Least One Letter is Missing
There actually are decent people leading really good companies in this country. Where are they? Where is their letter? Many are not standing up for selfish reasons. Others may be fearful or are just hedging their bets. For whatever reasons, they are wrong, and people will not forget. Capitalism has great potential but can be badly executed as well. The absence of business leadership at this moment further convinces younger generations that capitalism has no soul and no morals. What a shame.
About the “Harris Effect”
I don’t think anyone predicted the avalanche of support (endorsements, donations, volunteering) Harris has gained. It continues to snowball at remarkable levels. Just last night I listened in on a Zoom call for White Dudes for Kamela, a pickup group that just put the announcement online over the weekend. They hoped that 20,000 would take part. It turned out to be over 120,000. While online, over $3.25 million was donated. This kind of thing is getting to be routine.
So, what is going on here? Sure, a lot of people were relieved Joe Biden did the noble thing, even those of us who really like and respect him. And to be sure, lots of people get just how bad Trump is. But this level of engagement is way beyond that.
I think perhaps two other things are going on. One, a lot of young people who were (foolishly, if I may say so) lukewarm about their choices in the election. A younger, black, woman, with some pretty good communications skill, a good record, and solid qualifications, rang a bell with them.
But perhaps the second thing is the bigger factor. It is just possible that the vast majority of the country is sick of the anger, hatred, crassness of Trump and his movement. People are more than ready for a candidacy built on positives, like love, genuine patriotism, promise and optimism.
There simply will never be a sunny day in a Trump administration. No one who disagrees with him will ever get any respect, dignity, or opportunity to influence outcomes. There will always, constantly, be anger, turmoil, instability. People may have really figured out, at the gut level, that we can do so much better and that allowing another four years of Project 2025 power could doom us to live in a hole we might never come out of (at least not in our lifetimes).
This is early in the election cycle. It all restarted just a week ago, and yet has less than 100 days to go. Wouldn’t it be something if the country chose to do the right thing, for all the right reasons?
Fingers crossed. See you next week.
Bill Clontz
If you find this blog worthy of your time and curiosity, I invite you to do three things:
(1) Join the conversation. Your voice counts here. If you wish to share COMMENTS anonymously, make the last word in your comment “PRIVATE.” I will assure your privacy via anonymity.
(2) Share the word about this post with friends and colleagues. Share a link in your emails and social media posts (https://agentsofreason.com).
(3) You are welcome to share this post with anyone. It is easy to pass on via email, of course, but also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit or other social media.
Let’s grow our circle.