D.E. Wilson, Jr. -- Ronald Reagan Alum

Why he is supporting Harris-Walz in 2024

Asked by a reporter at a Harris rally why I support Kamala Harris for President, I smiled. I am a Republican who got his start hanging door tags for Goldwater, campaigned for Republicans, and worked for President Reagan. So, I said, here are the reasons:

1.         I believe character matters. Mr. Trump has shown repeatedly that his character is frighteningly bad. Ms. Harris has shown that this is a core issue to her. On this alone, I would vote for her.

2.         I believe we must deal in truth. Laughingly, I said, if Mr. Trump’s mouth is moving and he isn’t eating, he is lying.

3.         I believe in the Constitution. I’ve traveled a lot for government and business outside of Western Europe and learned how important it is to understand that we are not a tribe. We have a creed, and it is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Everything we do must be measured against it. In contrast, to paraphrase the line from Hamilton: “If we don’t know what Trump stands for, what will he fall for?”

4.         I believe debt matters. Mr. Trump’s policies will increase the national debt and drive-up inflation. Don’t take it from me – listen to the conservative economists in the WSJ. Here, I added that we owe it to the next generation to reduce the debt, not grow it.

5.         I believe in growing the middle class and enfranchising every American. This means thoughtful policies to support education, housing, job training and healthcare. As my father said, the GI Bill, which sent so many to college and trade school, was the real WWII memorial. Mr. Trump had a term to “fix Obama care.” Thankfully, his plan remained a figment of his imagination.

6.         I believe in equitable taxation. This means I think Mr. Trump’s tariff plan is wrong. It would tax the lower and middle classes, those that can least afford it, will harm the economies of our neighbors and drive-up immigration. And yes, the wealthiest of us have an obligation to our country. As Oliver Wendell Holmes supposedly said, “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”

7.         I believe in controlling our borders. This takes bipartisanship, not mass deportation. Mr. Trump doesn’t want to control our southern border he just wants an issue to use as a scare tactic. He had his chance.

8.         At this point, I think the reporter was sorry he spoke with me, but I had not touched on foreign policy. I made two points: Mr. Trump’s support for his fascist “bros” (think Putin and friends) is dangerous to us and to our allies. His lack of understanding of the transformative actions taken by the current administration through such as AUKUS to counter China is frightening in a candidate for president.

I thanked the reporter for asking me and closed by saying that while I disagree with some of Ms. Harris’ policy proposals (and on increasing the debt), these are issues we can discuss as Americans. With Mr. Trump I would be subject to arrest. I hope this gives the reader a way to think about the upcoming election.

D. E. Wilson, Jr. was Associate Counsel to the President; Deputy (and Acting) General Counsel, U.S. Treasury Department; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Departmental Management, U.S. Treasury Department; Deputy Director & General Counsel, Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President; Ronald Reagan Administration.