Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

US ELECTION

American expat feels sense of hope with Biden-Harris ticket

Aug 24, 2020 | 4:26 PM

KAMLOOPS — While political parties in Canada position themselves for the next federal election, a race just across the border is picking up steam.

Lesra Martin, an American citizen living and working in Kamloops, watched last week’s Democratic National Convention and plans to keep watching as the race for the presidency unfolds.

“I’ll watch with equal focus the Republican convention as I did the Democratic convention,” Martin said. “I want to know what the platform is, eventually, for the Republican format in terms of what issues they’re going to focus on.”

Last week, the Democratic National Convention saw Joe Biden accept the presidential nomination and Kamala Harris the nomination for vice president.

Question of the Week

Is returning to a balanced budget one of your BC election priorities?

Oct 07, 2024

BC Votes

B.C. Election 2024: Where to go, how to register ahead of advance voting

Oct 07, 2024

Week in Review

Week in Review: Week of Sept. 30

Oct 05, 2024

Martin sees some similarities to the 2008 election, when President Barack Obama was on the ticket.

“People knew that it was important to have something different, some change,” he said. “They had something to hope for. I don’t know if you recall, but back when Obama first started running, his whole notion was around the idea that there was hope for America. I think it’s that sentiment that the Biden and Harris ticket is striking right now.”

According to Constitutional Law professor Jeffrey Meyers at Thompson Rivers University, Harris has made a strong impression through her ability to ask effective questions

“She made an enormous impression when she examined in committee hearings people like Brett Kavanaugh who was subsequently appointed to the Supreme Court and was a very controversial process,” Meyers said. “She brought the objections that I think carried forward the objections of a lot of women in particular around Me Too issues forward, although interestingly, none of that was mentioned at the convention. She’s also been very effective with Trump administration officials, holding them to account.”

President Donald Trump has been formally nominated by the Republican party for a second term, as has Vice President Mike Pence.

Martin says the handling of social justice issues, such as those leading to Black Lives Matters protests, will be a key factor in the election.

“I think it’s issues like that, those social justice issues, the struggles between the Black community and many of the police members, it’s issues like that that makes this election all the more important,” Martin said. “I also think that it’s those social justice issues that makes Kamala Harris the right choice for Vice President, because she has a prosecutorial background, she’s an AG, she’s been involved in politics her entire life.”

As America prepares to elect its president, many will be paying close attention to the presidential debates, scheduled to begin next month.

“Trump’s debates with Mr. Biden — you know, I think Hilary Clinton was very effective in dispatching him in at least two of the three debates, just head and shoulders above him intellectually, retained her composure, presented absolutely right,” Meyers said. “So my conclusion on those debates were people still wanted to vote for Donald Trump, it struck me as a kind of, hard to view as anything other than sort of a sexist response. I think that in the sense that Joe Biden is also an older white male, he may not get that sexist response, I don’t even know if he’ll be as effective at debating Donald Trump as Hilary was, he may not.”

America will choose its leader on November 3.