Why Harris
Ted Smyth
In a remarkable example of putting country first, President Biden decided in July to pass the torch to the next generation, enthusiastically endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris to be elected President in November. A united Democratic party quickly supported that choice, knowing that Harris will be ready on day one to lead America into a new era of prosperity and stability. The Vice President is known as a hard-working, dedicated public servant, including as a tough prosecutor and Attorney General in California.
Leading from the Center
As President, Kamala Harris will lead from the center, focusing on the broader interests of our country and not pandering to base politics or catering to extremes.
Most Irish Americans occupy that same center ground and we want a President who will unite us with a shared vision for a better future and with more security. The late John Hume, the legendary Irish peacemaker, was inspired by the US motto stamped on all our coins, “E pluribus unum,” out of many, one. That motto is as true for the United States as it is for Ireland.
Vice President Harris also celebrates our differences, “The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that “our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength."
We Irish Americans have always entered politics to improve the lives of ordinary folk regardless of their ideology or religion, finding them jobs, shelter, healthcare, improving their prospects and future opportunities
Fighting for Our Freedoms
Kamala Harris knows that despite these achievements, many of us are still struggling particularly from higher prices. Harris will fight for the freedom from profiteering companies, including in the food and insurance sectors: "On day one, I will take on price gouging and bring down costs," she promises.
Harris is a fighter and will fight for all our freedoms, freedom from the scourge of inflation, freedom to be secure at home and in our streets, freedom to protect our border, freedom to earn a good living for our families, freedom to afford housing, freedom to have affordable healthcare, and freedom from Big Government snooping on our private lives and denying women and men the right to make their own decisions.
Irish Americans have been fighting for freedom since we arrived on these glorious shores. It was the key reason we came to America and became patriotic citizens, building our democracy which is a beacon of freedom to the world. Nine of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin, 23 Presidents of the United States shared Irish ancestry, including our most recent Presidents, Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
The Good Friday Agreement
President Biden and Vice President Harris have honored that proud legacy of 35 million Irish Americans by their ardent support of the Good Friday Agreement which brought peace and equality to Northern Ireland after centuries of discrimination and persecution.
Vice President Harris has hosted the leaders of Ireland and Irish America every St Patrick’s Day, including this year when she hosted the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and said, “As we look to the next century of partnership, I am confident that the bonds between the people of our two nations will only grow stronger. And I’m confident that our work together will continue to advance the cause of freedom and opportunity.”
Freedom and Opportunity!
That’s what Irish Americans yearn for, and what all Americans want! As President, Harris will fight for our Freedoms, and Deliver for Americans. Please register now, and vote on November 5 for Kamala Harris for President!
FIONA McENTEE, Chicago
I am the Founding and Managing Attorney of McEntee Law Group. I originally came to the U.S. (Chicago) as an international student from Dublin, Ireland, and I am now a proud dual U.S./Irish citizen. I’ve spent the past 16+ years working as an immigration lawyer. Our team of passionate advocates represent individuals and families, as well as the world’s leading musicians, artists, athletes, innovative entrepreneurs, and multinational and U.S. companies. My work includes regular appearances on major media outlets including MSNBC, BBC, CNN.com, The New York Times, Politico, Chicago Tribune, Irish Central, Irish Times, and RTÉ, and advocacy like submitting written testimony for a congressional hearing about how the outdated immigration laws are pushing top talent to other countries. I’ve also written several books including Our American Dream – an award-winning children’s book on immigration.
My family and I were thrilled to recently meet – and support – Vice President Harris at a family focused campaign event in June in D.C. My two kids, Rose (10) and Perry (8) had a front row seat to VP Harris’ incredible speech. She took questions from kids in the audience and has a remarkable way of relating very complex things to things that kids understood - like allyship in foreign conflict to being a good friend. Did we know then that she would be running for President a few weeks later? No, but we did know that we wanted to support her in every way we could then and even more so now!
I also gave VP Harris a copy of my children's book, Our American Dream. Could her immigrant parents have dreamed their daughter would be the Democratic Nominee for President?! YES! And now, thanks to her, many more first gen kids can also dream this same dream!
Pat Shields, Dublin Ireland
Democrats Abroad Ireland is celebrating its 26th year as the primary voter registration resource and voice for Democrats Abroad. We have been extremely proud of our Irish American President Joe Biden and celebrate his accomplishments on the domestic and foreign policy front as tne of the most consequential and accomplished Presidents in modern history. His commitment and relationship to Ireland is extremely authentic and touches many of us who share his affinity for integrity, truth telling, family and spirituality in a uniquely Irish way. As he passes the torch to a new generation of leadership with his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, we are energized to see the partnership and synchronicity explode into momentum for this campaign here in Ireland. Voter registrations and volunteerism are soaring since the announcement, and we look forward to hosting a series of voter registration and campaign events for the Democratic Ticket starting in August and running up to and through the election. It is a very exciting and energizing time to be a Democrat in Ireland, and we want to deliver those must-have votes home, especially in the 7 core battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, New Mexico, Michigan and Nevada. States like Ohio, Virginia and Colorado could also be in play and we have notable populations of members in those states as well. We encourage families with relatives abroad and/or students abroad to remind them to register to vote and request their ballots at www.votefromabroad.org! The margin of victory has been decided in recent elections by some of the slimmest of margins, so we know our work is focused on delivering every vote we can from Ireland and abroad! Anyone looking for information related to Democrats Abroad Ireland or help requesting a ballot or registration can contact info-ireland@democratsabroad.org."
“Our unity is our strength, and our diversity is our power. We reject the myth of “us” vs. “them.” We are in this together. ”
— Kamala Harris