Opinion Versus Feeling

And what we want from writers

Recently a reader took issue with me on Threads for posting the following video, in which I - along with Judy Blume, Stephen King, Meg Wolitzer, George Saunders, and many other writers more justly celebrated and high profile than myself - expressed my endorsement of Kamala Harris for President.

(I once beat Meg Wolitzer at Scrabble, if you can believe it.)

I apologized for disappointing her, but pointed out that you couldn’t really expect someone who has written two adult novels, one young adult novel, and one nonfiction book about the Salem witch trials to not have strong feelings about creeping authoritarianism.

“I just don’t want it in my entertainment,” she said.

It’s true that I typically steer clear of political content here. Not because I don’t have feelings about political issues and events - of course I do. But I also know that feelings aren’t facts. To my mind, the difference between an opinion and a feeling is that opinions must be rooted in a solid command of the facts to be valid. I prefer to comment publicly only when I feel sufficiently grounded in my understanding. And in truth, on many issues where I hold both opinions and feelings, it is possible for reasonable people to disagree. I believe in respectful disagreement as a cornerstone of the free society in which I am privileged to live.

I have also been asked to contribute an essay to 270 Reasons, in which 270 people - mostly authors, also more justly celebrated and high profile than myself - express one clear reason why they are voting for Kamala Harris. I don’t think my contribution has gone live yet, but I will share it with you today. I believe it consists of a well-informed opinion, rather than a feeling. And I thank you for your indulgence as I share it below.

My reason for supporting Kamala Harris over Donald Trump will probably sound old fashioned - but for me, it’s a matter of honor. Trump is not an honorable man. He was not honorable in his business dealings with contractors (I’m from a construction family, and we believe in paying our debts). He was not honorable in his dealings with women. He has been disingenuous in deflecting his responsibility for January 6. He did not honor the oath he took to defend the Constitution. That means he is not honorable in his relationship to our country, and what our country values: common human decency between people, a fair shake, equity of opportunity, freedom to conduct our lives as we deem fit. None of us live up fully to our national ideals of course - that’s why they are “ideals” rather than “truths.” But I believe that the heart of the American experiment beats with honorable intent, and Donald Trump does not have honor in his heart. 

Kamala Harris, in sharp contrast, is an honorable person. She is forthright in her understanding and enforcement of the law, she will surround herself with different voices speaking to the many different experiences we all have as Americans. I believe she can chart a new way forward, a path of reconciliation and progress for our nation. I haven’t always agreed with everything that has happened under the Biden administration, but I do believe that Joe Biden has led a life of honor and public service, and I see Kamala Harris as having a role in the stability and growth that our country has enjoyed over the past four years. 

I’m a member of Generation X, a famously cynical generation. But cynicism is, perhaps paradoxically, the tender underbelly of idealism. I don’t think Kamala Harris is perfect. But to my mind, she doesn’t have to be. She has to have character. She has to believe in the promise of our nation, to really believe in it, and to be willing to take risks to preserve what we have all been trying to build for the last 250 years. 

I believe that Kamala Harris is the only honorable choice for president of the United States. 

So what’s next?

Halloween is coming up! A couple of weeks ago I was on the official Marvel podcast talking about witches. On Thursday I will be speaking to The Breakfast Show on Voice of Islam Radio about the Salem witch trials, and probably about the dangers of scapegoating in religious extremism. Fun!

Then I’ll take my son trick or treating. He was going as a werewolf, but now he’s waffling.

Then, on Tuesday November 5 I will vote for Kamala Harris for President.

On Saturday, November 16, I’ll be back in Cincinnati for Books by the Banks, which is always delightful.

My thanks for your forbearance with a political post today. My hope is that, whatever happens next week, we can come together for a peaceful, just, and free future. Which is, after all, what we all want - and presumably, how we all feel.