Let’s be clear, Kamala Harris’ intellect, character, her policy goals (broad support for the poor, the middle class and needy elderly; a more fair tax structure; continued support for NATO and democratic governments everywhere; improvement and continued support of the Affordable Care Act; and broad support for essential environmental and regulatory controls) did not sink her candidacy for the office of president.

Instead, notwithstanding the fact that the current U.S. economy is the strongest of any industrialized nation in the world, unemployment is low, and overall inflation has sharply declined, three factors in my view, drawn from the unspoken underbelly of the nation’s biases, sank Ms. Harris’ candidacy.

She is a woman (women can’t be president). She is Black. And, she supports the rights of all people, including LGBTQ persons.

In pursuit of policy goals, almost directly the opposite of Ms. Harris’ goals, many wealthy individuals, large corporations and right-wing strategists subtly (and not so subtly) appealed to the nation’s biases. They did so without regard to objective facts and scientific truths. It worked. We have elected an authoritarian president and clothed him with potentially dispositive legislative support for at least the next two years.

Whether our democracy (as flawed as it seems to some), our economy, our freedoms, our espoused values will survive this dramatic shift to a more authoritarian government, not burdened by verifiable facts and scientific data, remains to be seen. But a quick look at similar governments around the world does not augur well.

Orlando Delogu
Portland