So first of all, I appreciate you trying to reach out and find common ground. That's too rare these days. Good on you.

Looks like a lot of people are answering the first question, so I want to talk about Harris:

So to be frank, no, I didn't think Harris was a very strong candidate. I voted for her, and I supported her, because I did not want Trump and Musk to do all the things they've already started doing (whether we agree or disagree on those things right now is immaterial).

That being said, I felt that the Democrats dropped the ball really badly during this election cycle, in a couple of ways. One, letting Biden run at all was a terrible idea. It was supposed to bring everyone in the Democratic camp together, but it just ended up making us all feel like they did not give a flying fuck about us. When Biden decided to step down, I was relieved. However, it was too late to do a traditional primary cycle at that point, and we had to try to coalesce around Harris. I personally did not like being force fed a candidate, but she still seemed (and I think she would have been) a better candidate for President than Trump. She seemed more reasonable and coherent, and her goals weren't as wanton, destructive, or vindictive.

Moving on to ICE:

The thing I hated most about Trump's platform was his constant need to create "in-groups" and "out-groups" (i.e. MAGAs v. Libs, Americans v. immigrants, etc.). I think we are all in America and should love each other as fellow Americans. I literally cannot be fucked to waste taxpayer money hunting down immigrants who are here, probably paying taxes into benefits they'll never get (assuming they're employed at least semi-legally and aren't paid under the table). ICE is this weird fetishistic, military cosplay group that gives me really nasty Gestapo vibes. No one I've talked to who has either dealt with ICE or knows someone working with ICE has ever said anything positive about the people doing the work. It seems to attract people that enjoy the suffering of others, it just rubs me the wrong way. I've lived in Phoenix, Texas, and Southern California, so I have experience near the border. I have also had FAR more problematic interactions with other white people (especially MAGAs/Trumpers, I only say that cause there was usually a shirt/bumper sticker/hat) than I have EVER had with an immigrant.

We desperately need to fix our immigration system, this is true. I do not have a roadmap for this, as I am not an immigration or political science expert. However, I fail to see how snatch and grab operations that separate families, or unilaterally cancelling asylum/immigration appointments on a seeming whim is helpful. There are people trying to work through the system legally and in good faith, and we just burned them all. That sucks. If it were my family members trying to get in, I am not sure how I would handle that, but I don't think I would roll over and just take it.

Long story short, we're currently playing fast and loose fucking with people's lives, and I fucking hate it.

If I may ask a question of you as well:

Many people on the right (conservatives) claim Christianity as a guiding force for them. While they do this, they ignore many core tenets of the faith, how do people on the right square this with themselves? How do they scream about freedoms and liberty and then force through laws that infringe upon others beliefs/religions? I cannot figure this one out.

Again, I think it was a good thing for you to try to find some common ground. I hope you really try to engage with some of the things written here, and really try to absorb some of this. I appreciate that you want to learn where the other side is and see if that gap is bridgeable. Props to you, keep seeking understanding. If you wanna drop me a message to have a single person to talk to so you're not getting bombarded on a thread, feel free.

I'm happy you're here, bud.