Kamala Harris is less than 70 days away from potentially making history as not only the first female president of the United States, but also the first president of Black and South Asian descent.
At the Democratic Party convention last week, however, she made it clear that these firsts are not distinctions she needs to acknowledge, especially not in the face of an opponent whose platform leans heavily on “otherness.” In her acceptance speech, she didn’t mention her skin color at all, except to note that her father was from Jamaica, and she only used the word “woman” when referring to her mother, whom she described as a “brilliant, 5-foot-10 woman with an accent.”
Kamala Harris has recognized that this short, 100-day campaign gives her a chance to transcend her gender, her identity, and even her tenure as a low-profile vice president under a deeply unpopular president. It also allows her to remain deliberately vague on policy while still positioning herself as a representative of what is best in America.
Kamala, the 'Guardian'
Harris has realized that she has a chance to win on a platform of positivity, patriotism, and even joy. She wants to position herself, not opportunistically but realistically, as the protector of all Americans. As she has said, her only client during her career as a prosecutor and politician was “the people.” She is attempting to expand her rallying cry for “freedom”—which includes women’s rights over their bodies—to a broader canvas of freedom that encompasses even such disparate elements as sexual orientation, clean air, and creating an “economy of opportunity.” She is also making a credible claim to the mantle of presidentiality in the face of a former president who has been variously described as “weird,” “not serious,” and “crazy”—a characterization that seems plausible not only because of his record in office but also because he continues to exhibit those traits.
What circumstances have given her this opening? According to Annette Gordon-Reed, a professor of law and history at Harvard: “Many Americans want to feel good and positive about the political future of the country, given everything we’ve been through in the past decade,” referring not only to the terrible days of COVID, but also to the severe inflation and housing price increases under Biden, which have convinced many Americans that the economy is a disaster when in fact it has rarely been stronger.
'For All Americans'
In the “acceptance” portion of her 38-minute speech, Ms. Harris brilliantly captured that sentiment, even as she took a swipe at Trump: “Our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity in this election to move beyond the bitterness, the cynicism and the divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new path forward. Not as members of any party or faction, but as Americans… And let me just say, I know there are people watching tonight with different political views. And I want you to know that I pledge to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country before party and yourself. To uphold sacred the founding principles of America, from the rule of law to free and fair elections to the peaceful transition of power.
“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens; who is realistic, practical, and common sense; and who always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life's work.”
Ms. Harris and the Democrats arrived at the convention on a wave of “Kamalamania” since Biden took over. But they faced three formidable challenges at the event: introducing Kamala Harris to an audience that knew little about her; shifting Biden’s strategy from portraying Trump as an autocrat threatening democracy to framing him as something small but very dangerous; and, most important, convincing the roughly 10 percent of undecided and independent voters, in an otherwise nearly evenly divided electorate, to join their cause.
Most political observers in the United States, from across party lines, agree that the first two goals were achieved with remarkable skill at the convention. The jury is still out on the third and most crucial goal.
“We're not going back”
Ms. Harris began her speech by introducing her immigrant parents, but every reference to them focused on the values they taught Americans and hold dear. From her father: Be fearless. From her mother: Don’t complain about injustice—do something about it. Don’t do anything halfway. Make the most of the opportunities available to you, and be grateful for them. Never let anyone tell you who you are; let them see you.
Harris described Trump as “not serious,” while insisting that his success in the election would have very “serious” consequences. Overall, she positioned herself as a safer bet for the future of the US, using the words “forward” or “future” eight times in her speech and making “we are not going back” (a reference to Trump and his dystopia) her signature line.
Trump's Punishment
The undermining of Donald Trump was, as expected, a collective effort involving all the major speakers at the convention, notably Oprah Winfrey, the Clintons, and the Obamas. But no one did it better than Michelle Obama. She mentioned him only once, but she rocked the room with this line: “We will never benefit from the positive action of generational wealth.” And then the coup de grace: “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s looking for right now can be one of those black jobs?”—a telling reference to Trump’s remark at a meeting with black journalists that immigrants were taking “black jobs.”
Drawing on their own experience, the Obamas stressed that the election would be a close one and urged Democrats to seize every opportunity to shore up their vote. MAGA supporters are largely drawn from non-college-educated Gen X men, rural residents and religious people. Harris might reasonably hope that popular Minnesota Gov. Tim “Coach” Walz, her vice presidential nominee, can attract some of that vote in the three Rust Belt swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Oprah Winfrey explicitly addressed independents and undecided voters while also criticizing Trump. She essentially said that America is an ongoing project that requires dedication, values, character, decency, respect, common sense and mature conversation.
A centrist approach
Ms. Harris’s speech leaned noticeably toward the center on policy and attitude, with no extravagant promises on health care or the economy. Some observers even described the speech as leaning conservative, particularly in her pledge to restore the bipartisan, hardline border law that Mr. Trump had torpedoed.
There was little in the convention speeches, however, that would seriously challenge the widespread perception that Trump has the economy better under control or prompt a rethink among core MAGA supporters. Trump has sharp political instincts and, as a fervent believer in transactional politics, is not hesitant to abandon even the most steadfast ideological positions when the ground shifts. Seeing how the fallout from the Supreme Court’s abortion rights decision has given Democrats a clear edge among female voters, Trump has not only distanced himself from the extreme MAGA position of advocating a nationwide ban on abortion, but has also claimed that his election would be good for “reproductive rights.” He hasn’t elaborated how, but he has used terminology that pro-lifers abhor.
Why Democrats Are Hopeful
The hard fact remains that Trump is still ahead of Harris in five of the seven swing states that will determine the election. But Democrats are taking heart from three developments. First, the Democratic Party has begun to stem the tide of declining support among working-class, black and Latino Americans. Second, Harris has gained ground in at least two states and has closed the deficit in the other five states, all of which Biden trailed.
Finally, unlike Hillary Clinton, this contender is not underestimating Trump. Far from it. Knowing, as Obama called it, Trump’s “weird” fascination with crowd size, Harris and Walz campaigned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republicans had held their “Victory is Ours” convention in June, on Day 2 of the Democratic convention. And they chose the same location and drew a similarly large and enthusiastic crowd. And you can bet that Harris and Walz, unlike Clinton, will be campaigning aggressively in the swing states in the remaining days leading up to the November 5 election.
Something “magical” in the air
Republicans have called this period Harris' “honeymoon” and rightly predict that difficult days lie ahead for her. Her performance against Trump in the September 10 debate will have a significant impact on undecided and independent voters. The American media will be eager to scrutinize her when she gives her first press conference or detailed interview as the Democratic candidate. Her bid for the party's nomination in 2020 was effectively derailed by a disastrous press interview.
Democrats were in deep despair after Biden’s poor performance in the debate with Trump in late June. They could not have known that this disaster was the best thing that could happen to them: it pushed Biden out and, unexpectedly for Trump, brought in Kamala, who went all out and surprised everyone with her style and cunning. When Michelle Obama says today that there is something “magic” in the air, even Republicans are beginning to recognize it.
As Republican strategist Mark Mackinnon put it: “This feels like something completely different is happening. And I don't know what it is yet, but you know, just the circumstances, the timing, the compressed election, the nomination — it feels, looks, smells like something completely different. I don't know what it is. That's the problem. We'll see.”
We are curious.
(Ajay Kumar is a senior journalist. He is former Managing Editor, Business Standard, and former Executive Editor, The Economic Times.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
