The glistening white smile of the woman born to an African father and an Indian mother who was annointed the vice president of the United States just four years ago is surely something everybody will have noticed. It fuelled a spate of online memes, gifs, and clips. “Kamala is brat” bawled the famous singer charli xcx the day after she was nominated by President Biden after the latter took the (late) decision to step down. A jubilant Kamala Harris grooving with some pretty intricate steps to the beats of a catchy music with kids playing around is something that’ll delight the eye. If officially nominated by the Democratic Party (which warrants the Obamas’ endorsement who unusually have been holding out) she’ll be the first Black, Afro-American, Indian-American woman to be nominated. And if the results are kind to her on November 4th, she may well make history.
Critics describe her as being ‘dangerously liberal’. One of ultra-conservatives’ biggest obsessions, abortion laws, will ratchet up straight to the top of her agenda by virtue of her being a woman alone. Harsher voices in the liberal mainstream allege that she lacks the charisma to take on Trump. And crucially that she lacks time to consolidate the voter base of the Democratic party. While there’s a partial truth to these claims, it is not unresolvable. She may lack the charisma of a political personality but she has the intelligence and vigour to demolish the lies of the 80-edging demagogue. Her qualities as a litigator and a prosecutor will come in handy in the fiery debates we can expect between the two candidates in the months to come.
Another shortcoming perceived by the skeptical few within the democratic party is that since she hails from a state, California, that is a democratic stronghold, that she does not bring a swing state with her. This will have to be remedied by being cautious about the vice-presidential pick. John Shapiro, the popular governor of Pennsylvania, is best placed to take up the candidature.
“You think you fell out of a coconut tree?” is one of her popular phrases that became viral after a speech she gave in 2023 in which she talks about how her mother “gave them [the kids] a hard time”. At one point, on a philosophical note, she said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people, you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you,” — which on the face of it is accurate, despite netizens bleating about her speech being ‘crazy’. At a broader level, we’re also shaped by the socio-political-cultural context we were born into. Like light shining through the chink of a curtain, it gives us a peak into her identity and the struggles she has had to deal with to make it to where she is today.
Critics like the British Etonian public-school-boy Rory Stewart will make a fuss about her candidacy being ‘coronated’ of sorts. That argument is a tad underwhelming primarily due to the paucity of time. Holding an open contest in search of a nominee would in fact throw the party into a disarray, scrambling for funds with no time being devolved to the actual presidential campaign, while Donald Trump gets all the time in the world to consolidate his base.
Had Biden stepped down in March, the circumstances would’ve looked different, paving the way for the new candidate to fully establish themselves in the scene, like Lyndon Johnson did several decades ago. A reluctant Joe Biden for well over two weeks had been defying calls from prominent members of the party and donors to step down from the race who had been (rightly) concerned about his fitness to run for the office. Four months is not a lot of time, but can reap results if utilised to counter the threat posed by Trump and the ultra-conservative Republicans through effective information-based campaigning. For Trump, lies galore, and truth is the only formidable weapon, at least in this writer’s perspective, that can trump lies. While we sink to our couches to see what becomes of the Democratic party’s official candidature, it’s Kamala Harris’ time, at least for now. There’s much to take pride in, and much to be relieved about, again, at least for now.
The Unsaturated Reader 