by It was not a political address for years. It wasn’t even the best part of the convention (no one can compete with the Obamas). But Kamala Harris did enough in her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday to signal the terror of one of the most dramatic changes in modern political history.
And she let you know that you wouldn’t want to be Donald Trump in front of her in next month’s televised debate. However, a speech that was short on policy and poetry was disastrous to extinguish the threat from Mar-a-Lago. Trump can expect the same kind of question when the two go to one that would make most deaths tremble.
A little more than a month after Joe Biden dropped out of the race and handed her the baton, it was the most important speech of Harris’ career as she sought to build on the momentum of large crowds, fundraising and viral phenomena recorded on the social media. Much in the shadow of Biden as vice president, the main objective was to make the American public comfortable with the notion that President Harris would regularly appear on their screens.
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The Democratic national convention in Chicago did a great job on that score with four days of high-energy speakers extolling Harris as a woman who is driven by service and the fight against injustice that the middle class struggle finds. Confident, elegant, strong and energetic, she put the icing on the cake, although perhaps not a substantial meal in itself.
All seats were taken in the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. and several delegates turned out at the door. Inside: a sea of humanity from all 50 states, diverse and multigenerational, from teenagers voting for the first time to party elders who thought they’d seen it, some wearing their best suits and ties, some other casual in t-shirts and regalia. Among them were TV crews and photographers, security guards and stewards The mood: eager, hopeful, ecstatic, determined to blow the roof off.
Wearing navy and a wide smile, Harris emerged on the blue carpet stage at 9.31pm to thunderous cheers. She would see thousands of tall, narrow “Kamala” signs bouncing up and down and narrow bands flashing red, white and blue in the dark. She was also able to see, in the front row, her husband Doug Emhoff and stepdaughter Ella Emhoff wiping tears from their eyes as they sang “Kamala! Kamala!” and “USA! USA!” forward.
Harris followed the playbook of so many names before her, sketching out a personal biography that humanizes and strikes a chord, one that embraces patriotism and American uniqueness, promising to be a president for all Americans regardless of their affiliation.
But she shifted the upper hand on the case against Trump. Recalling how Trump sent an armed crowd to the US Capitol to overturn his election victory, she warned: “Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails. How would he use the enormous powers of the presidency of the United States. Not improving your life. Without strengthening our national security. But to serve the only client he ever had: himself.”
And in a segment on foreign policy, Harris promised: “I will not be comfortable between the tyrants and the dictators like Kim Jong-un, who are confronting Trump because they know he is easy to handle with with admiration and favor … in the ongoing struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand – and where the United States of America stands.”
The rise of Harris was amazing. Some observers were left wondering: how did a vice president who seemed to be blocking him, who served word salads and an approval rating even lower than Biden, burst onto the scene like no one since the days of Barack Obama?
There are three answers. First of all, there is Democratic relief that she is not 81 years old Biden, whose bad debate performance in June showed that he was shuffling towards an inevitable defeat.
Harris, 59, instantly neutralized and armed the Republicans’ age argument (Trump is 78, the oldest nominee in history). She is enjoying the best of both worlds, probably being both a holder and an agent of change.
Second, it turns out that, like many women of color before her, Harris has been underappreciated and undervalued all this time. Yes, she had a rocky first year with a departing team and nothing less than exciting interviews about southern border security. But Biden’s allies now admit she was exposed and could have done more to help her.
Related: Kamala Harris’ big moment, and a message of hope: key takeaways from the last night of the Democratic convention
Anita Dunn, a former senior adviser to Biden, told the Washington Post newspaper: “I didn’t feel we served her as well as we could have at the beginning – and not through any malice, not because people weren’t asking her. succeeded. There wasn’t the level of understanding that she’s getting a different judgement, she’s getting a different coverage. Most vice presidents are not covered as she was, with the same level of scrutiny.”
But in 2022, when the supreme court majority reversed Roe v Wade, guaranteeing the constitutional right to abortion, Harris found her calling – and her voice. She toured the country honing her message, often speaking to students at universities under the radar of the national media. She steadily built alliances that are now coming in. None of them were surprised when she came out on top with convincing performances at campaign rallies.
Third, politics is about timing and Harris seems to be the right candidate at the right time. In 2016, there was concern, grievance and blue-collar resentment because of Trump’s actions. In 2020, Biden’s compassion and personal experience of grief came at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2024, Harris is offering a Trump-weary nation joy instead of fear, bullying instead of gloom, smiles instead of scowl. She comes with a promise to Make America Fun Again.
“With this election, our nation has a precious opportunity, a vessel to move beyond the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past,” Harris told the convention. “An opportunity to chart a new path forward. Not as members of any party or faction, but as Americans.”
These factors help explain why Harris has risen in the polls in her first month. But that was the easy part. As both former presidents Obama and Bill Clinton warned during the convention, the election is far from over: energy must be converted into votes. Not high enough sugar.
The pressure will increase on Harris to get more specific information on policies that could target Republicans, and to explain his changed position on many issues – what is Harris-ism? Can she bask in the historic legislative achievements of the Biden administration while shrugging off the negative baggage of her masters?
There are already signs of change: where Biden talks about jobs and GDP growth, Harris talks about the cost of living; where Biden painstakingly focused on Trump’s threat to democracy, Harris emphasizes “freedom”, even in her use of a Beyonce song; where Biden painted Trump as a diabolical big man, this week’s convention mocked his smallness, his ridiculousness and yes, his weirdness.
Then there is the issue of Gaza, which is simmering at every convention. Harris carefully expressed strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself but also a vision of a future in which the Palestinian people can “realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination”. The usual hall erupted in long cheers.
As a San Francisco lawyer, Harris will face accusations of elitism from Republicans, just as Hillary Clinton did eight years ago, exacerbated by her dismissal of Trump supporters as “bad news.” The convention worked hard to neutralize that by emphasizing Harris’ modesty, including stints at McDonald’s, and her support of unions.
Harris said on Thursday: “We were mostly raised by my mother. Before she could finally afford to buy a house, she rented a small apartment in the East Bay. In the Bay, you live in the hills or the flatlands. We lived in the flats – a lovely working-class neighborhood with firefighters, nurses and construction workers, all proud of their lawn.”
Midwesterner Tim Walz, a former teacher whose students did not attend Yale, peppered his speech Wednesday with references to his time as an American football coach.
With identity politics at odds, Harris made no reference to the historic nature of her bid as the first Black woman and the first Asian American to be nominated by a major party. It was very different from Clinton eight years ago when she promised to “break that highest and hardest glass ceiling”.
Harris’ speech lasted 37 minutes – just over a third of Trump’s at the Republican convention last month. There wasn’t a particularly memorable line, but that didn’t matter. Stars and Stripes were in the crowd. A cascade of red, white and blue balloons and confetti descended. “Kamala” and “DNC 2024” exploded on digital screens.
Emhoff, the Walzes and other family members joined Harris, who hasn’t stepped foot since Biden dropped out. While the Republican convention felt like a cult of personality, this felt like a collective effort.
“Now,” tweeted David Plouffe, a senior adviser to the Harris campaign, “let’s go win a fucking thing.”
