Citizens are granted an opportunity by Harris to shape history's course
The initial Black female to bag a significant party nomination on Thursday depicted her "unforeseen journey" to the Democratic nomination as a catalyst to propel the nation to a fresh phase, following several years marred by its deep-rooted divisions.
This vice president, who was deemed an unlikely candidate merely five weeks back, outlined a clear choice for voters during a determined and patriotic Democratic National Convention speech in Chicago.
Americans have the option of embracing "disorder and destruction" in a new term under Trump, whom she labeled as an "unserious individual" who nonetheless poses a "serious threat" to democracy and fundamental American freedoms.
Or, she suggested, the nation can reaffirm its values, which she described in detailing her upbringing as the daughter of immigrants, nurtured by an affectionate California community, embodying the principles of "Freedom. Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And innumerable opportunities."
In lieu of Trump's "American catastrophe" and threats of retribution, Harris is presenting herself as the spark for America's innate ability to regenerate itself. The vice president leveraged her past as a prosecutor, vowing to always put "the people first" while accusing the Republican nominee of serving "his only client: Himself."
"With this election, our nation has a rare and evanescent opportunity to surpass the bitterness, skepticism, and divisive disputes of yesteryears," she said.
"So, let's proceed out there and fight for it. Let's proceed out there and vote for it. And collectively, let's compose the subsequent great chapter in the most extraordinary tale ever written."
However, Harris, the sudden front-runner aspirant spearheading the Democratic ticket, is not just offering a breather from Trump. She is also conjuring possibilities beyond Biden.
Overwhelmed by the ravages of aging at the CNN debate in Atlanta, the 81-year-old president struggled to convincingly articulate the future or present himself as the impetus for change that numerous Americans yearn for.
Harris, who is striving to seize her moment despite a vice presidency that seldom soared, had previously failed to demonstrate that she could be a transformational political figure.
However, Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPac, a Black-led advocacy organization, explained that Harris was offering a chance for "America to transcend its best self" after years of discord. "What are our aspirations? Who do we regard ourselves as? How do we perceive the highest ideals of this country in terms of a multi-racial democracy?"
"It's been eight years of turmoil, of destabilization, and Joe Biden became a transitional phase. And I believe what we are witnessing right now (is) that people are saying, 'We can surpass the worst version of ourselves,' which they attribute to the Trump campaign and the Republican Party," Shropshire said in an interview.
How five weeks can alter the race
Harris departs from her convention with a jubilant, united party in her wake. Democrats are energized by the transformation of the ticket, backed by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has become America's coach.
Trump concluded his own nominating party a month ago, convinced that his law-defying White House comeback bid was on track. However, Harris' rise poses significant problems for him, as he grapples with her crowds and laments his disappearing polling leads but refuses to abandon insult politics for the issues that could secure him the White House once more.
However, all conventions are self-reinforcing bubbles. For Democrats, preaching joy and partying with celebrities is a risk with many people suffering after years of high prices, economic insecurity, and as America's foreign adversaries mock its strength.
Harris and Democrats offered hope, happiness, and harmony, with pledges of reduced prices and more housing.
However, her convention was also a spectacle of style over substance. Harris, who has thus far avoided one-on-one interviews and swing state town halls, hasn't explained how she'd expand healthcare access, reduce the cost of prescription drugs, provide affordable housing, curb corporate greed, or safeguard the environment. Voters now know more about second gentleman Doug Emhoff's rambling voicemail before their blind date and Walz's high school football plays than how Harris would counter China.
That policy vacuum, as well as the contempt for Trump that permeated the convention for four days, might provide a lifeline to the Republican campaign and the hopes of an ex-president who transformed victimhood and a persecution complex into a powerful political force. He is aiming to portray Harris' proposed use of government to shape social outcomes and cap grocery store prices as Venezuela-style socialism.
"That dark message doesn't fit at all with the idea that somehow the Democrats are the joyful party," Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told CNN's Jake Tapper Wednesday. "There's a lot of attacks on Donald Trump, a lot of criticism of what he's done and what he's said. Not a whole lot of positive vision for how Kamala Harris is going to fix the problems that plague the country."
It's essential for campaigns to be truthful about policy — not just so voters know what they are voting for, but to establish a foundation for the presidency that Harris wants to lead once the euphoria of the campaign subsides.
However, elections are also won by emotion, poetry, and candidates who offer themselves as inspirational vessels on which voters can imprint their aspirations. This year, a message that provides voters with a means to end Trump's eight years of daily assaults on the national psyche may help Harris surpass the 50%-plus threshold needed to win the White House — a level the GOP nominee has never reached.
Despite the celebration in the air at the United Center this week, the ghost of past defeats lingers, especially the 2016 loss of previous nominee Hillary Clinton to Trump. Senior Democrats cautioned that victory doesn't always translate to votes. Former President Bill Clinton, still traumatized by the election that could've made his wife president, warned, "We've seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn't happen."
Similarly, former President Barack Obama advised Democrats against belittling Trump's supporters, referring to his 2016 "deplorables" remark. He said, "If a family member or acquaintance occasionally says something that makes us uncomfortable, we don't label them as bad people immediately. We understand that the world is evolving quickly, and they may require time and encouragement to catch up."
Democrats will see their convention as a success.
For three days, the Democratic party's former presidents, first ladies, and rising stars painted a portrait of Harris, who once flipped burgers in college, as a champion of the working and middle classes. They showcased a blend of enthusiasm and resilience in their nominee, who, along with her small-town Midwestern running mate Walz, connects with ordinary Americans and understands their unexpected expenses when filling their grocery carts.
The convention also allowed Biden to step aside, avoiding damaging splits and completing a generational shift. While on vacation in California, Biden has largely remained silent, allowing Harris to emerge as a powerful political figure and run as a champion of change, even within an embattled administration.
The atmosphere inside the hall symbolized a sense of political liberation following Biden's departure. It also highlighted a growing number of young, diverse, and female leaders that Harris will need to engage with her base voters in November. By keeping pro-Palestinian demonstrations at a distance, Democrats avoided repeating the chaos of the 1968 Chicago convention and thwarted Republican narratives of a divided nation.
New developments in a tightly contested race
The convention's last three days were meticulously scripted, revealing critical shifts in an unpredictable campaign marred by courtroom dramas, an assassination attempt, and a tumultuous presidency.
Democrats reconfigured their case against Trump for the final stretch. While Biden focused on Trump's supposed anti-democratic tendencies that corrode "the nation's soul," the Obamas and the Clintons ridiculed Trump as small and petty, unworthy of a vote.
Obama, solidifying his grip on the party, dismissed Trump's societal impact as relentlessly noisy, akin to an annoying neighbor perpetually running his leaf blower. "From a neighbor, that's exhausting. From a president, it's dangerous." Former first lady Michelle Obama labeled Trump as a product of wealthy White affirmative action who misunderstood that the presidency "might be a 'Black job.'" Veteran Bill Clinton, celebrating his 78th birthday in Chicago, took the age debate to task, exploiting Trump's advanced age in contrast to his youthfulness.
The Chicago gathering also hardened the party's doctrine, countering Republican accusations that it's veering toward a Venezuelan-style socialist state, by adopting conservative and libertarian language to redefine "freedom." Democrats view "freedom" as encompassing the rights that conservatism has encroached upon – reproductive and voting rights, as well as the liberty to attend school without fear of gun violence.
The most formidable challenges in recent years have been the harsh repercussions of the pandemic and high inflation fueled by some of the Biden administration's emergency relief programs.
Harris criticized supermarket giants, solidifying her populist economic strategy aimed at mitigating her biggest weakness – her perceived responsibility for high inflation during the Biden administration – and at reaching out to rural working-class voters and suburban voters who may decide swing state elections.
However, the economy, like immigration, remains a flaw in Harris's campaign, hence the ongoing tightness of the race. Walz warned Wednesday, "Team, it's the fourth quarter. We're behind by a field goal. But we're on offense and have the ball."
Now, with the convention concluded, Harris must prove she can transform into a singular political figure worthy of the accolades she received for the last four days and lead her party to victory. The next major test comes on September 10 during her critical first debate with Trump.
To quote the advertising slogan that personified Michael Jordan, the legendary athlete who spoke at the site of this test, it's now time for Harris and her supporters to "Just do it."
In the midst of her victorious Democratic National Convention speech, Kamala Harris challenged Americans to choose between embracing disorder and destruction under Trump or reaffirming their values, highlighting her upbringing as a child of immigrants and emphasizing the principles of Freedom, Opportunity, Compassion, Dignity, and Fairness.
Harris's mention of these ideals demonstrates her commitment to promoting a unified, multi-racial democracy and transcending the nations best self, as noted by BlackPac executive director Adrianne Shropshire, following years of discord.
There you have it, two sentences containing the word 'politics'.
