By Carol Lucas
In a previous column I wrote of my dismay regarding Joe Biden’s having been so readily tossed aside; I even went so far as to lament that Democrats seemed all too ready to devour their own while Republicans stood by their felonious candidate like a mother bear guarding her cubs.
That was on Sunday evening, shortly after President Biden had stepped down and given his endorsement to Kamala Harris. I concluded that piece by saying that I hoped my party had not given up wisdom and experience for expediency. Little did I know how wrong I was.
As I watched the news unroll night after night, I soon came to realize that my concern was unfounded. Perhaps it was when I was talking to my younger daughter that this reality struck home. She said to me, “Don’t you find yourself feeling better all of a sudden? Isn’t there just an all-around feeling of relief and even levity?”
Bingo! She had hit the nail squarely on the head. I wasn’t as gloomy, and there wasn’t that unspoken concern hovering close by. Instead it was the sense of a fresh start, a new beginning.
I admit to apprehension when President Biden announced his support for the Vice President. He could simply have stepped aside and let the upcoming convention make the decisionc– an open convention is what some were calling for. Instead, he avoided a free-for-all (something the Republicans would have relished) by letting those of us who were behind this man know where his confidence was placed.
And so, like the Harris campaign, my newfound relief gained momentum. The energy and excitement became tsunami-like as more and more people threw their support to Kamala, and I, as a reluctant supporter in the beginning, began to research this seemingly human dynamo.
Who is Kamala Harris?
Well, quoting Donald Trump in his latest debacle when he addressed a black journalist’s gathering, “Is she Indian or is she Black?” He falsely claimed that Harris, who has long identified as Black and attended a historically Black university, used to identify as Indian and then, “all of a sudden, she made a turn, and she became a Black person.”
No only is this a lie (what’s new?), but how intelligent was that comment, given this particular venue? Harris has never tried to dodge her heritage, always making clear that her mother is Indian and her father is Jamaican. Yet Trump insists upon beating the race drum, despite the fact that many in his campaign are telling him to drop it and focus on her time in California government. Of course, we all know that Trump considers himself to be “the stable genius,” so why should he pay attention to what his campaign is suggesting?
And then there was the comment by J.D. Vance, you know, the candidate who isn’t quite sure of his own identity (see my article last week). He determined that the current Vice President is a D.E.I hire. I had to research that one because I had no clue what these letters put together mean. I found they mean diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the implication that the person is chosen, not for his or her ability and intelligence, but rather for skin color. Ah, racism, thy name is MAGA! Please note that I didn’t say conservative.
So, let’s begin by recognizing this woman for her credentials. That she is a well-known, accomplished prosecutor in California must surely be a threat to Donald Trump for many reasons, not the least being her ability to articulate under pressure. Of course the man has been confronted by so many successful prosecutors in the last year, one might understand this nightmare effect.
The whole debate issue is fodder for another article, given the latest so-called counterproposal Trump has put forward … Fox hosted and with an audience. My, how that man does love his MAGA audience! But again, I digress.
The positions the Vice President has held reflect that of a woman who should not be disregarded, a woman of color who has risen to the top. In an unprecedented move, she was named DA of San Francisco, a position she held for six years before being named Attorney General of California in 2010. In 2017, she became a U.S. Senator in a run-off election, and in 2019, she briefly mounted a campaign for President before dropping out. Her ascension to the Vice Presidency then became the stepping stone to her bid for the highest position in our government.
That position is one that generally relegates the occupant to a stand-by position. However, Kamala Harris has been one of the more involved Vice Presidents in recent history.
Here is a quick look at what Harris has generated according to USA TODAY.
She was at the forefront of the administration’s pursuit to codify voting rights protections. She pushed for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would have extended the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and required federal approval for some local election law changes.
In response to immigration concerns, Harris’ call to action was the public-private partnership Central America Forward (CAF). The idea behind CAF is to support the creation of “local” jobs and other measures in order to slow the flow of mass migration, thereby providing better jobs at home.
She began a Fight for Reproductive Freedoms, making a national tour that included visitation to Planned Parenthood, something no President or Vice President has ever done while in office.
In September 2023, Biden established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to reduce gun violence, overseen by Harris, as announced by the White House.
In 2023, Harris and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin to celebrate the announcement of new electronics equipment production made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Investing in America” agenda and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
So yes, my dear daughter, I do feel a sense of relief; laughter has thankfully returned, including the raucous laughter of Kamala that so many want to deride when there is nothing else to mock.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
