WASHINGTON: Characterising her opposition Donald Trump as an “unserious” self-seeker and asserting her nationalist credentials, US vice-president Kamala Harris on Thursday became the first woman of color and of Indian-origin to take a big group presidential nomination in British history.
In doing so, Harris proudly harked back to the quest of her expat South Indian mom Shyamala Gopalan, while reassured voters that, in contrast to a rival she described as cynical, selfish, and risky for the United States, she had “put country above party and self.”
” On behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, sex or the speech your aunt speaks. I accept your candidacy for president of the United States of America, my family, and everyone else who has ever set out on their own improbable journey, “in the name of the greatest nation on Earth,” Harris said in remarks intended to counteract violent attacks on her unusual descent while drawing a comparison with a competitor who has sought to dehumanize and otherize her.
The 38-minute address– one of the shortest, especially compared to Trump’s 92-minute peroration at his acceptance– never touched great oratorical heights. She cautioned America against re-electing an incendiary opponent who had caused” chaos and calamity” while he was in office and who would be even more dangerous in a second term while doing it with prosecutorial efficiency.
” Just imagine Donald Trump using the immense powers of the presidency of the United States, and how he would use them without any guardrails. She warned while presenting her self as a prosecutor who has only had one client throughout her entire career: the people.” Not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security.
Donald Trump is a unserious man in many ways, but the consequences of re-intending him to the White House are very serious. In a late night speech that kicked off a rousing four-day Democratic National Convention that unanimously and fervently endorsed her candidacy, Harris said that this is not only one of the most important of our lives, but it is also one of the most important in the life of our country.
In a nation where women elect more voters than men, the main topic on which Harris sought to attack her opponent was women’s reproductive rights. She warned that Trump and his allies would enact a nationwide abortion ban, restrict access to birth control, and enact a ban on medication, all of which riled American women from the liberal spectrum.
” And get this… he plans to create a national antiabortion coordinator. And force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions. Simply put, they are out of their minds”, Harris said, pledging, if elected president, to sign any bill to restore reproductive freedom that is passed by Congress.
The border crisis and national security are two other issues that Republicans have attacked her on, according to Harris. She pledged to secure the border in a way that lived up to “our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants,” and she would “never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals.” She also reiterated to voters that Trump had abandoned a bipartisan border bill for cynical electoral reasons.
Ceaseless attacks on her foreign origin appeared to compel Harris to strongly assert her love for America and its ideals, principles, and promises. She claimed that her opponents were constantly criticizing America and expressing their disapproval of it.
” Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach: Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are”, urging Americans “let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities”.
” We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in world history.” We must be deserving of this moment in the name of our children, our grandchildren, and all those who gave so much to fight for our freedom and liberty,” she continued, asking for their votes to “write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”
Harris family, including her sister Maya, who introduced her in a brief speech, her nephews and nieces, and her uncle G Balachandran ( her mother’s brother ), a former journalist with The Hindu, were present to support her, as were her friends and neighbors from the Oakland community she grew up in.
The largely liberal American media enjoyed the address, which had the expected resentment from Trump Republicans who found fault in everything she said, from the number of times she said” thank you” ( 27 ) to the standing ovation she received before she began her speech. Before being disconnected, Trump called in ten minutes after giving his preferred Fox News address, asking why she had n’t already done everything she had promised while serving as vice-president.
