Harris’s Indian-Jamaican-American story will compete with Trump’s, whose pitch has been protectionist globally and revanchist in terms of diversity and immigration.
It’s a distinctly American story.” Maya Harris’s words captured a multi-generational journey that culminated on August 22 with her sister becoming only the second woman presidential candidate in the US, and the first person of Indian origin to rise to that level. As she accepted the nomination and spoke on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Kamala Harris spoke of her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, of how, as a 19-year-old Indian student, she came to America, married Kamala’s Jamaican father and instilled in her daughter the values that have marked an incredibly successful — and for many, inspirational — career in public life. Through her story, Vice President Harris framed that elusive notion that draws so many to the US — the American dream. She sought to frame her background and her identity in a way that reflects a diverse nation. Her achievement is certainly a milestone for the Indian diaspora — when Harris was coming of age, a half-Indian woman president would have been difficult to imagine. She spoke of choosing unity over divisiveness and sought to reach out to the White working middle-class — a chunk of this vote is now thought to be rallying behind Donald Trump: “I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”
There is little doubt that Harris has enthused the Democratic party, and energised its base, more deeply perhaps than at any time since Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. Only five weeks ago, when President Joe Biden was the presumptive nominee, it seemed that the Democrats were flailing as they tried to present an ageing incumbent as a serious challenger to Trump. Opinion polls now have Harris and Trump neck-and-neck, with some giving a slight edge to the VP. Harris’s attacks on Trump at the DNC, however, undercut her attempts to reach across the aisle. The well-rehearsed demonising of Trump with familiar rhetoric was predictably well-received among Democrats. But for those who voted for him and those who still support him, there was little that was persuasive, with one exception: On reproductive rights, Harris was clear about the dangers posed to women — physical, emotional and mental — by the overturning of Roe v Wade. It is an issue that affects voters across class divides, race and even politics. The Republicans’ and US Supreme Court’s curbing of women’s bodily autonomy is widely seen as one of the major reasons for the Republicans’ poor performance in the mid-terms.
Kamala Harris has a little over two months to convince “undecided” Americans. Her campaign will now enter what her running mate Tim Walz — a former American football high school coach and public school teacher — called the “fourth quarter… with the ball in our hand on offence”. Harris’s Indian-Jamaican-American story will compete with Trump’s, whose pitch has been protectionist globally and revanchist in terms of diversity and immigration. But Trump, too, appeals to those who feel left behind. Walz, in his speech, sought to reach out to a larger audience by framing freedom as standing together as citizens, even with those you disagree with. Going forward, Harris will need to build on his theme.
