The Emergence of Kamala Harris

Whatever the outcome of this election – and I damn well hope Democrats win – Kamala Harris deserves America’s thanks.  She’s been called stupid, a whore and the C word, and asked if she’s really black.  She’s been dissed by some Democrats I know as a tepid candidate, not quite the lesser of two evils since the other guys is so evil but nonetheless maybe not quite up to the job of being our next president and maybe not the best candidate who might have led the Democratic ticket.

I’d like to say something else: “Thank you, Kamala.” You were forced into a presidential race at breakneck speed by a president who had no business seeking a second term and by a White House staff that presumably helped hide that fact. You had to deal with racism and sexism that were inevitable for anyone nominated to be the first black woman to lead a major party in the race for the presidency. And you had to do all of this while running against a cult figure I can’t describe as anything other than a mob boss, who threatens people, and lies often and with impunity. And yet you, Kamala, are on the brink of history, the cusp of victory.

Kamala Harris is a class act. She’s a tireless worker. She’s smart and tough. And she’s grown tremendously as a campaigner over the last three months.  On Friday night I heard her deliver one of her closing campaign speeches at a rally in Milwaukee. I hadn’t listened to her give a speech since the Democratic convention, when she was good but not as good as convention stars like the Obamas, who always are a tough act to follow.

What I saw last night is a candidate who has grown. She revealed more of herself. She talked more to her audience. She seemed more forceful and more confident. She drew sharp lines between herself and her opponent. She repeated her oft-used line that her opponent would arrive on Day 1 with his list of grievances and she would arrive on Day 1 with her to-do list. I like it.

I turned off my television genuinely excited at the prospect of a Harris presidency.  It is indeed time, as she says, to turn the page. It is indeed time for a new generation of leadership.  And, though she never stresses this, it’s way past time for a woman to occupy the Oval Office.

I don’t want to be Pollyanna-ish.  At the start of her campaign, Kamala Harris took too long to sit down with reporters. She tends to be cautious about showing herself. And she doesn’t always light up the room as a speaker.  But she tore Donald Trump to shreds in their single debate, so much so that he refused to engage in any others. She has emerged beautifully as a “real person,” someone with whom it would be fun to go to a concert or have a beer (though maybe she prefers wine).  And she has given this race her all, timing endorsements, drawing in strong supportive campaigners, speaking from her heart as well as the teleprompter.

Now it’s up to the American people. There’s no way this race should be this close. That, however, is the fault of the American public, not the Democratic candidate.

Jerry Lanson is a part-time writing coach at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is a professor emeritus from Emerson College.