Kamala Harris, the “happy warrior,” leaves Chicago for the White House

ChicagoKamala Harris emerged triumphant from Chicago in her goal of consolidating the almost total support of the Democratic Party for her presidential campaign and with an animated base that includes not only party activists but also several of the most recognized political and cultural figures in her country.

The now vice president was dubbed “the happy warrior” who offers a younger voice and a vision of “what is possible” if elected, in contrast to the dark and sinister message of her opponent Donald Trump.

Beyond her message, her candidacy is by definition historic: she is the first black woman to run for president and, after this convention and the positive turn in electoral trends so far, she will possibly be the first female president.

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On this fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, speakers, videos and stories were devoted to the story of a daughter of immigrant parents — a Jamaican father and an Indian mother — who was raised in California and Canada, worked at a McDonald’s to pay her way through law school, became a prosecutor in San Francisco and then attorney general of California, became a stepmother to her husband Doug Emhoff’s children, then was elected U.S. senator to become the first woman and person of African descent to be vice president.

“In this election, our nation has a precious and fleeting opportunity to move beyond the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” Harris said. “Not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans.”

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Speaking outside the United Center arena, home of the famed Bulls basketball team, Harris said: “I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, who is practical, who has common sense and who will always fight for the American people. From the courts to the White House, that has been my life’s work.”

Before the choirs of Ka-ma-la, Ka-ma-la The vice president returned to her script, which had just been released just a month ago when she was proclaimed candidate, but was already well-rehearsed, reminding everyone of her experience as a firm but compassionate prosecutor, who knows how to confront criminals, men who abuse women, businessmen who steal – obvious references to her opponent Donald Trump. And repeating the phrases that have become a slogan of the campaign: “When we fight, we win.”

As has been the case throughout this convention, policy proposals were light on detail, ranging from defense of abortion rights, housing assistance, support for union rights and tax cuts for the middle class. That strategy is on purpose, analysts and advisers here say. “There is a political calculation to remain deliberately ambiguous on a number of the core issues,” one analyst and political adviser to the candidate said in an interview with The Day.

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Asked what Harris will do in the short term on the issues of migration and relations with Mexico, the advisor explained that Harris will probably wait until after the election to decide how to proceed on these issues, “With Mexico, immigration and trade will be key issues on which she will have to make decisions shortly after she arrives at the White House.”

But whether Harris and her running mate Tim Walz can maintain this ambiguity throughout the race remains to be seen. Opponent Trump traveled to the Mexican border on Thursday to highlight what he accuses of President Joe Biden and Harris’s so-called “border czar” of failing to “control” that line.

Responding to these attacks, Harris recalled that “I stood up to cartels that traffic weapons and drugs and human beings.” She added that she will revive the bipartisan agreement on border security, that she would send more Border Patrol agents and that she would allow the president to suspend asylum applications. But at the same time, in response to demands from migrant rights advocates, she offered to push for some kind of immigration reform. “We can create a merited path to citizenship and secure our border” at the same time.

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In the realm of foreign policy, she did not abandon America’s seemingly sacred mission. “As commander in chief, I will ensure that the United States always has the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world,” she declared. “We will strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.” The militants responded as always: “USA, USA”.

By far the most controversial issue inside and outside the convention this week is unconditional U.S. support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Advocates for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel warn that they will not be able to mobilize voters in support of the Democratic candidate without some sign that she will seek to end the U.S. blank check to Israel. “If come November 6th, and we end up losing this election, we will have no one to blame but ourselves for the way we chose to include or exclude certain voices,” warned U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar in an interview with the news site. Zeteo. He particularly condemned President Biden for continuing to send weapons to Israel while claiming to favor a ceasefire. “The ridiculousness of saying that we are going to work every day, that we are working every day to achieve a ceasefire, and at the same time sending the weapons that are creating that fire.”

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On Thursday, pressure on Harris’ campaign to take a different position on Gaza intensified, with several Palestinian-Americans staging a physical protest outside the arena and the national UAW auto union joining in the call for a Palestinian-American voice to be allowed to speak from the podium at the convention — a request that was denied by the party. Filmmaker Michael Moore joined the demand this afternoon, declaring that “if we want the war in Gaza to end, we cannot bury our heads or ignore the voices of Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party. If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian-American speaker to be heard from the podium at the Democratic National Convention tonight.”

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No Palestinian-American voice was invited to the podium, but Harris did devote part of her speech to the Middle East. “I will always be committed to Israel’s right to defend itself,” she declared. She added that she and the president are working tirelessly “because now is the time to achieve an agreement for the return of the hostages and a ceasefire.” She added that “what has happened in Gaza in these 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost… the scale of the suffering is heartbreaking… The Palestinian people can achieve their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said.

The evening ended with a historic feeling as well as an urgent hope: that a woman is on her way to becoming the first female president and that in this election, the people will be able to stop the advance of the neo-fascist project. That perhaps merits a little joy.