Kamala

I hadn’t really been planning on watching much of the DNC. I ended up watching pretty much the whole thing. It was fun, uplifting, and effective both as television programming and political messaging. Better, my son and I watched it together, probably the first time in years we’ve watched television together for more than a couple hours at a time. Though the Dems never did get either Beyonce or Taylor or - as I joked, a duet between the two that would not only secure the election for Kamala, but would usher in a new Age of Enlightenment – we got to see something better, the rise of a new Democratic Party standard bearer. This week didn’t just ensure the peaceful transition of power from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris, it’s my belief that this convention just defeated the MAGA movement. Last night, we got to see history.

For years now, we’ve been waiting for MAGA to break. Last night, as red, white, and blue balloons dropped onto the multi-generational, multi-ethnic, blended family of our next president, it did. The sweaty Trump fever dream is over. Replacing it is an old idea given new life, that the best of our American values will, in the end, triumph over our worst instincts.

The 47th President of The United States. No Beyonce necessary.

I don’t doubt that this election will be close, but Harris found her winning message. She promised to prosecute the case, and she did. In a speech crafted to appeal as much to persuadable Republicans as worshipful Democrats in the hall, she relied on broad themes of patriotism, pride, and strength to reset the terms of the debate between herself and her rival. “Donald Trump is an unserious man,” she said, “But the consequences — but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

She made the case that “fundamental freedoms” are at stake: the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, reproductive freedoms, as well as “the freedom to love who you love, openly and with pride.”

Harris stated that America has a responsibility to engage with the world, arguing that we are democracy’s back stop. Without the United States safeguarding democracy, the world will become much more likely to backslide into tyranny. She reminded Americans that there remains good reason to take pride in their nation: “We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment.”

The speech was both populist and pragmatic, specific enough to give voters a sense of her administration’s priorities, but vague enough to keep the punditry from getting lost in the weeds. It was both somber and rousing, both a personal history and a reminder of our national identity. After so much soaring rhetoric over the last few days, this was a speech that asked Americans to look upwards without losing their heads in the clouds.

In contrast to the Republicans last month, this was not the “I alone can fix it” convention. Instead, speaker after speaker reminded Democrats that democracy is a team effort, that the work to elect a new president requires the efforts of millions. Speaker after speaker reminded us that the work of America is the work of Americans. In this country, we may worship whoever we want, but when we turn that devotion to a politician – any politician - we almost always end up disappointed. This is Kamala’s presidency to win, but, if she does, it is all of our responsibility to keep her honest and accountable. She didn’t promise perfection. She didn’t promise anything other than her best efforts not on her behalf, but on behalf of her client, “We the People.”

Though my prognosticating abilities are just as terrible as ever, I’m going to predict a few things. The first is that she’ll get a predictable convention bounce, but that the bounce will prove larger than whatever Trump got (did he even get one?)  and will prove surprisingly resilient. Further, I have no problem predicting that if the Kamala we saw last night shows up at the debate on September 10^th, she is going to eat that man alive. The final prediction I’ve already made clear: last night, Kamala Harris became the nation’s 47^th president.

After that speech, Beyonce would have been a letdown.

Things will go wrong between now and Election Day, but has any American politician ever had the kind of month Kamala Harris just had? Since Joe Biden endorsed her for the presidency, Kamala Harris has led a perfect campaign. If there has been a miscue, I haven’t seen it. The selection of Tim Walz as her running mate appears more and more inspired, particularly after watching Mark Kelly’s stiff performance. She just step into the role of Democratic presidential nominee, she waltzed into it. Better, she carried the entirety of the party along with her. We have our nominee. We have our marching orders. Now it’s time to get to work.