To say the last few weeks have been turbulent is an understatement. As a young person, each week is just another opportunity to live through an unprecedented world event. Reflecting on the recent political events though, my point of view hasn’t changed. Whatever we can do as Democrats to defeat Donald Trump in November, we have to do. Kamala Harris is our best bet to do it.
Honestly, I haven’t really tracked Kamala Harris during her vice presidency. A lot of my opinions on Harris stem back to her run for presidency in 2020. Her time as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General in California were under a great amount of scrutiny.
I found an interview with Jamilah King, a reporter who followed Kamala Harris’ early political career (Demby). It feels as though there are two main parts to explaining Harris’ previous positions and scrutiny: a sign of the times and unfair blame. Firstly, during the 90s and early 2000s, to get elected you needed to be seen as tough on crime. Kamala attempted to seem tough on crime while also trying to change the system from the inside. She started the program “Back On Track” which allowed those that pled guilty of a felony to expunge their record if they finished the program. It was an intern program, but also provided counseling, job preparation, resume help, and even a gym membership (Demby). It was seen as a successful program.
Then of course we have Kamala’s issues with convictions more disproportionately affecting black Americans (Angell). Speaking as a wife of a public defender, and understanding the system more, this isn’t necessarily Kamala’s fault. Are cops stopping more people of color and judges being harsher on people of color? These are factors that were definitely out of Kamala’s hands. Furthermore, as Vice President there were many reports of her being a “hard boss” and people constantly leaving due to the working conditions (Zhou). This is of course being further perpetuated by Republicans. Did other Vice Presidents also have staff that left? Of course. Did that ever make the news before? Not that I remember. Are we just fixating on Harris due to her gender? Her race? It’s hard to say.
What is easy to say is that so much about politics is timing. Did Kamala capitalize on the discussions of an aging Biden and his poor performance in the debate? 100%. Looking at Kamala’s positions as a Senator and Vice President tells me what I need to know. She supports reproductive rights, supports criminal justice reform, legalization of marijuana and many other issues that I and fellow Democrats are concerned with.
Historically, the Vice President isn’t tasked with much. Typically they preside over the Senate and wait for the President to die or resign. Despite this as Vice President, she secured four million dollars to address the root cause of migration in Central America (“Central America Forward - United States Department of State”). She also led a Reproductive Freedoms tour to fight back against the injustices towards women (“Vice President Kamala Harris Launches Reproductive Freedoms Tour”). These are tasks that Harris took on and succeeded at.
Though Harris may have had some negative press in the past, her most recent work has delivered for the American people. There are few politicians that have a clean record and have no mistakes being in public office. Being held under the microscope is a part of the gig. While it's obviously HER-storic to be the first biracial female Vice President, it came along with harsh criticisms that are likely unfounded. Although there have been misgivings with Kamala’s perception in the party, if I’ve learned anything in the past few weeks, the voice and votes of the American people have the final say. Resoundingly, the voice of the Democratic party and YDNM is Team Harris-Walz.
Works Cited
Angell, Tom. “Harris And Pence Clash On Marijuana And Drug Enforcement During VP Debate.” Marijuana Moment, 7 October 2020, https://www.marijuanamoment.net/harris-and-pence-debate-marijuana-and-drug-policy-during-vp-debate/. Accessed 10 August 2024.
“Central America Forward - United States Department of State.” State Department, 1 August 2023, https://www.state.gov/central-america-forward/. Accessed 10 August 2024.
Demby, Gene. “What Kamala Harris's Past As A Prosecutor Can Tell Us : Code Switch.” NPR, 14 October 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/10/13/923369723/lets-talk-about-kamala-harris. Accessed 10 August 2024.
“Vice President Kamala Harris Launches Reproductive Freedoms Tour.” The White House, 19 December 2023, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/12/19/vice-president-kamala-harris-launches-reproductive-freedoms-tour/. Accessed 12 August 2024.
“Vice President Kamala Harris Launches Reproductive Freedoms Tour.” The White House, 19 December 2023, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/12/19/vice-president-kamala-harris-launches-reproductive-freedoms-tour/. Accessed 12 August 2024.
“What Did Kamala Harris Do As A Prosecutor? : Consider This from NPR.” NPR, 12 August 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901609839/former-top-cop-kamala-harris-and-america-s-reckoning-with-police. Accessed 10 August 2024.
Zhou, Li. “How Kamala Harris is shaping the vice presidency.” Vox, 27 March 2023, https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/3/27/23655248/kamala-harris-vice-president-approval-criticism. Accessed 10 August 2024.
Comments