Kamala Harris, the politically annoying California senator with a law enforcement background that has caused some tensions with the progressive left, was announced Tuesday as Joe Biden’s running mate.
She has made history as the first Black woman to serve as a major political party’s vice presidential pick. The Biden campaign said the former vice president and Harris will both speak together in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday.
“I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,” Biden said in an email to supporters.
Biden also took to social media to tweet: “I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.”
I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 11, 2020
He added: “Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign.”
Biden’s decision, after months of secret meetings and closely held deliberations, would point out the former vice president is setting aside their friction from the primary campaign where Harris strongly insinuated that Biden was a career racist. Harris memorably drew sharp contrasts with Biden when she challenged him on the debate stage over his past resistance to federally mandated desegregation busing and that he frequently reached out to known Democrat segregationists to work on bills with him in the Senate.
So @JoeBiden just picked @KamalaHarris for his VP… She literally called him a racist! #wakeupamerica pic.twitter.com/O4jfVDUYHx
— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) August 11, 2020
The now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s selection amounts to a vote of confidence in the senator’s political ability and her background, and a willingness to maneuver past the bad blood. But what does it say that Harris is now willing to run on the same ticket with a racist? The decision could have been part of a early tip just days sooner, when Biden was photographed with talking points saying of Harris that he does “not hold grudges” and has “great respect for her.”
The selection additionally fulfills a commitment the former vice president made in March to name a woman as running mate. It should also pacify 100 black leaders who recently threatened Biden that unless he selects a black woman black people won’t support him.
Naming a Black woman at a time when issues of racial inequality are front-and-center also responds to signals from some circles in the party that such a choice may help build bridges with the Black community. Many in the black community don’t like Harris because of how she built her career as a prosecutor, grabbing onto low-hanging fruit by prosecuting a lot of black people for smoking pot.
The timing of the announcement allows Biden plenty of time and space to re-introduce Harris to voters ahead of this month’s scaled-back Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Harris ended up endorsing Biden and appeared on stage with him – together with one another former rival, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) – at a rally in Michigan on the eve of that state’s March 10 primary, which the former vice president ended up winning decisively as he moved closer to locking up the Democratic nomination.
“I believe in Joe. I believe in Joe,” Harris stated at the rally. “I know Joe. And that’s why I’m supporting him.” Did you believe in him when she said he was a racist on stage during that infamous primary debate?
Of course, she has been vying for a VP slot or a cabinet position.
The rally was Biden’s last before the Chinese virus pandemic swept throughout the country, shutting down in-person campaigning. Harris has been campaigning virtually for Biden since that time, headlining special online events and fundraisers.
Rich is a conservative, syndicated opinion writer and owner of MAGA-Chat.com. He writes about politics, culture, liberty, and faith.
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