Kamala pulls off surprisingly good DNC speech

Chicago

The Democratic National Convention this week has been all razzle and dazzle. Endless platitudes about freedom, values, love, America, patriotism, hope, unity — “turning the page on Trump” and “turning hate into hope.” The implicit message: don’t go thinking too hard about whether Kamala Harris could be a good president.

Away from the hype, though, people are wondering: what might America’s first woman commander-in-chief do in office? Some dared to believe Harris might tell us in her acceptance speech — the most significant moment of her political career.

And, to a certain extent, she did. Harris may be an empty vessel — but tonight she was surprisingly good.

She spoke confidently, her delivery was fluent and sounded more authoritative than usual. She laughed once or twice, but didn’t do her famously annoying cackle.

It began with the personal. After a tribute to the “inspiring” character of Joe Biden, and praise for her vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the woman who has been vice president for almost four years re-re-re-introduced herself to the nation.

“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected,” she said, which was at least honest. “But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys.”

She spoke about her mother, Shyamala Harris, who “crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer.” She lauded her father, too, and talked about her parents divorce.

And she talked about Wanda, her best friend in school, who was sexually abused by her stepfather. “This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor, because I believe everyone has a right to safety, to dignity and to justice.” She said she’s only ever had “one client — the people.” Donald Trump, she added later, “only has one client — himself.”

There were several more anti-Trump sections. “Donald Trump is an unserious man,” said Harris. “But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”

She invited her audience to “consider the power [Trump] will have — especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution.”

Harris then pivoted from Trump to people who might vote for her because they despise Trump. “I know there are people of various political views watching tonight,” she said. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans.”

She talked repeatedly about charting about “a new way forward” from the bitterness and division of the past, as if she’d never been in government. She said she would create “an opportunity economy” that would build “lots of houses.” She promised a “middle-class tax cut” that will benefit millions of Americans.

She promised to sign a law to protect abortion, of course. She insisted that she would “protect the border” — an audacious promise given her disastrous record as “border czar” in the first year of the Biden presidency.

And in an attempt to the take on criticism that she is a foreign policy lightweight, she promised she would project America’s military might — “the most lethal fighting force in the world” — and stand up to Vladimir Putin.

On Gaza, Harris tried to speak to the party’s pro-Israel and pro-Palestine factions. She said she and Joe Biden were “working round the clock” for a ceasefire. She defended Israel’s right to defend itself, while promising she supported the right to Palestinian self-determination. The crowd applauded both positions with enthusiasm.

Then it was back to platitudes. “Everywhere I go, I see a nation that is ready to move forward,” she said. “None of us has to fail for all of us to succeed.” She hailed “the privilege and pride of being an America” and concluded by saying ‘let’s write the next chapter of the greatest story ever told.”

It was, appropriately enough, the most substantial speech of the whole convention. But that’s not saying much.