FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2024

LAFFIN KAMALA – WILL SHE MAKE IT TO THE WHITE HOUSE!

When Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, to Shyamala Gopalan and Donald J Harris, neither Shyamala nor Donald would have ever imagined that their daughter would one day cock-a-snook at the most powerful position of the most powerful country on the earth. But that is the truth and not a fiction. On July 21, US President Joe Biden announced endorsing Kamala Harris, his Vice President for 4 years, 2020 to 2024, as the Presidential nominee of the Democrats. That was indeed a piece of history already made.

Shyamala Gopalan, daughter of Gopalan Iyer, or Painganadu Venkatraman Gopalan Iyer from Thalasendrapuram, a tiny village on the outskirts of Thanjavoor city in Tamil Nadu, was a biologist. She arrived in the United States of America from India in 1958 to study endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her Ph.D. in the same University. During the course of research for her thesis she met Donald J Harris, an Afro-Jamaican, who was doing his masters in Development Economics, sometime in 1962. In 1963 they got married and the following year Kamala was born. Maya, the 2nd daughter was born in 1966. In about 7/8 years, their marriage faltered and in 1972 they separated and divorced. The couple lived separately but the children would spend the week with mother and the weekend with father.

In 1976, Shyamala accepted a research position at Mc Gill University School of Medicine and moved to Montreal, in Quebec with her daughters. Kamala graduated in 1981 from West Mount High School in Montreal.

Kamala attended Vanier College in Montreal then moved to Howard University in Washington D.C. She graduated in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. Then she attended the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco under University of California. Here Kamala served as president of the Black Law Students Association, which indicated early that she was an activist and wanted to be involved with issues concerning colored students. She graduated in 1989 with a Juris Doctor. Juris Doctor is also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence or Doctor of Law – an entry level professional degree.

In 1990, Kamala was hired as a Deputy District Attorney in California’s Alameda County, where she soon made her mark. She was recognized as “an able prosecutor on the way up”. In Feb 1998, San Francisco District Attorney took her as an Astt. District Attorney. This exposed her to varieties of criminal cases. In 2000, she took up a job with Attorney Louise Renne at the San Francisco City Hall. In 2002, realizing her potential as a legal power, she attempted for the position of District Attorney of San Francisco and she won the election with 56% vote, running a forceful campaign. Thus Kamala became the first person of color to be elected as the District Attorney of San Francisco. Five years down the line, she ran unopposed for a second term in 2007. Soon she became a legal luminary to reckon with, clearing backlogs and pushing for positive change and tightening loopholes being misused by criminals. In her early years as District Attorney of San Francisco, she had created San Francisco Reentry Division which helped hundreds of drug offenders to give up drug use. She emerged in the public space as a visionary with a concerned bent of mind.

In 2010 Kamala was elected as Attorney General of California (AGC). She was the first woman, first Indian American, and first South Asian American to hold the office of the AGC in the history of the State of California. She took office on Jan 3, 2011 and was re-elected in 2014. She resigned in 2017, Jan 3rd to take her seat in the U.S. Senate.

When she announced her candidacy for Attorney General, among the prominent democrats who endorsed her was Nancy Pelosi, then House Speaker. During her 2nd term as Attorney General, she focused on Consumer Protection getting huge settlements from corporate giants. She was largely instrumental in advancing criminal justice reform. Her initiatives led to increased opportunities for education and job training for non-violent offenders, which clearly displayed her higher visionary leadership quality.

When Kamala announced her candidacy for senate seat, she was a top contender with admirable curriculum vitae of her professional attainments and commitment as a legal luminary. She won 78% at California’s Democratic Party convention, followed by endorsement by Governor Jerry Brown. In July 19, 2016, both, the President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Kamala, who went on to win the Senate seat with over 60% of vote. Kamala became the second colored woman and the first South Asian Women in the US history to become a member of the US Senate.

Looking back over the shoulder, Kamala had grown from the grass root to the position of eminence by the dint of sheer application, dedication and commitment. Clearly she was destined for bigger things in the socio-political landscape of the United States of America. No wonder in 2020, Joe Biden selected her as his running mate and the combination defeated the then incumbent duo of Trump and Pence. Rest as the cliché goes, is history.

Come 2024, Kamala’s time had come on the big stage. Announcing the withdrawal of his candidature for re-election, Joe Biden announced at the Democratic Party convention on July 21, and simultaneously pronounced Kamala as the Democratic Party Candidate for the White House, the US. Presidency, to a delirious crowd, who embraced Kamala from the word go! She was an instant hit with her trade mark broad bewitching smile. Yes, Laffin Kamala had arrived.

A pole from AP-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believed Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. Besides the remark that “it would be nice to see a person of color, a woman, somebody younger to lead the change. It would inspire younger generation to be more engaged. Black adults are more likely than Americans overall to say that Kamala would do well”. Another said “Kamala appears more capable of handling the taxing nature of the job”.

On July 27, Kamala officially signed her forms, declaring her candidature for the post of President of the US and voiced confidence that she would win high stakes election on November 5.

Former first couple – hugely influential among Democrats, the Obamas - have formally endorsed Kamala saying “we would do everything we can to elect Kamala, the next president of the United States”. In a video released, Ex-President Obama was heard saying “We called to say, Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office”. Michelle adds “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala; I am proud of you. This is going to be historic”.

In a statement Obamas had praised Kamala’s accomplishments saying “She has the vision, the character and the strength. There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala has exactly what it takes to win this election. At a time when the stakes have never been higher she gives us all reasons to hope”.

Among other VVIPs were former President Bill Clinton and TV legend Oprah Winfrey who endorsed Kamala’s candidature to the White House while cautioning about complacency. Clinton was reported to have remarked “I want you to be happy. One of the reasons that President to be Kamala Harris is doing so well is that we are all so happy.” Making a surprise appearance at the DNC, Oprah Winfrey, called on Americans to choose optimism over cynicism, inclusion over retribution’ as she endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, whose life story Winfrey deemed “the best of America’. Reportedly Winfrey had never spoken at a national convention before. “Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024 besides just plain common sense. Let us choose truth, let us choose honor and let us choose joy!” Winfrey shouted stretching out the final syllable for several seconds “Because that is the best of America”.

‘Silicon Valley unites behind Kamala’ was another report datelined Washington. Reportedly hundreds of Silicon Valley Venture capitalists, Investors and Tech leaders including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Apple founder Steve Wozniak, Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla said they are united in support for Kamala in this ‘pivotal moment’. The statement was signed by over 700 tech leaders, informs the report. This was clearly a rebuke to Elon Musk and his ilk. A survey by PEW Research Centre tells that 60% respondents have said ‘a female president would handle pressure as well as a man while 27% believed that Kamala would do better’. According to Kamala’s husband Douglas Emoff “Kamala finds joy in pursuing justice. She stands up to bullies. She likes people to do well, but hates when they are treated unfairly.” He urged Americans to trust their families’ future with Kamala, as he has done it and how it was the “best decision I ever made”. He is a Jew yet had no issue with Kamala to live comfortably, he stated.

The Washington datelined report in TOI “US Generals and GOP stalwarts back Kamala as candidates prepare for debate,” informed that 10 top Retired Military Generals call Trump “A danger for the US national security and democracy. Report also informs about many prominent Republicans are endorsing Kamala despite their long association with GOP, while Barbara Bush was openly contemptuous of Trump and wondered how anyone could vote Trump’. In sharp contrast Kamala has the support of all living former Democratic Presidents and Vice Presidents. ‘Trump is not fit to be president again’ was another take from people who earlier worked with him, as President. Reports tell about a group of 10 generals putting in writing that Kamala “has demonstrated her ability to take on the most difficult national security challenges in the situation room and on the international stage. Kamala is the best and only presidential candidate in this race who is fit to serve as our commander in chief”.

Speaking to the press after Democratic Party Convention to elect Kamala to be the official presidential candidate to the White House, Nancy Pelosi said “I think the United States of America is ready to elect Kamala because she is the best. I am thrilled and I look forward to not being the most powerful woman in politics in America when she will become President of the United States of America. Now Kamala happens to be a woman; she happened to be colored; she happens to be an Indian American. But she is the best. And that’s why people should be voting for her. That’s why I think she will win. I think that whatever questions people might have about woman are completely offset by her excellence. I know her very well for a long time. She is a person of deep faith, which motivates her public service to care for other people and to do so again with liberty and justice for all. She is a person of great strength. She knows her policy. She knows the strategy about it. And she is a fighter for the people. It has been her motivation always as District Attorney and as Attorney General. She is politically very astute. It was hard for her to win the District Attorney race, even harder to become Attorney General. But she managed that. It got easier to become a Senator and the Vice President. So she knows why she is in this. Kamala takes great pride in her heritage, her mother being born in India, raised her and have her great guidance and her Afro-American background as well. She went to Howard University, historically a Black University. So she has always taken pride. And I do believe she will win”. That was indeed a very huge endorsement coming from currently the most powerful woman in the US.

Here it is pertinent to mention that Kamala has always believed that she is her mother’s daughter. During the course of her fund raising rallies she had invoked her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris to drive home how she was no stranger to ‘unlikely journeys’, – born to a woman who travelled to California from India alone at the age of 19, with unshakable dream to be the scientist who could cure breast cancer”. That was back in 1958, and Shyamala Gopalan died in 2009 of colon cancer at the age of 70. Kamala mentioned in her convention speech “I miss her every day and especially right now. And I know she is looking down smiling”.

The 10th Sept debate between two contestants to the White House clearly demarcated the two. Kamala won hands down, writes a Washington correspondent from India. According to him ‘Kamala won because she came prepared. She was ready with answers and she knew her plans and had well timed her barbs and offensive terms to perfection to needle the opponent: ‘Trump on the other hand’ according to the same writer, ‘stuck to his playbook like an average student that comes prepared for an exam by rote learning’.

As expected debate moderators had focused on key issues facing America, the economy, abortion, reproductive rights, immigration along the Southern border, inflation, foreign policy, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Kamala had answers to all of them and while side stepping some prickly issues she did it with practiced ease. Trump on the other hand was all over the place, as he usually is with his rambling and meandering.

While it is true that debate and the performance there has its positives, it’s not the only thing that can influence course of voter’s response on 5th Nov, the day of voting. There are swing states with committed voters. There are some seven of them, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, North Carolina and Georgia. Any swing of a few thousand votes here and there, could eventually determine the outcome, doesn’t matter it’s a country of more than 330 million people.

After receiving the Life Time award from CBC, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundations Phoenix Award, President Joe Biden called his decision regarding Kamala “is the best decision I have made”. “Kamala is of the highest standard of character. I have served with her. I know her, I trust her and I’ll be proud to stand on the steps of United States Capitol and watch her take the oath of office as President of the United States of America”, President Joe Biden had declared.

Speaking at the CBCFP Award function, Kamala reaffirmed that CBC always had a vision of future, where we fulfil the promise of America, a promise of freedom, of opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all. We understand that the access to health care should not be a privilege just for those who can afford it.” So, she is clearly giving glimpses of her being a fair person looking to equity more than equality. Indeed what is the use of equality without equity therein!

November 5th is not very far for the big day in the United States. US citizens would have made their choice to the White House. The choice is between two diametrically different individuals. From the curriculum vitae of both, it’s very clear that Kamala Devi Harris is certainly a better candidate fit for the Oval office for varieties of reasons. Having just crossed 60 summers, she is in best of fitness, both physically and mentally with an illuminating track record in her profession as a lawyer and her political journey from US Senate in 2016 onwards. As a journalist puts it “At present she is the most scrutinized woman on the planet, as she stands a chance to become the next President of the United States of America – not just the first woman, but the first woman of color to hold that most powerful office. As the first colored female Vice President, before that the first Asian African representative of California in the U.S Senate, she is the highest ranking female official in US history. Her achievements are spectacular”. According to this journalist, “She is a symbol of Hope for millions of women around the world, despite all kinds of memes and names she is called by some media men and women. She is strong as granite.”

Her book “Truth We Hold: An American Journey” is once again on the best seller list since most Americans want to know her better. Kamala represents all that is good about American society. She has in the past butted heads with powerful political and financial lobbies, so liberals can look forward to an era of enlightenment if she wins and allowed to aim for a humane agenda towards all races, abused women, sexual minorities, the underprivileged and disenfranchised. It may just be what the country and the world needs.

In a week’s time US will decide if they want a women of color as their President. If she wins, history will be made. Hope and wish she wins and there are indications that she will break the glass ceiling. She deserves to win.