DNC 4: Kamala Harris Promises ‘New Way Forward’

Harris Vows to Be 'Unity' President Who Combines Caring Domestic Policies with Muscular National Security Stance

Kamala Harris addresses the 2024 Democratic National Convention | Credit: Courtesy

Amid chants of “We’re not going back,” Kamala Devi Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, vowing a “new way forward” to turn the page on the Donald Trump era and heal the nation’s bitter political divisions.

In a 37-minute address to the Democrats’ national convention, the 59-year-old Vice President pledged compassionate domestic policies, combined with a muscular national security strategy, contrasting both with the approach of Republican rival Trump.

She called Trump “an unserious person” who posed a perilous risk to the nation’s fundamental system of government, warning he would serve only his own interests, along with those of the wealthiest Americans, while dismantling much of the nation’s social safety net and betraying our global allies, and cozying up to “dictators and tyrants” most especially Vladimir Putin.

Capping an astonishing eight-week period in American politics, Harris paid brief tribute to President Joe Biden, the man she replaced at the top of the ticket, then recounted her biography as the daughter of immigrants, weaving the values she learned as a child into a narrative about her career as a criminal prosecutor and elected official, saying they would shape her presidency.

“Every day in the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and said five words, ‘Kamala Harris, for the People,’” she said. “And to be clear: My entire career, I have only had one client: The People.”

She contrasted that a moment later with “the only client [Trump] has ever had: Himself.”

In her most direct plea for support from independent and moderate Republican voters, who were represented by a series of convention speakers over the past four days, Harris looked directly into the camera.

“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” the vice president said.

“A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction. But as Americans.

“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight,” she added. “And I want you to know: I promise to be a President for all Americans.”

As a political matter, Harris’s speech featured what are likely to be critical issues in the 11 weeks left before the November 5 election, as Trump maneuvers to tie her tightly to Biden on a trio of issues with which voters have expressed unhappiness, while she tries to fight on more favorable terrain, which she underscored in her acceptance.

Here are five key takeaways.

National security. Knowing she needs to overcome doubts about her qualifications to serve as Commander-in-Chief, Harris spent a long stretch of her speech discussing national security affairs, presenting a stance that differed little from the strong military, internationalist stance that Biden has pursued, saying she would continue to stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression, for example, but wielding even stronger rhetoric.

In doing so, she sought to draw a sharp contrast with Trump’s “America First” isolationism, as well, as his professed admiration for strongmen nationalist leaders around the world:

“As Commander-in-Chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families.

“I will make sure that … we strengthen — not abdicate our global leadership,” she said. “Trump on the other hand, threatened to abandon NATO. He encouraged Putin to invade our allies. He said Russia could, quote, ‘do whatever the hell they want.’”

“As President, I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand — and where the United States of America belongs.”

The economy. Polls show that two-thirds of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, with continuing concern about high prices and inflation.

The same surveys show that voters say they trust Trump more on the economy, so Harris sought to address that political weakness by stressing her concerns about the middle class — Trump she said, “doesn’t actually fight for the middle class” — as she presented an outline of what she called an “opportunity economy.”

She described it only the broadest of strokes, however, again making significant differences with Biden’s views difficult to discern, although it was notable that she pledged to “end America’s housing shortage,” embracing an issue that increasingly registers as a growing concern among voters.

“An opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.

“As President, I will bring together labor and workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs. And American companies. To create jobs. Grow our economy. And lower the cost of everyday needs. Like health care. Housing. And groceries.”

Representative Salud Carbajal joined other Congressional members who had served in the military on the DNC stage. | Credit: Courtesy

Immigration. Even more the economy, Harris is politically vulnerable on widespread voter concerns about the number of political and economic refugees who have cross the southern border illegally during the Biden term.

While Trump and his allies for weeks have pounded her with paid advertising identifying her as the Administration’s “border czar” and attacking her for its failures, Harris last night tried to perform political jiu jitsu by blaming the Republican for torpedoing a tough bipartisan immigration bill to keep the issue on the front burner during the campaign.

“Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades,” she said. “The Border Patrol endorsed it.

“But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign. So he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal,” Harris added. “Well, I refuse to play politics with our security. Here is my pledge to you: As President, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law.”

Abortion rights. A woman’s constitutional right to choose to have an abortion, enshrined in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, was overturned two years ago, in the Dobbs decision, by a conservative Supreme Court including three justices appointed by Trump.

Trump soon after took credit for, and boasted about the decision, playing to his evangelical base, but more recently has tried to distance himself from Dobbs, saying it was now a state’s rights issue over which he has no influence.

Abortion is perhaps Trump’s biggest political vulnerability, however, and in her acceptance address, Harris pressed the advantage, turning to language in “Project 2025,” a 900-page blueprint for a second Trump term produced by the right-wing Heritage Foundation.

“As part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress.

“And get this: He plans to create a National Anti-Abortion Coordinator, and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions.

“Simply put: They are. Out. Of. Their. Minds,” she enunciated slowly, to a huge cheer from the delegates. “And one must ask: why exactly is it that they don’t trust women? Well. We. Trust. Women.”

We are not going back. Harris sharply attacked Trump over his indictment for his actions involving the January 6 seditious order, but also his two civil court defeats in New York, for business fraud and sexual assault.

She denounced the “chaos and calamity when he was in office,” but said even more serious has been his unstinting refusal to accept his 2020 defeat for the past four years in portraying him as a menace to the most fundamental structure of American government.

Moreover, she pointed to the Supreme Court’s recent decision creating a new standard for immunity for actions presidents take in office, as well as “Project 2025” in arguing that he would be utterly unaccountable for whatever actions he took in his second term, no matter how reckless, ruthless or unpopular.

“Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States. Not to improve your life. Not to strengthen our national security.

“We know what a second Trump term would look like,” she said. “But America, we are not going back.”

Seventy-five days until the election.

For the complete transcript of Kamala Harris’s speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, click here.

A few hours before Harris’s speech, Supervisor Laura Capps checked in with Newsmakers from Chicago, where she was hanging out at the convention with her cadre of Washington and national political pals, from her days as a speechwriter and communications aide to the late Senator Ted Kennedy and President Bill Clinton.

“There’s so much incredible energy here,” Capps said, quickly adding, “But there’s definitely that lesson of, we can’t just have fun; we only have 76 days; we’ve got to work hard. Staying pumped up for the next 76 days is the meta message here.”

In our conversation, Laura also talked about her political junkie’s love of conventions, her reaction to Oprah Winfrey’s surprise speech on Wednesday night, her professional take on the overtime address by her old boss, the new tone toward Trump supporters being proposed by convention speakers and what she foresees for the next 11 weeks. Plus: breakfast with the California delegation.

Check out the conversation with Laura Capps by clicking through this link. The podcast version is here.