Biden couldn’t get that kind of crowd, nor could he provide the vision of youth, energy and optimism that Harris is giving a part of the country that is desperate to move past the era of old men.
Even before she strode on to the stage, it was clear Harris was ready for this moment. As she descended the steps of Air Force Two to greet state officials, she looked every bit like a woman who could lead the free world. As the kids like to say, it hits different now.
Her speech—clocking in at just 17 minutes—was billed as a “reinvention” for Harris, who is racing to define herself before her opponents do. This ‘new’ Kamala, backed by the entire apparatus of the Democratic Party, is confident and comfortable with herself and her message.
She summed up the central rationale for her candidacy with this question: “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, a country of rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”
Harris is running as a compassionate law-and-order prosecutor who will build America’s middle class, fight for freedom and equality, and focus on the future.
Critics have often pointed to her failed 2020 bid for the nomination as evidence that she lacks the political skill necessary to be America’s president. Over the last three historic weeks, however, Harris has adroitly navigated a difficult time, proving both loyal to Biden and ready for the sprint that’s ahead.
There is another dynamic at play as Harris retools her political identity. The ‘culture’ (again, as young folks like to say) has embraced her. She walked out of her rally to the musical strains of Beyonce’s hit single Freedom, which Harris has full permission to use.
And it’s not just Beyonce. In the hours after Biden stepped away as the Democratic nominee, Harris landed a very big endorsement: not Hillary Clinton or the slew of Democratic governors who could have been her challengers, though she did get those, but Charli XCX. If you haven’t heard of her (it’s okay, I had to Google her too), then you, my friend, are old.
In an X post, the British pop star declared, simply, “kamala IS brat.”
Harris’s campaign social media accounts quickly adopted the lime green styling of Brat, the music album.
Smart move, that.
On the internet, Harris is, to borrow from Issa Rae, the consummate “awkward Black girl,” which was brat before brat. Harris laughs awkwardly. She dances awkwardly. And the coconut tree ‘joke’ just keeps on giving … awkwardly. IRL—even I know what that stands for —Harris is seeking to become the commander in chief of the most powerful nation on earth.
On social media, she is the fun aunt, the stepmother who tries a bit too hard and laughs a bit too much at her own jokes. And please don’t get her started on Venn diagrams.
This is all very brat of her, isn’t it? So very brat.
XCX explains the brat attitude this way: “You are just that girl who is a little messy and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown but parties through it,” she said on TikTok. “It is honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile. That’s Brat.”
And brat goes against everything that women, particularly women seeking power, are supposed to be. Harris will need this alter ego because she needs this younger audience, the same group that made “coastal grandma” an acceptable style in America.
The internet version of Harris has another advantage as well: It can serve as counterpoint to the picture that Trump and his allies will try to paint of her. Trump has called her “dumb as a rock,” and others have called her a DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) hire. As of this writing, “Laughing Kamala” is Trump’s nickname for Harris.
But Trump, who understands the power of images, also sees Harris as a formidable opponent. There is a reason he donated $6,000 to her campaign for California attorney general. There is a reason he wanted to face Biden. Harris is young, energetic and telegenic.
Trump, who just put on a convention that was all vibes and image, surely knows how powerful the vibes and image of Harris are. And that’s what scares him. ©bloomberg
