Suddenly, Among All the White Men, Kamala Harris

Joe Biden’s designated vice presidential candidate checks off two strong demographics in the Democratic Party. The main story is not what she is, but who she is.

Identity politics, in both America and Israel, get a lot of criticism, especially when it becomes an explanation for everything and the goal of everything, and when it polarizes and weakens. But you can’t ignore the enormous power that it has. When you are a white man and accustomed to seeing white men everywhere, because that is the way things are, it is hard to understand what is so exciting about seeing people just like you in positions of power, on television and in the White House. But for many women, immigrants, children of immigrants, white, brown and Black, the choice of Kamala Harris awakened an authentic outburst of enthusiasm and identification. Something akin to happiness has arisen from the countless posts, the first good news in the sea of apocalypse that is 2020.

You could talk about Harris’ past as a prosecutor, as a senator, as a person who represents law and order despite claims that the Democratic Party endorses vandalism and violence, as we saw in the latest wave of protests. You could talk about her charisma, about her unsuccessful bid for the presidency, how she will surely wipe the floor with Vice President Mike Pence in the upcoming debate. But these are discussions for the upcoming days. The main story is not what she is, but who she is. Actually, Harris checks off two very important demographics within the Democratic Party: educated women and minorities. She is the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, but she comes from a fairly privileged background. Her father was an economics professor and her mother was a scientist. She married late, outside of the tribe (her husband is Jewish) and she doesn’t have children. In other words, she is at the intersection of California and New York. It is not clear how much this will help Biden in the swing states, but it’s also important to motivate one’s base.

Until now, Biden’s campaign has been based on the idea of “Anyone but Trump,” making minimal contact with the public or with the media. COVID-19 and the economic crisis are doing their part. His lead in the polls is still clear, but it has slowed down to a certain extent. Anything could happen in November, and considering that the voting itself will be complicated because of the pandemic, you need someone who is inspirational and who will be worth the effort. The problem is that if Donald Trump is the crazy uncle, Biden, as it is turns out, is being portrayed as the embarrassing uncle, the one who is not 100% with it. Clearly, Biden needed reinforcement.

Choosing Harris showed that Biden has self-confidence. When Trump tweeted yesterday about housewives from the suburbs who will vote for him because “they want safety,” Biden described Harris as “smart, tough and ready to lead.” Two tweets almost at the same minute, but light years away from each other, not only from the point of view of their treatment of women but also from the standpoint of their attitude toward governing. If Trump presents a model of “it’s all about me,” Biden, if only to reassure anyone who wonders if he will survive until the end of his term, talks about “us.”

Regarding Israel, it is comforting that Harris, like Biden, is considered part of the good old pro-Israel branch of the Democratic Party, more AIPAC than J Street, although like most of the party, she supported Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement and, of course, a two-state solution.

Everything is relative. In contrast to this lofty, elite duo, there is a more radical branch, which shows no sign of weakening. Harris has grabbed the spotlight, but amid the rejoicing of the past few days, there are still Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, considered the most anti-Semitic members of Congress, who won in their primaries despite many efforts to challenge them. What was background noise in the Trump era is likely to be a center of power that will influence the conversation and which will be impossible to ignore. The record of support for Israel that one hopes Harris will continue is important as a counterbalance to these sorts of voices.