The above video about the January 6th Insurrection was shown at the Democratic Nation Convention. It is very powerful. I share it here because while I know many of you get it, we need to see it again and again until Trump is defeated and gone from public life.
The Democratic Party is a new party. A registered Independant for most of my life, it wasn’t until I wanted to vote for Hillary in the NY Primary— and could only do so if I was a registered Democrat — that I joined the party. I did not see a need to be a member, even though I always voted Democratic. Now I can say I am proud to be a card carrying member. What changed?
While always the party of the working class, the champion of diversity, what the party stood for was not always so clear. With this convention, the myriad of people who spoke and what they said, the nomination of Kamala Harris, a Black woman, and how she articulated her vision, I am all in. It’s a robust pride, a forward thinking pride, a desire to work on change while knowing we are imperfect and need fixing. The party felt fully integrated, even the far left is now onboard, as Representative Ocasio-Cortez shouted her endorsement onstage with joy, and I saw Representative Omar cheering in the audience (Bernie Sanders was given a speaking slot, but his enthusiasm seems conditional, as usual). There seems to be less in-fighting, racial tension, no sexist overtones. Men are embracing women as leaders. The Democratic Party in modern times was always a better “symbol” for what our country stands for than the present-day Republican Party, to my mind, but now we are loud and proud about it.
The pragmatic yet idealistic demeanor of Kamala Harris is bringing us together. Yes, we have a goal and a clear enemy to fight against, that helps. Kamala (and another speaker or two said something similar) encouraged us to accept our faults and not get so bogged down in always feeling you have to be right. We are not perfect, we will disagree within the party and that’s okay. We have a bigger goal in mind. We want to maintain our freedom, for starters, but we want to fully embrace our diversity and celebrate it as what we stand for.
Patriotism has in my lifetime been “owned” by the right. I grew up during the Vietnam War when, for my generation, patriotism and flag waving were controversial because America was not doing great things. It had done great things during the Civil Rights Era, before that our part in WWII and the New Deal. I was very proud when we elected a Black President, twice. But during certain decades and administrations, I really wanted to live somewhere else. But in my heart I knew that we were still the best place on earth.
What Kamala has done is uncover this feeling of pride, she has helped us rediscover what we stand for. We stand for helping others. Period.
Showing you the January 6th video is a warning. We could lose it all. As was said last night, we do not want a Trump without guardrails: because we know he will take it all away in service of his ego and desire for power.
Plus, we stand for kindness, generosity and empathy.
Kamala showed her toughness last night, but she showed her empathy as well. Her body language projects can-do. One story she shared was that her mother told her and her sister, “Never do anything half-assed!” You can see that embodied in her, we learned from her days as a prosecutor. Kamala does not tolerate nonsence, as her husband Doug said. Even down to the slightly oversized suits she wears (which I love about her. No need to nod to the Patriarchy): she is really just about getting it done.
But then from time-to -time —I have seen this in her since before this speech— she lowers her head ever so slightly, bends her body towards you (or the crowd) as if to show visibly, “I’m listening, and I care about you. I want to know you are alright.”
There was a thread throughout her speech, it began early when she told us that every time she went to court as a prosecutor, she would say,
“Kamala Harris, for the People.”
She carried that idea of service to others to the end of her speech to reassure us that she is indeed there for us, the People.
Here is her speech:
Thank you again for being here. Have a great Friday, see you tomorrow.
It makes me cry. The horror of Jan 6, but also (in a good way) the light and hope of a new administration, breaking new barriers. The diversity of the crowd (and THE CANDIDATES!) makes me feel like, finally, there can be a seat for everyone at the table. I'm making donations. My husband and I are writing postcards for Activate America. I'm holding my breath a little. November is SO SOON. We need to get this one right...
Thanks, Liza, for this beautiful summing-up of where we came from (you and I are the same generation), and the path forward. I strongly support Kamala and Tim, and all the other Democrats on every ticket in every state.