One week after being endorsed by President Biden to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, Vice President Kamala Harris was riding high. She gained the endorsement not just of Biden but all senior leaders within Congress and the Obamas, not to mention the support of enough delegates to the Democratic Party convention to secure the nomination; she eclipsed all previous fundraising efforts of Trump and Biden by raising more than $200 million in a week, 60 percent of which came from first time donors; and she signed up more than 175,000 new volunteers to help with her campaign. And quite possibly, more than anything, the person who had formerly been labeled a failed vice president who was incapable of managing the border crisis and who was associated with speaking only through word salads, had suddenly become cool: Gen Z’s were suddenly embracing her, calling her “brat” – meaning, edgy, imperfect, and confident, as opposed to polished, poised, and clean cut – and predicting a “brat summer” movement that would be bold, that would take risks, and that would embrace the uncomfortable.
The endorsement and inevitability of Harris’ nomination had turned the election upside down. No longer were people talking about Biden’s age, about women and Blacks and the young not showing up to vote, about the inevitability of Trump being reelected. Trump was suddenly seen as old and out of touch, and mini-me Vance was seen as being a bit “creepy” with his suggestion that the Democratic Party was filled with “socipathic” and “psychotic” “childless cat ladies” who could not be vested in America’s success because they did not have children and thus should be taxed differently – prompting Harris and her surrogates to proclaim these guys are “just plain weird.” It was as if, in one fell swoop, Harris had revitalized the democratic cause and campaign. There was hope. No, there was more than hope. There was excitement around the Harris campaign, even – dare one say it – an expectation she and the Democrats could win.
William Paul Wanker, Ph.d.
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