The Kamala Harris Boost is Just What Democrats Needed
As Democrats rally and unify, conservative media and far-right personalities were caught flat-footed
For all the sensationalism in the news cycle about Republicans' “unifying” message leading up to the Republican National Convention (RNC) after the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, what the RNC gave us was more of the same division and bigotry that has been a foundation of modern-day conservative politics.
Nothing about the RNC was meant to unify the nation.
Sure, Republican speakers occasionally said the words they thought they needed to say to project “unity.” But to no one’s surprise, they quickly undermined themselves with more Klan-like pandering to white voters. The only change was their exaltation of Trump as if he was saved by divine intervention. Many conservative politicians, some who were vying for that VP spot, took to social media to proclaim God saved Trump from being murdered by a fellow conservative.
Enter, President Joe Biden.
Between the RNC and Biden, there’s no question the news media was having a moment. Ratings were up as they pounded speculation of Biden stepping out of the election due to mounting pressure from political elites and within the party. And he did despite statements of defiance throughout the week.
Exit, Joe Biden.
Interestingly, the news media doesn’t seem prepared for the widespread support for Vice President Kamala Harris. It appears they were ready for a provocative debate over who would replace Biden on the ticket – potentially through a “blitz primary,” if you can imagine what that would be like. But like the story of the Republican Party projecting a message of unity, a contested primary seems unlikely and the story likely won’t bear any fruit either.
Meanwhile, far-right media is reeling as they attempt to find angles to attack Harris. Many were already up in arms about a handful of Black and Brown people speaking at the RNC. Now, their heads seemed to have exploded with Harris’ elevation in the national discourse. So far, it’s a bunch of racist name-calling which sadly isn’t surprising in today’s society.
Even before her rise into the presidential election spotlight, many pundits didn’t seem to have anything tangible to attack Harris for. Outlets like Fox News had segments where talking heads called Harris “uneducated” and an “affirmative action vice president” among many other derogatory and blatantly racist things. Meanwhile, far-right bigots have resorted to making their misogynoir trendy on social media with hashtags like #kameltoe.
Because of course, they did.
The far-right exposing itself is nothing new especially when they lack information they can manipulate negatively. But this also signals a surprising turn of events for conservative “news” media. While every news outlet ran segments and articles speculating about who would replace Biden, most seem to have been sold on the idea that the Democratic nomination would be contested, potentially by many other candidates.
On Monday, many outlets were still asking Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) if he planned to seek the nomination – as if he has the support needed to win at the Democratic National Convention in August. Again, highlighting just how invested many of them were in the “blitz” story.
Look, I get it. It’s not like white-owned media would expect a Black woman for president to be so popular, right? I mean, they should have. But they didn’t. They missed it by a country mile.
Now, the news media is trying to grasp just how broad the groundswell of support for Harris is while undoubtedly spending millions on countless polls in that effort. While polling can give the nation a better idea of what to expect, as we all know, it can be deceiving.
Yet, if you just look in the real world and pay attention to what happened on a grassroots level in just the first 48 hours, that’s all the indication anyone should need. Black men and women, in particular, are mobilized.
Just hours after Biden’s announcement and his endorsement of Harris, over 40,000 Black women attended the Win With Black Women Zoom call. On the call were notable names such as Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Joyce Betty (D-OH) among many other prominent figures. Over $1 million was raised for Harris’ campaign during the call.
On Monday, Win With Black Men held a similar call hosted by Roland Martin. That call had more than 53,000 attendees and raised $1.3 million for Harris from 17,000 donors.
This is the kind of mobilization the Democratic Party badly needed. It’s a spark that caught the news media off guard making it seem as though they weren’t ready to see so much support for a Kamala Harris presidency. But that’s not all the news media isn’t ready for.
In yet another somewhat predictable twist, broad Latino support for Harris’ campaign has also exploded its way into the discussion. Many Latino lawmakers took to X (formerly Twitter) to express support for the Vice President and many Latino organizations issued press releases endorsing her.
Voto Latino pledged to contribute $44 million to mobilization efforts for the Harris campaign in addition to endorsements from organizations such as the Latino Victory Fund and Unidos US.
“Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the issues that deeply impact the Latino community and all Americans,” reads the statement from Unidos US. “From her strong stance on immigration reform and advocacy for reproductive rights and healthcare access to holding banks accountable for predatory mortgage lending, she has proven to be a champion for justice, equality, and progress.”
Yes, it’s early. But the immediate support for Harris across racial, ethnic, and political lines is something that has not been considered. As of this writing, it’s still not part of the news cycle. Take my word for it, it will be.
Sure, some questions will arise about Harris, as they tend to do with any candidate. But there is no denying that the broad support for her candidacy from all corners of the U.S. may just be the kryptonite Democrats have been looking for against Trump.
These somewhat predictable yet often overlooked efforts are what will make the upcoming election one of the most interesting of our time. While the news media continues on its “voters are split about Harris” narrative, one thing is certain: Democrats are seemingly more excited than they have been since Barack Obama ran for president in 2008.
Early signs indicate that the Trump camp is in deep shit and if the trend continues it may be facing a huge and undeniable defeat in November. For that, you can thank Black women for leading the charge.
I’m a freelance writer and journalist for Capitol Press, The Antagonist Magazine, and Unicorn Riot. Find me on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work become a paid subscriber or donate on Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp
The far rights white male candidates are all groveling in billionaire’s pockets to be the hair apparent to the orange menace and thought their racist memes from their x meta etc bubbles would translate nationwide through their far right speaker, pocket mates on the Supreme Court, and the deranged Congress. Kamala’s done well to stay above the fray and focus on the 34 indicted rapist that the despicables dredged down to the level of Biden’s despised presidency.