Reelin’ in the Years
I was 10 years old when I became involved in my first US presidential campaign. It was 1976, and America was exhausted and disoriented from Nixon and war and the oil shock – and of course, Watergate and Ford’s subsequent pardon – and the candidate was a man who, like the current Democratic candidate, was reasonably unknown but instantly recognizable by his smile: Jimmy Carter.
I really did work for the Carter campaign at that tender age, tagging along down to the local campaign office with my father and stuffing envelopes. Everyone thought I was cute, but I remember the feeling of being involved, and of caring about who won the election. That’s stayed with me all my life. On the other hand, though I’ve been a lifelong voting Democrat (full disclosure), I’ve hardly felt the same youthful excitement about every candidate that’s come along.
But, to paraphrase American songwriter Keb’ Mo’, Kamala Harris is a whole other thing.
I was pretty sure that was true after writing about her and watching her masterful debate performance, but then I went to her rally in the Greensboro Coliseum… now I’m a believer.
Greensboro Coliseum and I go back a long way, actually. It’s been a major concert venue for decades, and I saw Genesis there in 1983, Stevie Ray Vaughn in 1984 (opening for Huey Lewis and the News), Little Feat in 1989, Yes in 2006, Rush in 2011… you get the idea. My wife’s PhD ceremony was there in 2013. It’s a big venue. Good thing, too, because 17,000 people showed up to see Harris at her first big rally just two days after the debate.
It’s (Not) A Man’s World
The presence of women was noticeable and powerful. Standing in line to get into the rally I had the unique and pleasant realization that I, a middle-aged white guy, was in the clear minority. Sure, there were men of all ages, but there were far more women, of all ages and many races. There were mothers and daughters, sorority groups, activist groups, families, generations of women, and the sense of pride was absolutely palpable.
That said, it was an extremely diverse crowd, attesting to the candidate’s broad and expanding appeal. I didn’t feel like a minority, I felt like I was in the midst of something new taking form and I was l glad to be there.
Perhaps this is one of Harris’ unique strengths, and that is her ability to represent and connect with so many types of people, without really trying to. Harris makes no effort to play on her gender or racial identity. What’s more, she has a unique and very reassuring, almost familiar appearance that doesn’t really evoke one stereotype or another. She looks like everyone, with slightly darker skin. She talks like everyone, managing to be brilliant but not academic and aloof, ready to scold or slip in a little slang. She’s actually pretty relatable, and not particularly threatening or radical in her approach or her ideas.
On the other hand, she consistently emphasizes her working-class roots, attention to small businesses and her career as a public prosecutor, and interestingly enough this is where I find my own personal connection to Harris. My grandfather was a criminal lawyer in Boston, and my other grandfather ran his own pharmacy in Boston for years. I myself ran a small business here in Chapel Hill for over 25 years. So I can relate, personally, to Harris in a way that is both unexpected and powerful.
It’s a genuinely remarkable thing to witness unfolding.
Get Into the Groove
Inside the Coliseum the energy level rose as people kept filing in. Everyone was given a bracelet that lit up in various ways, creating a party feel, and a DJ was on the floor blasting through a setlist that was very carefully curated to hit a wide range of ages and tastes. At one point he got the entire crowd to sing the whole chorus of a song – with the music off (I am embarrassed to admit that I have no idea what the song was. My tastes run a bit different [see above list of concerts I’ve attended]) As the speeches went on, the breaks in between became a genuine dance party – people were having fun:
Talking ‘Bout My Generation
Maybe it’s because I started paying attention to elections when I was so young, but presidents and in general politicians have always seemed much older than I was.
That’s all changed. For the first time I have the remarkable sensation of being faced with a slate of candidates who are essentially the same age as me. I’m 58. Kamala Harris is 59, Tim Walz is 60, Josh Stein (the NC Attorney General and candidate for Governor, who was in my high school class in Chapel Hill) is 58. Mo Greene (candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction) is 58. The officeholders who spoke to cheer on these candidates are hardly much older themselves: Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughn is 63, Roy Cooper is 67, US Rep. Kathy Manning, 67.
It’s strange, but also kind of heartening, not least of all because I seem to feel more at eye level with these people – they are my generation, at a similar stage of life, professional and intellectual development. This is hardly the same old group of aging white men people have lamented as dominating politics, first of all, but also it seems to me that they – we – understand a wide swath of modern culture and technology far better than the generation before us, well enough to be able to bring young people in and work with them like the Harris campaign has clearly been incredibly successful at doing, both online and on the ground. The rally in Greensboro was managed like a well-oiled machine, staffed by eager, organized and efficient young people – lots of them.
More Than a Feeling
Ultimately I went to the rally for the rare experience of being in the same room with Kamala Harris, in person, even if it was a very big room. I, like many others, had been increasingly impressed with her, and all the more so after finally seeing what a great orator she is during the debate – the carefully repeated phrases, the expertly deployed facial expressions, the telegraphing hand gestures, the million-watt smile, all put to devastatingly effective use – but of course, that was still TV. This was live, and honestly, after what she had already pulled off, it seemed to me the event was history in the making. How could I miss the chance just an hour up the road?
A rally is made for TV too, and this was clearly no exception. It added a touch of the surreal to the evening, knowing I was part of a giant show being staged almost more for the after-effects of its success than for the effect it had on those present at the moment.
That said, there is no doubt it had a big effect on all of us there, as witnessed by the deafening, two and half minute ovation Kamala Harris received upon her entrance:
When I got home that night, I told my son that as far I was concerned, Kamala Harris is the real deal. The genuine article. Being there in person, something came through that the TV cameras don’t capture – she connected with 17,000 people and she gave a forceful, dignified, at times outraged speech, with an always inclusive, forward looking and optimistic view. It’s no act. She really is who she appears to be, and she is telling the truth about a great many things.
Yes, with so little time before the election she has nothing like the full-blown platform a party and candidate would/should typically have. So what? What matters is that she is not only a worthy opponent to Trump, she is also a worthy successor to Biden. And the relief and hope contained in that fact goes a very long way towards explaining the extraordinary energy that is growing behind her now.
We really, really need to defeat Trump. Now we’ve got more than a shot at it.
What a rare thing in politics, and at such a crucial moment. Why, it’s almost like Joe Biden knew all along he could take down Trump with his secret weapon. She sure took the rest of the country by surprise – and thank goodness!
Gentle reader, you may consider that my endorsement of Kamala Harris for President of the United States.
Photos and Videos: Paul Rosenberg
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