Joy, hope as Kamala Harris readies to accept Democratic presidential nomination
All eyes on US Vice-President as she presents ‘biggest speech of her life’ at convention
Dubai: The time has come.
As Kamala Harris steps on to the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination, it will mark a new beginning for the US Vice-President. For the next 73 days she will be on the road, addressing rallies, meeting people and campaigning across the country to ensure that every voter turns out on November 5 to cast the ballot to elect the 47th president of the United States.
But first, Harris will have to present the biggest speech of her life. Her address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago will tell the story of her middle-class upbringing and tap into an appeal to patriotism – an opportunity to engage a wider electorate, including independents and open-minded Republicans.
She will talk about how she was raised by a working mother and knows the challenges facing families hit by inflation, media reports said.
Harris was taking her convention address so seriously that she held rehearsals complete with teleprompters in three different time zones, reports added.
The daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, both immigrants, Kamala Harris reflects the United States’ changing demographics.
Some 42 million Americans now identify as multiracial, or 13% of the country, according to the US Census Bureau. That is up from 2% in 2000 when the census first allowed people to select multiple races.
It will be the culmination of three days of electrifying speeches from former US presidents to party leaders and celebrities calling on the people to stand up for freedom and vote for ‘joy’. In fact, joy has been a recurrent theme at the convention, with Oprah Winfrey urging voters to “choose joy” and vice-president nominee Tim Walz thanking the packed arena for “bringing the joy”.
During the week at the convention, former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were treated as returning heroes.
When the 63-year-old Obama spoke there were chants of “Yes we can”, echoing the famous slogan that helped make him the first Black president in US history.
But Obama knowingly followed it up by prompting the crowd to chant “Yes she can” - directing the energy towards Harris and her bid to become the first woman and South Asian commander in chief.
Michelle Obama raised the roof in Chicago on Tuesday, declaring that under Harris “hope is making a comeback.”
From the Obamas to Bill Clinton, senior figures have warned all week that Harris has a tough fight on her hands to beat the 78-year-old former President Donald Trump.
Trump himself will be in Arizona on the Mexican border on Thursday to push the issue of illegal immigration.