Democrats Nominate Harris for Vice President, as Obama Lashes Trump

AdvertisementSupported bySenator Kamala Harris became the first woman of color on a major party ticket, while former President Barack Obama condemned President Trump by name and issued a grim warning about the durability of American democracy.transcript“Hey, everybody, it’s me, Kamala.” “Tonight we are going to hear from so many phenomenal women who are working to help us build that more perfect union.” “Tonight I’m thinking of the girls and boys who see themselves in America’s future because of Kamala Harris — a black woman, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, and our nominee for vice president. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote does not matter.” “With only one nomination received and pursuant to our rules, I hereby declare that Kamala Harris is elected as the Democratic candidate for vice president.” “She is the first black woman, first South Asian woman to be named on the Democratic ticket.” “This is a historic pick.” “Someone who looks like us on a presidential ticket, that’s crazy.” “That I am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me: women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty and justice for all. Herndon and Lisa LererMILWAUKEE — Democrats formally nominated Senator Kamala Harris for the vice presidency on Wednesday night, placing a woman of color on a major party ticket for the first time and showcasing the diversity of race and gender they believe will energize their coalition to defeat President Trump in the fall.The third night of the party’s national convention also featured a striking repudiation of Mr. Trump by former President Barack Obama, a break with the presidential custom of not criticizing a successor by name. Biden Jr., a 77-year-old fixture of Washington establishment politics who served as Mr. Obama’s vice president, Democrats tried to make the case that while Mr. Biden would be one kind of change agent — a repudiation of Trumpism — Ms. Harris would help steer the party in new directions and reflect a changing America. Speeches by Mr. Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were intended to underscore the history-making moment of Ms. Harris’s nomination, highlighting her uniquely American biography: A child of immigrants and a graduate of a historically Black university, she is one of the few women of color elected to the United States Senate. In perhaps the most policy-heavy speech of the evening, Ms. Warren, speaking from an early childhood learning center in her home state of Massachusetts, praised Mr. Biden’s “really good plans.” She highlighted his proposals to make child care more affordable, to provide universal preschool and to raise wages for child care workers.Much of the evening was devoted to the power of women in politics. He offered a grim warning about the durability of American democracy.“This president and those in power — those who benefit from keeping things the way they are — they are counting on your cynicism,” Mr. Obama said, addressing voters. So we have to get busy building it up — by pouring all our efforts into these 76 days and by voting like never before: for Joe and Kamala and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country that we love stands for.In her acceptance speech, Ms. Harris wove her personal story with policies that she said would improve the lives of all Americans “to achieve the future we collectively want.” Ms. Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, said her experiences would ensure that the perspective of people long marginalized in America — African-Americans, Asian-Americans, women, first-generation residents — would have a voice at the highest levels of Mr. Biden’s administration.She said she was committed to “a vision of our nation as a beloved community — where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love.” While the pandemic denied Ms. Harris, California’s junior senator, the typical pomp that awaits any vice-presidential nominee — a clamoring convention audience of thousands — it provided her a controlled setting to reintroduce herself to the American people after her unsuccessful presidential campaign. Many Democrats have speculated about the possibility of Mr. Biden’s serving only one term if elected, and the selection of Ms. Harris as his running mate installs her as the leading candidate for 2024 should he choose not to run again.Mrs. Clinton made the case for Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris as a team offering policy and empathy, saying they could move the country forward in areas such as housing and health care. DIDN’T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT???” the president tweeted, one of several all-caps messages he sent during her and Mr. Obama’s remarks.Ms. Harris herself had a few zingers for Mr. Trump, harking back to her years as a prosecutor fighting gangs, big banks and for-profit colleges.