The presidency is a “black job”

You should watch the video of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz waiting backstage in Milwaukee as the delegates' convention was broadcast live at a packed Fiserv Forum, the same venue where the Republicans held their convention a month ago. When Gavin Newsom cast the final votes at the United Center in Chicago, making the vice president the party's official nominee, Harris and Walz stood side by side.

It's time for us to do the right thing and elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States of America. California, we proudly cast our 400 and 82 votes for the next President, Kamala Harris.

The range of emotions reflected on Kamala's face began perhaps with fear, or perhaps a sense of unreality. As Newsom cast the votes, she seemed to concentrate – Walz, standing next to her backstage, was about to freak out. She tilted her head back and began to express a kind of joy.

But then there was a moment when her eyes widened. She had an almost childlike expression in them, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened, as if she couldn't grasp the enormity of it all. Then the expression began to calm down. Perhaps pride came into play.

Finally, she turned to Walz, gave him a high-five and hugged him. Only after this hug did she leave him with a broad, joyful smile.

As I watched the video, I was reminded of the significant number of people who, while trying to get Joe Biden to drop his campaign ballot, were making up reasons to bypass Kamala Harris.

Many people – white and black, progressive and not – were sure that the country was not ready to elect a black woman.

Since Joe Biden endorsed it exactly a month ago, there has been little talk about it.

One thing is certain: the fact that she would be the first female president, the first black president, the first Asian-American president – ​​people keep talking about that The (However, as several reports on the convention noted, Kamala is not concerned with this, especially when compared to Hillary.)

What is equally certain is that the challenge it presents will not be forgotten. Michelle Obama addressed this challenge in her speech. She began with a tribute to her own mother, Marian Robinson, who died in May, and paid tribute to Kamala's mother.

Michelle began by saying there is no monopoly on what it means to be American, then described what it was like to grow up without the privileges Trump enjoyed.

Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be American. Nobody.

Kamala has proven her loyalty to this nation not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service to others, always opening the doors of opportunity for others. She understands that most of us are never given the grace to fail forward. We will never benefit from the positive discrimination of generational wealth. If we bankrupt the company or drown in a crisis, we don't get a second, third, or fourth chance. When things don't go our way, we don't have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get ahead. No. We can't change the rules, so we always win. When we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.

That wasn't necessarily a comment on race. Few Americans enjoy the privilege that Trump does.

But what followed was about race. Michelle addressed the attacks that Donald Trump had launched against her and Barack.

It was the first time Michelle mentioned Trump.

we know what's coming next. We know that people will do anything to twist their truth. My husband and I, unfortunately, know a little bit about that. For years, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to make people afraid of us. You see, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happen to be black.

Then she turned the tables and accused Donald Trump of taking over the office of president, saying that the office of president was now a “job for black people.”

Wait, I want to know: who will tell him that the job he is looking for might be one of those “black jobs”?

Michelle went from there to calling out Trump's misogyny and racism as a substitute for his own inadequacy. She later returned to those “who don't want to vote for a woman” but enjoined, “Do something” when it happens. You can read the rest here.

The First Black First Lady has warned everyone. Things are going to get tough. But when they do happen, you just have to do something to counter the lies, the racism and the misogyny.

I don’t know if in the month since Biden endorsed Kamala, people put aside the belief that America is not ready to elect a black woman, or just that despite the racism and sexism in America, it should happen again. Or maybe for some it was always just an excuse to ask someone else.

I responded back then, when people said the U.S. wasn't ready for its first black female president, that with Dobbs on the ballot, with fascism on the ballot – after several elections in which black voters saved the country – a black candidate might be the most logical choice. While Trump struggles to find an attack on the vice president that doesn't turn his dog whistles into a racist wake-up call, and mostly fails, the press has had a harder time normalizing his racism because of his insecurities about running against Kamala.

Being defeated by a smart, beautiful black woman could be just the kryptonite to Trump's power that the country has been waiting for.