Words by: Fergus Goodall Smith (he/him)
On July 21st, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, posted a single image on the POTUS Instagram account. It was a signed letter to the American people, announcing that he would not be seeking re-election. This came after weeks of strenuous efforts by his own party to loosen his white-knuckled grip on the presidency following a disastrous debate performance.
Shortly after posting that letter, he endorsed Kamala Harris as his replacement on the Democratic ticket. Now, over a month later, Kamala Harris is the official Democratic presidential candidate, garnering party support in a blitz that has taken the world by storm. Alongside her is Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota and Vice-Presidential nominee. Tim exudes strong dad energy.
Harris has had a meteoric rise to the top of the ticket, and social media has played a major role in this ascension. Kamala has been the subject of large volumes of memes. It started with her odd sentiments and life lessons involving the passage of time and coconut trees; her cackle was spliced into practically any song. Things really escalated when Charli XCX tweeted, ‘Kamala IS brat.’ It turned her fledgling campaign lime green, with Charli’s ‘365’ and ‘Apple’ becoming anthems of Kamala’s election bid.
It seems like Kamala and Tim are riding a never-ending wave of momentum. At the Democratic National Convention, the Obamas, Oprah, and AOC gave stirring speeches, expressing unwavering support for the Harris-Walz ticket.. Along with the whole brat aesthetic, Harris also has Beyonce, Lil Jon, Stevie Wonder and so many other celebs cheering her on—even Jacinda was at the convention!
Before July 21st, it seemed almost certain that Donald Trump would be victorious. Joe was looking more and more like a fossil than a living being, and the shooting incident did wonders for Trump. That incident was the final blow to Biden’s re-election bid. Now, with a young, charismatic woman leading the charge things look to be on the up. Harris holds a 3.3% lead over Trump in national polling averages. But….no matter the hype, or the spectacle, the coconut trees or the context in which you exist, ‘Mamala Kamala’ is still facing an uphill battle. Even though she leads nationally, America’s archaic electoral college system means you can still lose the election even if you win the popular vote (it happened to Hillary in 2016).
Harris faces vile attacks from Republican Party members on a daily basis. Some claim she is a diversity, equality and inclusion hire; others say she got where she is by sleeping around…because…of course, it’s impossible for a woman to get to the pinnacle of politics on strength and determination alone, or because what she lacks in talent she makes up for in skin colour. Now Trump has called into question her race, stating she only started claiming she was black during the 2020 democratic primaries.
Trump, who has spent the last six years attacking Biden, seems unsure as to where to aim his vitriol now his beloved Joe is gone. It’s like…the love of his life divorced him, and now he doesn’t realise how good he had it. Trump’s attacks on Harris have become increasingly sporadic, misogynistic, and racist, lacking any evidence per the usual. But this is Trump’s speciality, he campaigns on cynicism, preying on the fears of others. It is always easier to motivate with anger rather than with hope.
Kamala must try and win over independent swing voters in battleground states like Pennsylvania, where only a handful of voters may be the difference between victory and defeat. For Harris to win soundly, the youth vote, quickly becoming one of the most important voting blocs in the US, is a key to the White House. It falls on her to set out clear policies on where she stands on the Climate Crisis and the genocide in Gaza, her stance on a ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel are key measures she must consider if she hopes to gain young voters’ support. She must fight back against the divisive rhetoric which can seem far more tempting to those undecided, and champion change and a path forward to a brighter future.
A second Trump presidency would result in a roll back of environmental efforts, removal of abortion rights, a rapid increase in support for Netanyahu’s government actions and massive tax cuts to the wealthiest 1%. The US election can seem over-saturated and over-reported, a spectacle of showbiz that puts Western ideals above all else, but the truth is, a US election is a global election, the policies of the candidates’ affect everybody. The stakes are high, the race is close, but most importantly, feminism ain’t dead.
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