Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden has hugely enhanced his prospects by announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate for Vice President. Kamala Harris is a senator from California, born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. She presents a class illustration of multilingual ethics, pride and values in a country known for preserving and promoting immigration and integration.
The US under Trump has been ratcheting under a rhetoric of insular and exclusionary form of nationalism and populism premised upon ethnic and racial lines of divide. Needless to say, the narrative has caused irreparable harm to America’s domestic and foreign policy interests. The US has started pulling back from many important treaties, conventions, and agreements, severely straining America’s association and cooperation with many European and Asian countries. This is also because political unpredictability has become a significant feature of Trump’s America First policy plan.
Under the garb of deglobalisation, protectionism has become a chief characteristic of the global world order, prioritising the interests of those it wishes to attend to. Thus, Trump has become utterly sensitive to the rise in unemployment in the country, due to which the lives and livelihood of ordinary Americans have been greatly affected. Trump attempted to correct it by limiting the participation of immigrants in some of the crucial American sectors and industries. The US was a one-stop destination for many young working Indian professionals, but now, due to restrictions on H1B1 visas, they surely will consider alternatives before choosing to settle in America as a fallout of this executive order passed by Trump.
However, Biden has ensured that he will rectify this decision once chosen for the top profile in the White House, appealing directly to the Indian diaspora who form a sizeable chunk of the American population at influential ranks or profiles. It was for this message that Biden posed his reliance on Kamala Harris as an alternative, benefiting and bettering his prospects against Trump by maintaining the competitive lead against him.
Trump has rallied against China for consolidating his sway amongst White Americans by being hard on China’s major policy proposals, banning a few Chinese mobile applications. After surveys began hinting at the possible resurgence of the Democrats in many swings and key states, people are said to be purposely agreeing to the thought of social welfare and liberalism proposed and propounded by Joe Biden — with a clear idea and impression of ameliorating the social, civil and cultural life of the American laity.
Biden, who was himself a Vice President during Obama’s presidency, knows fully about the potential of gender and racial issues in the American society, and how it acts up by being unjust and oppressive towards those these communities regards as inferior. The George Floyd episode exposed the fault lines and fissures of the American society in which Blacks have long been relegated to the margins where their rights are routinely abused and violated by the apparatus and agencies of the state. Thus, the Black Lives Matter campaign began to take momentum as Kamala Harris, through her broadcasts and campaigns for equality of opportunities and the dutiful rights of Black people, began to inspire a change in the approach and attitude towards people of colour.
She has intervened many a times for the economic and educational upliftment of Black people, encouraging a response from states by working closely with activists and academicians for meriting effective strategies. Being politically centrist, Harris has well adapted herself to the changes in the political environment. She does stand a great occasion and opportunity to illustrate her pioneering prowess for affecting a transition in society by inaugurating new spaces of affirmative actions and ideas.
Harris’ vice presidentship would simplify Biden’s responsibilities as he would then get the chance to engage and interrogate with actors who are shaping and structuring objectives and interests that are crucial from America’s point of view, pledging to honour the commitment of America’s founding fathers. Celebrating diversity counts as one and Kamala Harris has hit the reset button for a systematic and structural rejig, reforming the American society and its citizens in her chosen capacity.
Possibly, only when big-ticket Biden-Harris win with an arithmetic alliance suitably placing them on a high. Let’s pause and think for a while what would happen if the election result swings in their favour?