Any time there is an election, people make their choices based on a number of factors. They’re voting for a set of policies, they’re voting for a history of achievement, and they’re voting for the personal qualities of the candidate running.
In Kamala Harris, not only does the Democratic Party have a candidate with exceptional policies and with a strong history of achievement in government, it has a candidate with the personal qualities needed to fix a government that since 2016 has been broken in terms of direction, policy and morality.
As one searches through Kamala Harris’ history, we see that the core of the personal qualities that makes her such a strong leader - her inclusiveness, her ability to encourage and to bring out the best in those around her, her natural inclination to seek redress for inequity and her tenacity as a fighter - emerged very early in her life.
After her parents divorced, her mother received jobs with the Jewish General Hospital and at McGill University in Montreal. Kamala, Maya and her mother moved there when Kamala was 12 years of age. And already at age 13, in a new country and residing in a province in which French was the dominant language, the fighter in Kamala appeared. The apartment in which her family lived did not allow children to play in a grassy yard on the property. According to an article in the Montreal Gazette, “Furious that the building owner had forbidden children to play on the lawn, the teenager convinced other youth to demonstrate with her. She and her friends changed the owner’s mind.” It takes a great deal of confidence in yourself and the ability to inspire confidence in others to achieve this at such a young age.
Kamala attended Westmount High School (whose graduates include Leonard Cohen) while she lived in Montreal. The school was a diverse one however students tended to associate primarily with others of the same nationality. There was also a wide difference in terms of the income parents of the students earned. Here we see Kamala’s natural inclusiveness displayed. “The school “was a very racially segregated school when we attended, not in a hostile way, but more because of socio-economic divisions,” Paul Olioff, a high school friend, told the Toronto Star. “Ms. Harris transcended this, as there were few students she didn’t get along with.” She spent much of her time with students who were poorer, often helping them academically.
She organized a dance group called Midnight Magic that performed at fundraisers and at seniors centres. When it came time for grad, she encouraged her friends to go as a group. “She wanted to make sure girls weren’t outcasts, and didn’t feel that pressure if they never got asked to go by a guy,” Kagan said.”
The young woman who organized a protest by children against her landlord, inspiring other children in the apartment to stand with her, continues to display this natural ability. I can envision how she spoke with the children she inspired to protest with her when she was 13 as I watch how she encourages and elevates the children she interacts with during her campaign today.
This interaction is like so many others I’ve seen. She naturally gravitates towards encouraging and empowering children, towards inclusiveness and positivity. Moreover, she tries to instill and to encourage confidence in children to grow up to be the fighters all countries need. That confidence is natural to Kamala, but for many it needs to be nurtured to be brought out.
That so much of who Kamala is today could be seen in the person she was in high school shows how genuine she is. We can trust her to be the president the country needs because the personal qualities she demonstrates aren’t learned or fabricated they are authentic and real.
In choosing a president, the country isn’t just choosing the person with the best policies, although that matters. It isn’t just choosing the person with the greatest level of experience, although this matters as well. It is choosing the best person with the skills to govern, to lead, to inspire and to bring people together across the divisions that others seek to exploit.
The country needs a leader who has the ability to inspire others, as Kamala did as a 13 year old when she organized a youth protest against her landlord. The country needs a person who can bring people together across divisions, who is comfortable with people of different nationalities, as Kamala demonstrated in high school when she refused to follow the demarcations of culture and socio-economic standing but instead chose to reach out across these divisions. The country needs a person who, as a “Joyful Warrior”, organizes a dance troupe that brought joy to people in seniors centres in Montreal. And the country needs a person who will fight, whether it involves major issues like health care, racism, immigration, and abortion or smaller concerns like the simple need to give children a space to play.
After the turmoil of the last three years, simply put, what the country needs is the person Kamala Harris has consistently demonstrated herself to be.
There are about 70 million reasons to support Kamala Harris for President!
Newpioneer has rounded up some highlights of her sponsored legislation here.
snowman3 has rounded up some more legislative highlights here.
Want to know more about her positions and plans? Her policy page is Our America.
Or go straight to an issue: quality, affordable health care for all, economic justice,raising teacher pay, combating the climate crisis, criminal justice reform, action on gun violence, a fair and just immigration system, LGBTQ+ equality, government for the people, debt-free college and student debt, gender equality, American leadership at home and abroad, and fighting for racial justice.
Please remember to visit our community group page Kamala2020 and give us a follow! That way all our group efforts will appear in your stream; this makes it easy for everyone to keep up with our latest posts. As always, any who would like to join our group please leave us a comment and we’ll get your invitation right out to you!
If you’d like to volunteer to host one of our Kamala 2020 diaries, please leave your comment in the ”Calling all Volunteers”thread.
Even if you can’t commit to a weekly spot due to your busy schedules, guest bloggers are always welcomed!
While you’re here, don’t forget to visit Kamala’s Official Campaign Website and her Swag Shop for your favorite campaign gear! 😄
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Group Guidelines
The Kamala2020 community group has been created to positively support Senator Kamala Harris, and not to engage in negativity towards other Democrats running in the 2020 primaries.
All should be made to feel welcomed here. What’s notwelcomed here is petty bickering over any of our preferred candidates, or personal attacks on fellow Democrats. We’re not responsible for the actions of others who may offend, insult or attempt to sow discord and disunity — that’s on them.
What we are responsible for are our own words and actions — that’s 100% on us.
I’d like to ask all group members, as well as those dropping by who support or are interested in Kamala’s bid for the nomination, that we not respond to negativity from other campaign’s supporters with even more negativity. Let’s do better than our best and respond with respect, humor or try to hold our peace. Recipes and cat pics work, too 😃
Doing no harm costs us nothing... pie-fights will cost us everything.
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Upcoming Events:
June 26-27: The first debates will be held in Miami, Florida, and will be broadcast live on NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. Kamala Harris will be in the June 27 group.
June 30: March with Kamala Harris at SF Pride
July 3-5: Kamala will be in Iowa campaigning, with stops in Sioux City, Des Moines, Indianola and Council Bluffs.
July 5: Kamala will be at the National Education Association forum in Houston, Texas
July 16: Kamala will be at the AARP/Des Moines Register forum in Davenport, Iowa.
July 30-31: The second debates will be held on July 30th and 31st in Detroit, Michigan, and will be broadcast live on CNN.
Sept 12-13: The third debates will be held on September 12th and 13th, and will be broadcast by ABC and Univision.