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By Maya Mackey
I was not intending to watch the Democratic National Committee’s convention. I’ve rarely witnessed a politician whom I think deserves a pep rally. But I will forever be down for Barack and Michelle. So when I read that they’d be making an appearance, I promised to watch their speeches. As I was waiting for their time to shine, I watched a few other speeches. One, in particular, really stuck out.
A homely short film narrated by Cole Emhoff (Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepson) detailed how goofy his dad, Doug Emhoff, is and how irrevocably in love he is with Kamala Harris. There was something about hearing a Millennial poke fun at his Gen X parents that felt comforting. Normal. The film showed Doug in his youth doing menial jobs like working at McDonald’s and summer camp. Cole Emhoff also talked about his parents divorce, acknowledging how hard it was on him emotionally. Again, something almost everyone in my generation can relate to. It was deeply human and deeply moving.
The film concluded with acknowledging the Harris/Emhoff bunch are a multi-racial, multi-cultural, blended family and they are what the present and future of America looks like, as we only grow more multicultural by the minute.
The message was clear. This is a normal American family. This is the beginning of a promise long delayed, that America can be a place where everybody has a voice, equal rights and the right to love whom they want. Doug Emhoff, second gentleman and soon to be first, harped on their cultural differences stating that “Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith even though it is not hers. Ermhoff highlighted that he spends Easter Sundays at Harris’s Baptist Church while Kamala attends the synagogue with Doug on important Jewish holidays.
Shortly after, a casual yet deeply personal interview between Kamala Harris and Tim Walz was uploaded to YouTube. Their down-to-earth conversation ran the gamut from how they eat their tacos to their vision of America. Walz, unashamed of his whiteness, acknowledged his tacos are underwhelming, “usually just ground beef, cheese.”
“No seasoning?” Harris retorts and playfully rolled her eyes away before breaking into her infamous laugh. They talked about where they’re from, the beginning of their careers before they were big shots and the challenge ahead of uniting America.
Earlier this week, Harris also filmed the “Wired” YouTube segment where famous people answer frequently googled questions about them and it was the quiet, personal, and inviting type of content that humanizes her– an important strategy as her reputation as a Attorney General as well as her firm anti-immigration policies are going to be tough to overlook in a nation that is growing in its number of migrants each day.
Humanizing a polarizing candidate is smart. It makes us reconsider our criticisms when we think this person rife with power is really just a nice lady, an auntie being recognized on a national level. Kamala’s calm and steady voice, poised demeanor and obvious good looks, backed by this down to earth content can only aid her in winning the 47th campaign for the American Presidency.
If the Democratic Party can continue to humanize their candidates while also nominating actual progressives instead of liberal centrists, they have a fighting chance at redeeming this nation.
Make the Democrats Great Again!