Kirstie Clements: Smart and chic, vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris is a ray of hope
There was a bright spot this week in the hellscape that is US politics and that was the announcement of kick-ass Senator Kamala Harris as Joe Biden vice-presidential nominee.
Given that she is a strong, smart woman, and a woman of colour at that, the low-energy Caligula in the Oval Office spared no time going in on two tired fronts – calling her “nasty” and, of course, questioning her eligibility with a racist, birther innuendo.
Kamala Harris reminds us what an intelligent, compassionate person looks like. Photo: Getty
As the Republican Party rally around, trying to find some platform to show how much Trump likes women – superbly demonstrated by previous proclamations such as “Grab ’em by the pussy”, “If Ivanka wasn’t my daughter perhaps I’d be dating her” and “I wish her well” directed to alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell – Kamala calmly walks out on stage and reminds us what an intelligent, compassionate person looks like.
Not only can she speak in complete sentences, she isn’t trolling the world on a daily basis and trying to hobble US states’ mail-out voting initiatives, which aim to make sure every American has the right to cast a ballot.
My girlfriends and I have already organised drinks to watch her wipe the floor with Mike Pence at the vice-presidential debate, (Thursday, October 8, at 12pm for those who would like to join. Please bring a plate).
Ready. https://t.co/EpR2sG2x9R
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 12, 2020
There is a Kamala dress code too: pantsuits, jeans and pearls – classic looks which she wears superbly, especially when she flicks back her hair over one ear and skewers various dissembling ratbags during Senate committee hearings.
I am a huge Kamala fan: apart from the fact that she is hugely accomplished, she is also very glamorous, and looks like tons of fun to be with.
She does not suffer a fool gladly, that is more than obvious: a look of utter disdain she threw Attorney General William Barr is now a
meme.
She has also accepted this leadership role in a very challenging time, in a period of immense economic crisis, and with a runningmate who quite frankly is in the twilight of his career and may only serve one term.
I presume she has also been schooled by a team of experts about what she can expect coming down the line from Trump, as his personal abuse of opponents knows no limits. He is one of the most vicious and shameless bullies the political world has ever produced.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with running mate Kamala Harris. Photo: AAP
Kamala’s steeliness and intellectual acumen will be marvellous to see more frequently, after all the years of the dreadful females in the Trump administration, the Kellyannes and the Kayleighs, wearing more makeup than a Sephora salesperson, lying and patronising us all from the press gallery podium.
Hopefully we will soon bid goodbye to First Daughter Ivanka, and her weird, breathy cosplay of presidential advisor, to bored and miserable Melania, squinting blankly down at us from her Manolo Blahniks and especially farewell to those two annoying partners of Don Junior and
Eric with their weird girly hair and voices that could strip paint. Kamala definitely feels like hope.