Harris formally accepts VP nomination
WILMINGTON, Del. — Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president Wednesday night, cementing her status as a leader in a party staking its future on building a diverse coalition of voters as the first Black woman on a major party ticket.
Ms. Harris said the nation is at a critical point, struggling under President Donald Trump’s “chaos,” “incompetence” and “callousness.”
“We can do better and deserve so much more,” Ms. Harris says. “We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together — Black, white, Latino, Asian, Indigenous — to achieve the future we collectively want.”
Ms. Harris, the 55-year-old California senator whose parents are Jamaican and Indian, made a surprise appearance early in the program, calling on supporters to have a specific “voting plan” to overcome the obstacles to voting raised by the coronavirus pandemic and postal slowdowns.
“When we vote, things change; when we vote, things get better; when we vote, we address the need for all people to be treated with dignity and respect,” Ms. Harris said. “So each of us needs a plan, a voting plan.”
Ms. Harris capped the third night of the convention in a symbolic handoff from Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president.
Mr. Obama on Wednesday warned American democracy may not survive if Mr. Trump is reelected, a damning assessment of his successor intended to jolt Democrats into rallying around Mr. Biden and doing whatever it takes to vote.
“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t,” Mr. Obama charged, speaking from the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, a backdrop chosen to reinforce what the former president sees as the dire stakes of the moment.
“I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president,” Mr. Obama continued, describing Mr. Biden as his brother. “I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously.”
Mr. Obama’s remarks were striking for their bluntness, especially from a figure who has spoken fondly of the tradition of
presidents refraining from publicly criticizing their successors. But he reflected the Democrats’ view that the nation is facing an existential crisis as it confronts health and economic turmoil and a reckoning on racial justice. The party’s 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, echoed those warnings earlier in the evening.
The night focused on the party’s commitment to progressive values on issues like gun violence and climate change, while highlighting speakers most likely to connect with women and all people of color, voters whose energy this fall could ultimately decide the outcome.
Democrats targeted Mr. Trump’s policies and personality throughout, casting him as cruel in his treatment of immigrants, disinterested in the nation’s climate crisis and over his head in virtually all of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Above all, there was an urgent focus on voting.
Democrats hope Ms. Harris and Mr. Obama in particular can help bridge the divide between those reassured by Mr. Biden’s establishment credentials and those craving bolder change.
The Democratic convention will build to a finale Thursday night when Mr. Biden will deliver his acceptance speech in a mostly empty convention hall near his Delaware home.
And after two nights that featured several Republicans, Democrats on Wednesday emphasized their party’s values on issues like climate change and gun violence, issues that particularly resonate with younger voters.
A face of the Democrats’ support for gun control, former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords reflected on her own journey of pain and recovery from a severe brain injury nearly a decade after being shot in the head while meeting with constituents. She urged America to support Mr. Biden.
“I struggle to speak, but I have not lost my voice,” Ms. Giffords said. “Vote, vote, vote.”
Ms. Clinton, the first woman nominated for president by a major party, spoke ahead of Mr. Obama. “For four years, people have said to me, ‘I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.’ ‘I wish I could go back and do it over.’ Or worst, ‘I should have voted,’ ” Ms. Clinton said. “Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election.”
She added: “Vote like our lives and livelihoods are on the line — because they are.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a favorite of progressives for demanding bold change, spoke Wednesday night, but only for a few minutes.