This story was published as part of Outlook's 11 November, 2024 magazine issue titled 'Whitewash'. To read more stories from the issue, click here
In October 2024, Kamala Devi Harris stood tall on the stage in Clarkston, Georgia, her voice unwavering as supporters roared. 바카라We will win!바카라 the crowd shouted, and Harris, with a knowing smile, echoed, 바카라Or as a certain former president would say, 바카라Yes, we can.바카라바카라 The audience responded in unison, 바카라Yes, we can.바카라
Harris stands at the intersection of many firsts바카라the first Black woman to be elected district attorney in California, the first woman to serve as the state바카라s attorney general and the first Asian American senator. Now, as vice president, and the presidential nominee, she carries the dual legacy of being both the first Black and South Asian woman바카라a multifaceted identity that resonates with many, but also invites heightened scrutiny. Her journey presents a fascinating and complicated profile of political ambition and ideological evolution, caught between the shifting demands of progressives, centrists and critics from the Right and Left alike. To understand Harris entirely is to confront these complexities.
Harris바카라 stint as a prosecutor in California바카라first as district attorney of San Francisco and later as attorney general바카라remains one of the most polarising chapters of her career. She framed her work as a 바카라progressive prosecutor바카라, emphasising reform from within the system. However, the realities of her tenure have led many to argue that her approach disproportionately harmed Black and Brown communities. Her office aggressively prosecuted low-level drug offenses, including marijuana-related charges, despite her later public support for legalisation. In one controversial case, she defended California바카라s policy of keeping people incarcerated even after courts deemed their sentences unlawful, citing labour shortages in the state바카라s prison system. During her tenure as district attorney of San Francisco, the city바카라s conviction rate jumped from 52 per cent to 67 per cent within her first three years in office. Policies like these have drawn sharp rebukes from activists, with some arguing that Harris represented the status quo of 바카라tough-on-crime바카라 policies dressed in progressive language.
As California바카라s attorney general, one of Harris바카라 signature initiatives was Open Justice, an online platform aimed at improving police accountability by publishing data on deaths and injuries in police custody. While the programme earned praise for promoting transparency, Harris faced criticism for failing to more aggressively confront police violence. Her detractors argue that these compromises alienated progressives, setting the stage for deeper ideological conflicts when she reached national office.
As the Democratic nominee for president, Harris is tasked with bridging the divide between the Democratic Party바카라s left wing and its centrist faction. She has proposed policies such as making the child tax credit permanent, expanding Social Security, tackling price-gouging in healthcare and passing the Protecting the Right to Organise (PRO) Act to strengthen labour unions. These initiatives align with key elements of the Biden administration바카라s broader economic agenda, which has received praise from both labour groups and progressives. However, she has also drawn ire for backtracking on earlier positions. For instance, she retreated from her 2019 endorsement of Medicare for All and abandoned her call for a ban on fracking, which many saw as a betrayal of progressive ideals.
Her record on immigration is similarly mixed. As vice president, she was tasked with addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, a role that led to backlash from both Republicans and Democrats. While conservatives accused her of neglecting border security, progressives criticised her for discouraging asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey to the US border. The centrist positions she opts for have left her vulnerable to attacks from all sides: too liberal for conservatives and too cautious for progressives. Her shift towards the political centre reflects a broader challenge facing the Democratic Party as it seeks to balance competing factions. In a closely divided America, centrism can be a pragmatic strategy, but it risks alienating the progressive base that has powered the party바카라s resurgence in recent years.
Despite these shifts, Harris has remained firm on contentious issues, particularly regarding US foreign policy and relations with Israel. Critics accuse her of endorsing an 바카라ethnonationalist apartheid state바카라, citing her unwavering support for Israel바카라s military actions in Gaza, which has killed hundreds and thousands of Palestinians and around 175 journalists. In her recent statements, Harris reiterated her commitment to Israel바카라s right to self-defense, a stance that drew sharp disapproval from advocates for Palestinian rights and human rights organisations. The US administration바카라s continued military aid to Israel, even in the face of allegations of war crimes, has deepened disillusionment among some Democratic voters. In a harsh rebuke, Indian writer Pankaj Mishra drew comparisons to other leaders of non-Western ancestry whose policies reflect far-right ideals rather than hope for social justice. Such incendiary rhetoric underscores the widening rift between those who once saw Harris as a beacon of diversity and those who now view her as a figurehead for an increasingly militarised and neoliberal political order.
The American economy thrives on warfare. Wars have become a linchpin, propping up a military-industrial complex that drives much of the nation바카라s policy. The recent Afghanistan crisis is a stark example: for two decades, the US funnelled approximately $250 million each day into the region바카라a staggering sum of taxpayer dollars. Most of this money, however, wasn바카라t aimed at rebuilding communities or improving lives but instead found its way back into American arms industries. Research conducted by Brown University shows that these funds were largely used to buy and support American-made weapons, sustaining the very industries that profit most from it.
This pattern isn바카라t restricted to Afghanistan. Since the outbreak of Israel바카라s actions that the United Nations (UN) describes as genocide against West Asian nations, the US has extended nearly $20 billion in aid to Israel. But again, the true beneficiary remains the American arms industry, as most of that aid has been used to purchase weapons from the US defense sector. War, in these cases, is not only a battlefield but also a marketplace바카라one where profits reign supreme.
Amid these geopolitical entanglements, the domestic battleground is just as fierce. The Supreme Court바카라s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade바카라the half-century precedent that guaranteed the right to abortion바카라ignited a fresh wave of political turmoil. Harris has emerged as a defining voice in the fight for reproductive rights. She has made it her mission to highlight the devastating consequences of abortion bans and frame the battle as part of a larger fight for freedom.
During her keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, she delivered what many consider the most consequential address of her career. Using fiery rhetoric, she accused former President Trump and the Republican Party of masterminding efforts to strip away women바카라s reproductive freedoms. 바카라Simply put, they are out of their minds,바카라 she declared, pledging to restore the protections that Roe once provided. Her campaign has been laser-focused on these issues, positioning herself as the champion of reproductive rights. Organisations like Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Committee to Protect Health Care and Reproductive Freedom for All have thrown their weight behind her. On her campaign website, she outlines her commitment: if elected president, she vows to support legislation that would restore Roe바카라s protections or veto any attempt to pass a national abortion ban. With Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, Harris emphasises a shared belief: women must have the autonomy to make decisions about their own bodies, free from government interference.
Harris바카라 presence at the highest levels of American government is profoundly meaningful, especially in a country still grappling with its long history of racial exclusion.
Besides, her identity as both Black and South Asian is undeniably part of her public persona. When she became the first woman of colour to serve as vice president, she was hailed as a symbol of representation and progress. For many, her presence at the highest levels of American government is profoundly meaningful, especially in a country still grappling with its long history of racial exclusion. But with visibility comes unique challenges. Harris has often had to navigate the double standards imposed on Black and Brown women in politics in the US. In the 2020 election and again in the 2024 campaign, she has faced critiques that reflect both racism and sexism. While male politicians are considered authoritative when speaking bluntly, Harris바카라 assertiveness is sometimes labelled abrasive. On social media and in news commentary, her laugh바카라once a marker of charm바카라has been caricatured as insincere, and her competence questioned in ways that male counterparts rarely experience.
Political scientist Nadia Brown notes that Harris바카라 experiences illustrate how women of colour in politics face a distinct 바카라misogynoir바카라, a term that describes the intersection of sexism and racism. 바카라We would not see these stereotypes, or these kinds of threats used against her if she were not a Black woman,바카라 Brown told the New York Times in 2020. This scrutiny was evident on the campaign trail in 2024 when former President Trump claimed to a roomful of Black journalists that Harris 바카라happened to turn Black바카라 a few years ago. She has been labelled as a 바카라Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)바카라 hire by Republicans in a bid to undermine her credibility.
As the 2024 election approaches, Harris faces mounting pressure from all sides. Polls suggest razor-thin margins in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, raising concerns about whether her candidacy can withstand the unpredictable dynamics of the campaign. Her political career encapsulates both the promise and the pitfalls of American democracy. Her rise to power as a Black and South Asian woman is undeniably historic, offering a vision of a more inclusive future. But her mixed record바카라marked by criminal justice controversies to foreign policy missteps바카라has made her a lightning rod for criticism from multiple directions. Harris바카라 ability to navigate these complexities will determine not only her political future but also the direction of the Democratic Party. Can she reconcile the contradictions of her career and emerge as a unifying leader? Or will her centrist pragmatism and controversial record leave her stranded between the party바카라s competing factions, unable to fully inspire the coalition she needs?
Whatever the outcome, one thing is sure: Harris embodies the tensions of an America still struggling to define its identity. Her journey illustrates that representation matters but it cannot shield any leader from legitimate scrutiny. Whether she will or she can, Harris needs to 바카라act with fierce urgency바카라. As she herself wrote in her memoir, 바카라Justice demands it.바카라
(Views expressed are personal)
Souzeina Mushtaq is Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls
