In the space of two weeks, America has become unrecognizable, and Kamala Harris's rally in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) on Tuesday, August 6, confirmed it. In an overexcited stadium, Democratic supporters rediscovered the fervor of Obama in 2008, in stark contrast to the rare "Potemkin rallies" of Joe Biden, who spoke in front of a handful of hand-picked participants. Proof was provided that the Democratic Party had no shortage of 50 to 60-year-old talent, capable of taking the baton.
The first of them was Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro who, as host of the event, had the slightly cruel task of warming up the venue after losing the morning race to be Harris's running mate to Tim Walz, his counterpart from Minnesota. Combative, extolling freedom, the centrist with presidential ambitions mimicked Obama the way Democratic contenders remembered Kennedy in the 1980s. And, straightforwardly, he claimed his Jewish religion, which partly blocked his path to the vice presidency due to opposition from part of the pro-Palestinian American left. "I'm proud of my faith," said Shapiro. Without hesitation, the Pennsylvania governor praised Walz and Harris.
When they took to the stage at 6 pm, it was a spectacle of joy, strength, and jubilation the likes of which we hadn't seen in a long time, while the American left-wing media made no secret of their enthusiasm. "More energy. More humor. And less time trying to sell the country on the accomplishments of the Biden administration," summed up the New York Times. For years, the Democrats had been locked into a Donald Trump mirror image of the past: The Republican populist's reactionary "Make America Great Again" was contrasted with Biden's basically negative "Build Back Better."
There was nothing of the sort at this rally, where the name of the octogenarian president, forced to forego a second campaign, was never uttered. Harris assumed the role of president. Delegates voted by absentee ballot, and she was able to announce to the crowd: "I stand before you today to announce I am now officially the Democratic nominee for president of the United States."
And Harris is looking ahead. This campaign is "a fight for the future," she said, launching into a long plea for freedom in this city of Philadelphia, the cradle of the American Revolution. Freedom to vote, freedom from gun violence, freedom to love whoever you want, and freedom for women to make decisions about their bodies, Harris was on the offensive against the Republicans.
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