Another political article with an overemphasis on identify politics and void of any substantive policy assessments with the exception of her realistic stance on criminal justice issues. If identify issues are the primary focus of democratic candidates we will lose.
9
Obama promoted identity politics and some people are finally realizing how harmful that is to our country. It is one reason Trump got elected.
6
Ah, the culturally embedded sexism. If a woman is strong and aggressive (or even assertive), she is disliked for that, reviled, accused of trying to be a man or labeled shrew and a b***h. Yet, people hesitate to vote for a woman because she might not be aggressive enough or as strong as a male candidate. Damned if she does; damned if she doesn't.
2
Her (and other Democrat nomination-seekers) nutty economics of universal free stuff will be the undoing of not only her campaign but whomever is the Democrat nominee.
Democrats are so far, far from “ ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” that they are assuring a Trump second term, in my view. More sensible individuals like Mr. Bloomberg or other similars have no chance against these socialists in any Democrat primary. Which is why, of course, Mr. Shultz would run as an independent, if at all.
5
KH and other Democratic candidates know they can safely ignore voters like this one:
"Too west coast and quietly conservative on judicial record..."
Republican candidates can do the same thing, at the other end of the spectrum. It's always about that vast middle.
The Willie Brown factor is gonna hurt her.
6
Mr. Brown said he preferred Mr. Booker because he did not think Ms. Harris could be “aggressive” enough to “battle with Trump.” She is awfully like HRC already, in terms of aggression, and many found that offensive during 2016 campaign, especially the white women whom crossed over to vote Trump.
1
Democrats’ ongoing obsession with race, gender, and ethnicity...i.e. identity politics....is ultimately a losing proposition. Centrist voters are getting tired of the sanctimony.
8
Kamala Harris is running in a different era than Obama. The amazing announcement of support by Ted Kennedy for Obama astounded the Clinton camp. 2008 was the greatest campaign in post WW2 US history. A black man won the US presidency. Obama's candidacy brought joy and excitement. Something the Democrats of 2020 will have difficulty matching. Especially with the neo con take over of the Democratic Party brought about by Hillary Clinton. And their wrong abandonment of the Palestinians to the tender mercies of the right wing settler gov't of Netanyahu that has had a strangle hold on Israel. Harris is a formidable person. Apparently she has been a tough prosecutor who has fallen afoul of many blacks because of the 1994 Crime Bill which unfairly targeted black suspects and the Black lives matter mov't. Harris has a chance to make a serious impact on the 2020 election but she will have to move beyond depending on her tough on crime stance and embrace a candidacy of justice and hope in the difficult times ahead.
3
There are several candidates better than Ms. Harris
9
So far I'm not reading any good reasons why Kamala Harris would not be a force to be reckoned with in the race for POTUS. Will she win? Maybe not, but no one's victory is guaranteed. Does she have a mediocre record as DA? Possibly, but she has a ton of political and legal experience as well as an Ivy League education. Biracial? The jury seems out among readers on whether that is a good or bad thing. Same with being female. They also seem divided on whether she is too liberal or too conservative. So how is she a bad candidate again?
1
Kamela Harris is obviously very smart, tough, inspiring, and good on the issues for those left of center. She is an upper tier candidate and has a chance to go all the way. No legitimate Democrat should be on here nitpicking (or would be as the obvious trolls are clearly worried about Harris) - none of us are likely to find a perfect candidate who we agree with on every single thing. I don't yet know if Harris is the best choice for the Dems but if she is the nominee I will proudly support her 100%.
5
A bit harsh, but not excessive:
"i live in CA...San Francisco at that. Harris was a HORRID D.A. here. I'll vote for anyone before her."
I don't recall KH being a "horrid" D.A. here, but I certainly don't remember her distinguishing herself. She was just sort of "there." And, though I respected her personal opposition to the death penalty (she never -- not even once -- sought the death penalty), I always felt that her proper course of action was to resign, not selectively enforce the laws.
4
This commenter is referring to Willie Brown:
"... what on Earth was she doing dating a politician 30+ years older than herself when she started out?"
Willie Brown is a former SF mayor (did a pretty good job, as I recall), but he was known for being far more powerful than that. He was THE kingmaker in northern California, for decades. Maybe there was no other way to scramble to the top, but let's not forget that KH got where she is today only because she dated Willie Brown. End of story.
6
White old-school here. No recognition of Harris until the Kavanaugh hearings, and suddenly felt like I was listening to some Divine Being speak.
But would like to see a critical look at the counterpoint to this. The People who Vote Their Prejudice, and those who will clobber their prejudiced minds...
What will the election-wreckers, the Cambridge Analyticas, do with someone like Kamala?
Trump, who I loathe and condemn, has mastered the technique of stupido repetition. It is the same technique that an Episcopal minister, during a grocery store encounter, described to me as his job ("repeat it"). It is effective and it is powerful. It is delivered in fourth grade playground (an online language).
What historical novelty will be nourished to answer it?
Which candidate will have the gut instincts to convert would-be conformists and rescue those with poverty stricken imaginations...
And then have the courage to stand up to "fake-wealthy" cannibalistic, capitalistic games, once elected? And re-generate the wealth of human community?
And will the media battle to make this happen... & find the realtime battle lines, unlike 2016.
2
Being a long-time SF and CA resident (where Kamala Harris served as the chief prosecutor -- both places), I feel entitled and duty-bound to comment.
Kamala Harris didn't just not seek the death penalty in the infamous cop-killer case (though one can be forgiven for drawing the mistaken conclusion after reading the recent SF Chronicle article speculating on whether her conduct in the cop-killer case will hurt her election chances). She refused to seek the death penalty for ANY and ALL cases.
I respect KH's opposition to the death penalty, but the proper solution was not what she chose. The proper solution was resignation -- not staying in office but selectively enforcing the laws.
5
i live in CA...San Francisco at that. Harris was a HORRID D.A. here. I'll vote for anyone before her.
6
Her mother is from India.
3
Harris is hardly Obama .Her immigrant background including her political experience is not enough to galvanize the black community as a whole like it did for Obama.in short,she is no African American .
2
@Khaganadh Sommu I'd say KH is an "African American," but so what? So is Cory Booker, who's much more impressive, frankly, than KH. True, Cory Booker is not a woman, but there are more impressive female candidates than KH. And when did we just start "checking the box" for candidates? Has it really become enough simply to say "I'm a woman, a member of a racial minority, and I'm running for President?" Is that really all that's required? KH had better hope so, because that's about all she has going for her.
If you thought Hillary Clinton was mediocre, wait until you get to know Kamala Harris. Next to her, Hillary Clinton will seem like a superstar!
2
The Democrats better get a grip on themselves. Kamala Harris will get slaughtered in Iowa and SC. She offers nothing new to a complex equation of politics, class and gender. Same goes for the other members of the distaff set. I am no MCP, just a realist that 45 and his male/GOP clan will rebuff any woman candidate. Better the media focus on middle American Values. They won’t elect another African American—nor any woman. Unless, that is, until the Dems build a bridge reflecting those values.
4
Kamala Harris has had a feature article and a Sunday Review as well as Op-Ed's in the NYTimes. Yet Howard Schultz has only hit the Op-Ed twice with two negative commentaries. Seems a bit contrived. Kamala Harris is probably an amazing Attorney but has no experience with regards to economics. She has never run a payroll or experienced the competitive pressures of the free market. When you are running $20 trillion in debt you need a leader who understands the free market.
5
All this - you have to be black to get blacks to vote - stuff is very distressing. The NYT seems to imply that blacks will only turn out to vote if there is a black candidate to vote for. Is this true? Ask Hillary?
8
Is it about being black, or is it about pretending to be progressive...?
6
Calling her "black" promotes division among human beings. Her skin color is light brown, as Barack Obama's (who, by the way, if you are going by black and white, should be called "gray"). Skin color is irrelevant except to the feeble-minded. After all, what did Obama do for the dark-skinned targeted by the war on drug users? There is no such biological entity as race, except for the human race. Think for yourself?
5
@Radical Inquiry
You're the only other person who, perhaps as a result of owning a set of paints, has ventured the term "gray." Clearly most won't like the term whether due to its implications of age or to its suggestion of mediocrity, though I think Obama himself is intellectual enough to be amused by it.
I have a great deal of respect for Senator Harris, but my early gut says she's no Obama. I live in a predominantly black city (Durham) in NC. I know its very early, but I DO NOT see the excitement in many of my black colleagues that I did with Obama-- especially the men (most don't even know who she is.) When Obama declared, it was Obama 24/7 where I live (pretty exciting times); it's nothing like that now. Perhaps things will change as she becomes more known, but I think people are comparing her to Obama out of desperation for a glimmer of hope rather than an actual belief that she moves people the way Obama did. Obama was a once-in-a-generation politician. I don't see anyone remotely like him in the declared Democrats so far. Not so say she can't beat Trump, just that she's going to need to stop promising rainbows and unicorns, and come up with some legitimate policy ideas.
5
In a word - NO! Democrats need to look for someone with more experience and more charisma. Period. I don’t care what color or sex the candidate is but to beat Trump they must be seasoned and tough as nails. Kamala Harris is neither. She is also too much of an opportunist to ever reach the White House.
5
How is she not seasoned and tough-as-nails? I guess all in the eye of the beholder. And also, I’m pretty sure ANY candidate, as well as whomever you wish to back, can be called an opportunist. What exactly is one? And doesn’t it kind of go with the territory of the ‘running for president’ thing?
2
I realize this is an article about "politics," the game, and it is a fascinating game, for sure. But please, please, NYT, give voters at least equal coverage of the candidates' positions on the issues. When other candidates announce, tell us what their agenda and priorities are, with some detail, not just a passing reference. If they want to stick with slogans and value statements, press them for the policies to back those up. Now more than ever, we need substance. I, for one, have had with the "Like me and trust me" candidates.
6
@abigail49
Brava! What would you say, Abigail, to the Times preparing some sort of blank budget and platform for candidates to fill out? They'd never answer "yes" or "no" questions, of course, but could you ask if they are 20/40/60/80% for or against something? I suppose you should include 0% and 100%, though nobody will check those boxes.
1
Let's see:
Senator Harris is highly intelligent...
Highly educated...
Has gravitas...
Dignity...
And,
Is not Donald.
She surely doesn't have to align with me on every issue to have my enthusiasm and support as of of several worthy Democrat contenders.
3
Kamala Harris' record stands for itself. In the months ahead, she will further introduce her platform to the American electorate. Every voter should judge her accordingly.
It is unfortunate that the NY Times tries to push everything through the prism of race. (while bemoaning 'racism' on a daily basis).
5
Since the first time wasn’t life changing, what are the chances of the second time being so? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. But hey, Kamala is promising everything under her as president will be free, sounds good to me regardless of what color she is.
Too west coast and quietly conservative on judicial record
2
"Based on interviews with 30 black voters...."
Seriously? Could that even possibly be a statistically significant sample?
4
While trying to read about her qualifications, I couldn't help but count the use of the word "black" (or a euphemism of black) fifty three times in this article.
White was used three times. Hispanic once, and Asian once.
I realize this article is exploring whether she can follow Obama's footsteps, but seriously? Are we to hear "black woman" even more than we heard "woman" with Clinton?
I get it. She's black (half black, anyway). What else 'ya got?
6
Yet another article by NYT casting doubts on Kamala Harris before she has even had an opportunity to present herself. Is this your own bias at work, again, to cast doubt on a candidate early and often? And as for whether she is “African American enough” how insulting to ask that question. There is no one way or preferred way to be Black. She has been Black her whole life and probably still would hate to be pulled over in certain places in this country; even areas in her home state. I’m sure at some point she’ll have to justify her African American experiences, and that is so unfortunate.
It is too early to tell who will rise to the top of democratic candidates, but I know one thing—we cannot have another term of this current Disaster In Chief. If it ends up being Ms. Harris I can live with that.
It amazes me how Democrats are so picky and critical of their candidates, yet Republicans thought Donald Trump was just fine and still think that. I wish Kamala Harris well. She seems to be a promising candidate.
7
Amen, us Dems will eat our own for lunch and look for the next one for dinner. Drives me absolutely crazy! What some friends of mine basically says is, “there was a moment in time where that person was not perfect; therefore, I’ll never support or vote for them under any circumstance.” They’re only willing to bestow their vote to their perfect prince or princess. Ugh, spare me the purity police, I say.
3
I am a Republican and a man - so take my comments for what they are.
I agree with the comment below from an "angry liberal" - she has and continues to come across as an angry woman. He Kavanaugh cemented that impression.
The 44th - for all his faults - never was an angry man.
Come to think if it - the only angry man we elected - at least in my life time - and I am pushing 70 - was Nixon.
And we know what happened.
And let's face it - anyone trying to replicate history of a successful politician is doomed - because it comes across - disingenuous - because that's what it is.
And in our own history - not one POTUS was elected because somehow - he copied a previous successful formula.
Carter defied Democrat establishment - a small state governor.
Reagan - a Hollywood man - who could barely read scripts - forget speeches.
Bush - if there ever was an opposite of Reagan - who broke a campaign promise.
Clinton - ok, a small state governor but with sordid personal life - built a coalition of young and educated and blue collar workers - by convincing them he can feel their pain - unlike one "poppy."
And it goes on.
In politics - especially today - 4 years is cosmic time.
4
It is still early in the race but the baggage Harris carries should be seriously considered. Her record as a DA and AG were a disappointment. Based on her record she cannot be counted on. She has no record on international affairs and there is no reason to justify her running (other than as she has expressed it, she will be the first . . .Contrast the others, e.g., Warren ), finding a real reason for her running is difficult; e.g., Warren's life has been directed to trying to remedy certain evils; when we look at Harris there is nothing she devoted her life to or that we can rely on to provide a real reason to trust her or her beliefs whatever they are; we should be picking candidates carefully on the basis of the many very important issues we are facing; we just got through losing with a candidate who couldn't specify why she was running. Don't waste another election.
4
@peter s
I voted for Hillary as an alternative to Trump, and also so I could tell my friends (and myself) I was on the "right side of history." (Do a Vulcan mind probe on your friends. I'm not alone.) I knew she had the best resume too, but I just couldn't stand her Davos Declaration of Deplorability. But these comments make me think again, what a shame that resume came with the "are you stupid enough not to vote for me?" attitude.
This upcoming election is extra important. We need to find the smartest candidates that have proven track records. Candidates need to be working with all citizens and listening, developing real policies that can be immediately implemented.
Ms Harris has ideas that we want to hear expanded. The other candidates need to be heard it’s going to be exciting to win our country back. We are all Americans at the end of the day and every American is going to vote no matter the race gender with the best ideas and can beat Trump with his swamp enablers.
1
Have the men who don't think Harris can be aggressive enough seen her in action? At the Kavanaugh hearings, perhaps? Anyone who has seen her can have no doubt about her strength.
1
@emilym465
An interesting experiment would be to ask each male voter in a sample group to choose between a male candidate and a female candidate, both of that male voter's own ethnicity (color, creed, and national origin).
The superdelegates will decide. Until that corrupt system of choosing is dismantled there is no hope for the Democratic Party.
4
Ummm, that was changed, didn’t you hear? Plus, how was it corrupt when it was a legit and duly rendered part of the standing Democratic Party rules???
1
Centrist here. I was skeptical at first of her. From what I've read and seen and listened to her, I like her. I'd prefer her to be a little more moderate and stop with the free giveaways (college, healthcare, etc) as we can't afford it; show an innovative plan. She has tremendous poise and looks great. But please, stop the laugh/cackle a la Hillary Clinton. That's annoying. Nervous or genuine, reign it in. Go HARRIS!
2
If the Democrats put forth anyone but an ACTUAL progressive to go up against Trump, I'll be going the accelerationist route by supporting Trump.
1
Let the voters decide and then support the Democratic nominee! As if ANY Democrat could be worse than DJT. Get over yourself, please!
2
The sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha is supposed to haze its members and thus pushing her to suicide.
"A woman whose daughter played basketball at Northwestern University and committed suicide in 2017 filed a lawsuit against the sorority that allegedly subjected her to hazing.
The mother, Felicia Hankins, filed a 50-page federal civil complaint against Alpha Kappa Alpha, an African-American sorority based in nearby Chicago, and eight current or former individual members of the organization."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mother-suicide-victim-files-lawsuit-against-sorority-allegedly-hazed-her-n956916
If those accusations turn out to be true, Kamala Harris should keep distance to that sorority.
1
When will the media stop labeling people and stop driving racism...Kamala Harris is an excellent candidate for president and her credentials will stand next to anyone. You are a news agency...asking who black Americans will or will not vote for is not news. Setting the stage for a racial divide and perpetuating the notion that all black people support all black people is racism in itself.
4
Anyone who watched Harris’ Town Hall last night should realize she is unqualified to be president. End of story.
5
@Doris Keyes
That's it. I'm following the advice of Doris Keyes. and Ardyth (preceding comment).
You know, if the General Election NY Times were as lively as the Primary Election NY Times, it'd be pretty lively!
Another election cycle, another onslaught of horse-race coverage. KH has lots of interesting ideas and explains them well. Please, NYT, it's too soon to pick candidates apart based on "electability."
2
I don’t care about skin color or ancestry or gender identitiy - if any.
1
She can’t win, unfortunately, due to an extremely superficial reason: she has an unpleasant voice. I loathe Trump with the the fire of a billion suns, but I feared (correctly) that he would win based purely on my gut level reaction to the cadence of his voice. The content, of course, was nonsense. But it was the soothing tone that mattered. Same with Obama. We like to think we vote rationally, but it’s simply not true. We vote with our primitive brain. Sorry, Kamala. Get out now.
I think Oprah still has a shot.
3
@Mary Whitehouse
Oprah doesn't want to run, and I wrote a long comment supportive of KH as a prospective Independent, but for a few years now, Oprah has been my real "dark horse." She'd merely chuckle at my choice of words, which is to my point. Millions of white people already view her as a friend. She understands certain things which we can't talk about, but to which she is sympathetic. Wary of politics, she should be urged to "veep" with a state governor (yes, ideally a white male, amiable and moderate) with executive-branch experience. I think their "diagonal ticket" could bulldoze a path down the middle.
i want to hear about the affair she had and the sexual harrassment in her office.
6
The notion that our political leaders are now pandered to by race and gender in and of itself is racist and sexist..... brought to you by Progressives.... This is why unless a moderate Democrat is put forward who will not use race and gender as a selling point you will see Trump again in 2020.
7
Never really thought of Barack Obama as black...
In the same way, never really thought of Colin Powell as black...
In the same way, Vernon Jordan presumed to know what folks really really thought...
http://croker.harpethhall.org/Must%20Know/Psychology/PowellGates.pdf
“...Any time a white person says they do not see Colin Powell as black, that tells me that they cannot see,” he says wearily. “What they are really saying is ‘We see that he is black but we are prepared to look beyond that...
In retrospect, it was naïve to think that Obama could be our first post-racial president...
Because it’d been naïve to think we were a post-racial country...
Looking around and seeing how many people – black, white, and everything in between – at least six years old when George Wallace stood in the doorway and on TV and blocked the entrance to the University of Alabama 55 years ago...
And silently bear the ethos of that time into this one...
It’s not that the event stands singular – it’s that it marks an instant in time when more than a hundred million Americans thought Wallace was doing the right thing, and millions more would do or had done it themselves, writ small in their own backyard...
Still, never really thought of Obama or Powell as black – not because of not seeing them that way...
Rather, hearing them and reading them more than seeing them in deciding what to make of them...
But, they too mark instants in time...
When one chose to run – and one didn’t...
And why...
So Kamala Harris wants single payer at the cost of $4-5 trillion dollars a year--(nearly all of our existing budget) at at a time when doctors are retiring early because of burnout and overload. She's been in favor of releasing tens of thousands of criminals as she's done in California and she celebrates New York's passage of third trimester abortions. No problem if the immigration issue never gets fixed because its more votes for her party and cheap labor even for billionaire Democrats...
Yes Ms Harris, please run...
6
I agree with the consensus that Ms. Harris could not win in a general election. Frankly, I doubt she would win the nomination of her party. She comes off as an angry liberal and this is coming from an angry liberal. She espouses the same tired pie in the sky objectives which have zero chance of becoming law. While I admire many of the younger, progressive members of our party democrats must realize that the majority of Americans are moderate and if we just pander to the extremes of our party we will end up with another 4 years of he who should not be mentioned.
11
Hey, I like Kamala Harris. She did a better job than her predecessor as the SF county DA. She did a good job as our AG. And she's from my hometown, Oakland, Ca.
That said, I don't see her being elected president. As a senator, she doesn't know how to back down. To me, a good attribute. To Middle America ? Maybe not. She can come off as combative and I think that will turn a lot of people off. It's great if she can carry the black vote, but in order to win the EC, which is all that counts, you HAVE to make a dent in Middle America. That's gonna be a tough sell for her.
7
@sheikyerbouti
Saying she did a better job as SF DA than Terence Hallinan is like saying she would be better than Donald Trump -- when you set the bar that low, anyone would be better! As for Attorney General of California, can you point to ANY initiatives she put forward and succeeded in achieving? Gun control? No. Criminal Justice Reform? No. Consumer Protection? No. Voter Protection? No. She didn't even initiate lawsuits against predatory "pay day" lenders, or go after PG&E after its criminal negligence in San Bruno or failure to maintain their power lines to prevent wildfires. All she did was perpetually run for higher office, simplying mouthing simplistic platitudes rather than presenting viable policy changes.
2
Instead of focusing on Ms. Harris' ethnic and racial background, and gender, it makes more sense to focus on what little she has accomplished in her time in public office. While DA of San Francisco, she accomplished little-to-nothing, and as Attorney-General of California she did nothing to use that office for consumer protection, environmental justice in lower-income communities, gun control or any other important policies. Although the NYTimes is fond of bashing Andrew Cuomo, he certainly accomplished more as Attorney-General of New York in consumer protection than Ms. Harris did as AG of California. Ms. Harris' rise has consisted of nothing more than leveraging one office to the next higher office, with no record of achievement to justify her rise. Her questioning of Kavanaugh? A big nothing. She made a big deal of his supposed connections to a law firm lawyer & then just dropped it. Senators Klobuchar & Hirono accomplished much more. Too bad Senator Hirono wasn't born in the U.S., and thus can't run for President. Now there's a real firebrand who would energize the base.
9
You know.... She will have to win independent moderates to have a chance.... Any of the candidates in either party will... its not all about winning what this article expects her core constituency to be.
I am white middle-aged, was a card carrying Republican for 25 years and a recovering Independent for the last 17. My wife is a naturalized Japanese-American...
We both Like Kamala as a professional, experienced, serious, intelligent candidate and for both of us she is our early choice looking at the entire field of both announced and hopefuls.
I think she has broader appeal outside her expected constituency then maybe people give her credit for.
3
The article correctly points out that Ms. Harris supports medicare-for-all, which in which I strongly believe. However, when questioned about this on CNN, she gave a particularly uninformed answer: (from CNN website) "the senator answered affirmatively, saying she would be OK with cutting insurers out of the mix. She also accused them of thinking only of their bottom lines and of burdening Americans with paperwork and approval processes."
This was certainly the WRONG answer, bordering on appalling. I have Medicare and I also pay for Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plan F. Most people I know on Medicare have a supplemental plan (although certainly some people do not). Medicare for all is not a death knell for insurance companies, although it might have some impact. And it certainly won't impact other aspects of the insurance industry such as life, auto, and home insurance. Her answer was damaging to the case for medicare-for-all, and I believe it came for a place of being uninformed about what Medicare is.
At the moment I am leaning towards Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders who have demonstrated a command of the issues and don't just spout platitudes like “running to be president of the people, by the people and for all people.”
6
Please Democrats, select someone who can win!! This may be the most important election in a century & is a must win for the future of our country.
Harris has no pertinent experience for the most challenging executive job in the world. This is not the time to make some sort of political statement. Democrats must run a viable candidate with applicable experience - a governor or mayor of a large city for example - who can appeal to the vast number of voters who are moderates but want a President who can manage the huge federal bureaucracy and bring the country back together.
10
I live in San Francisco. My general impression of Harris is as follows:
Very ambitious.
Old school (Democrat) -- i.e., VERY into looking liberal rather than conservative (emphasis on looking).
A "Sheryl Sandberg" feminist -- because it plays well.
An Obama "progressive" not above ripping off Cesar Chavez for a campaign slogan. (Shameful.)
Embraces and personifies a tired, worn-out model (essentially patriarchal ) of what leadership looks like.
10
I have been watching Kamala for the past year or so, more closely than ever, and have continued to be inspired by her. She has guts, and is clearly motivated by altruism. I hope she wins.
1
To understand why Senator Harris may face obstacles winning over some Black voters, just look at the photo accompanying this article.
Then look at her record as state and county attorny general. Then look at her priviledged background and how she got her start in California politics. And if her race is a positive, is her husband’s race a negative? And then there’s the fact that she has no children of her own.
Yes, these possible obstacles have nothing to do with what kind of president she would make, but they have plenty to do with the emotional reasons behind a voter’s choice not to back a candidate.
And she is most certainly no Michelle Obama.
10
Has she considered that Trump will probably NOT be running next time? That she may be running against Pence?
If she is going to be "hoping to appeal to all voters", then there will be a problem with Pence.
He'll be running on the God-ticket.
That ticket has a specific language, a specific community dialogue.
How would Harris do running against that?
I have no idea.
So far, she has simply done platitudes. Platitudes would work against Trump, but they won't against Pence. Trump can't pivot. Pence twirls like a top.
I'll watch this with interest, but if Harris has a message, she needs to get out out quick.
And, full disclosure: I did not vote for her, and, yes, I know it's silly, but that business of her staff being caught out on that "Templar cop" fiasco, stops me forever. I really, really, really hate anything that smacks as cult. There never was a good explanation on how that happened.
My point?
Anyone running needs to have both a Plan A and a Plan B.
It's doubtful Trump will be around.
2
It profoundly bothers me that so many of my fellow Democrats have no problem with her record as prosecutor or think it’s a sign of “strength.” In a way it’s kind of a reverse bias because she could have only gotten away with doing those things as a white man if he were a red-state Republican instead of a blue state Democrat. And those who say I need to understand that those ethical tradeoffs were due to the political realities of her job should forgive me for reserving my empathy for the victims of them. I thought empathy and equal justice were what separates us from Republicans. And by the way it’s kind of insulting to assume that voters of color are so wedded to identity politics that they will overlook the fact the people who suffered the most from her strategic calculations were also people of color.
I also fail to see how she will succeed with the voters who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for Hillary. The Electoral College is still a thing and we need someone who can carry Wisconsin. I don’t see that the heartland will see Harris as anything but a coastal elite whose ideology shifts with the wind.
And those who compare her to Obama don’t understand why he won the heartland. It’s because he has actual integrity and principles and would never have kept an innocent man locked up on a technicality just to score political points.
Harris cannot beat Trump and she does not represent the values of our party. We can do better. Try Amy Klobuchar.
5
To be honest at this point I am not a fan of Senator Kamala Harris. However she has a Herculean task before her. As a prosecutor she seldom sided with the marginalized or communities of color and aided and abetted a criminal justice system that incarcerates Black people and the poor at at alarmingly higher rates than other groups that commit similar crimes. There is even evidence that she sided with corrupt police and suppressed evidence that might have freed totally innocent defendants. NOT GOOD! If she is held accountable for her actual record in this regard she is toast. Also as an educated woman you would think she could count on MOST of the women in this country to support her. However it cannot be forgotten that Trump got about 52 percent of white female voters in 2016. His opponent Hillary Clinton is a white woman. Kamala Harris is racially and ethnically ambiguous to some but It is very doubtful that those white women that chose Trump over Hillary can be counted on to vote for or support Harris in 2020.
3
In the time of the Roman Empire politicians at the coliseum threw out loaves of bread to the peasants to keep them happy. How little things have changed.
5
There should be no place for identity politics in USA. I don't know why there is so much of media coverage on non-white candidates. There are excellent white women candidates and they do matter. Just pay attention to policies they are advocating and past accomplishments. It would be a great service to America if media highlights the differences in policies of various candidates.
5
Kamala Harris is a fine candidate for president. There are so many candidates, though, that it's difficult to see who the front-runner will be. She needs to run as herself, not as a female Obama. I just hope her birth certificate is in order (sarcasm, no nasty comments please).
1
During the CNN townhall Senator Harris was asked to address whether a woman can beat Trump. Amazing that intelligent people are openly discussing this, can a woman beat Trump. Well, we've just seen Nancy Pelosi do it without breaking a sweat. I think a smart, calm and decisive woman like Kamala Harris can do the same.
It's sad to think that so many voters, including Democrats, don't think a woman is qualified to be president. I wish Senator Harris luck and my vote!!
3
I liked things better when old-line WASPS were Presidents and prominent political leaders.
They lived quiet orderly lives, tried to stay married to their wives, handled their wealth discreetly, supported the arts, made it a point to occasionally visit their church, served in the military, liked horses, dogs and boats, believed that America had a primary role in advancing liberty throughout the world, occasionally read a book and ultimately got around to recognizing blacks, women, Jews and other minorities as worthy Americans and even hiring a few.
I hope the Democrats will try to find one.
4
You've got to be sexist to say Harris is not "strong" enough to handle Trump -- either that, or you didn't see Harris feed Jeff Sessions into the wood-chipper.
I like the idea of a president who lets her hair down with the people and calmly slices her opponents into neat little pieces.
2
Identity politics is going to be the undoing of this country.
7
If it's all about the "most qualified" woman, as Clinton supporters never tired of telling us, then the choice for the Democrats should be Elizabeth Warren.
2
Because of our two party system and electoral college, the election must be looked at as if it is a game with rules, like chess or football. The goal is 270. So, what good is a Left Coast Groovie or a NE elitist? No Good! It is always won and lost in 6 or 7 battleground states. Thats reality. Start looking in Ohio, PA, MI for a Democratic candidate. It may be a white male. Can Dems handle that?
Can she? I hope so.
Only in America could someone who is approximately one quarter black (and doesn't appear to be black either) be described everywhere in the media, without question or hesitation, as "black".
How far does this go? Someone with one black great grandfather, i.e. 1/8th? How about 1/16th?
4
Mrs Harris is speaking through her hat. She calls for 'Medicare fore everybody' and is willingly ignoring that in her home state, California, a medicare HMOs receive from the Federal government's medicare fund a capitation rate of $11,900 per medicare recipient.
As a medicare recipient, one has paid a medicare tax on earned income, for decades to fund the medicare system. The capitation is taken from one's own medicare fund.
Just where is Mrs Harris and others calling for this medicare for all program, going to find the money to provide $1,000 per month per person for medical insurance?
6
Can she repeat . . . ?
Here's a better question from a liberal-moderate, independent white man in his 50's: Is she going to laser focus on the fact that she is black (well, half black) like Hillary Clinton reminded us multiple times every day that she is a woman?
In other words (jokingly), gendo-racially, what's in it for me?
Sure, she's smart, well-spoken and can interrogate people. But she also is multi-racial with strong ties to her parents' homelands, grew up in Quebec presumably speaking French, then moved to California to be easily pigeon-holed as a "left coast liberal". She has some bumps as a prosecutor that need some 'splainin, and what on Earth was she doing dating a politician 30+ years older than herself when she started out?
My question becomes does the Democratic Party ever think this woman can connect with anyone mainstream in the center of the country?
26
@Mtnman1963
The prize is beating Trump and other little Trumps. Democracy needs to be saved. Ms Harris might be the answer and maybe Ms Warren etc.
let’s see the world of 2019 vs 1945
5
I would think that American voters would be concentrating on winning the Senate, say with a firm 60 seat majority, keeping the House...rather than looking for your "savior" in the field of potential Democratic POTUS candidates. Or have you forgotten how your constitution works?
16
@jmc -- I don't wish to be rude, but I don't write comments about what French people or political parties "should do" because ... it's obvious why.
And it is obvious you have no understanding at all of our current situation in American politics, due to what amounts to an intrinsic gerrymander built into the constitution for other reasons:at present there is no plausible chance that the Democrats can achieve a 60-vote margin in the senate; they are desperately struggling to merely take the majority.
3
@Lee Harrison As a NYT subscriber and a dual national, I'll comment as I please, thank you very much. "Intrinsic gerrymandering built into the constitution"? Give me a break. The DNC under Wasserman-Schultz and Donna Brazile was a disaster. They and Obama destroyed what Howard Dean created with his 50 State Strategy (make Democrats competitive in normally conservative states often dismissed in the past as "solid red".) The success of the strategy became apparent after the 2006 midterm elections, where Democrats took back the House and picked up seats in the Senate from normally Republican states such as Missouri and Montana. Obama used the strategy as the backbone of his candidacy, then did nothing to support grass roots after his election...hence the "shellacking" of the party in 2008. I have yet to hear any of the announced POTUS candidates from the party talk about the importance of taking back state legislatures for the redistricting to take place after the 2020 census. It should be obvious that concentrating all of the party's resources on the POTUS race is a losing proposition.
5
First of all, the number one issue that will very shortly, probably by 2020, come into view, is the fact that Medicaid is set to run out of enough money to pay all of the bills. The program gives free care to 75 million, at a time that Senator Harris made the statement that she wants Medicare for all. Medicare, too, is going to run out of money to pay all the bills, in the very near future. Had she said that she wants a single payer system based on everyone paying according to income, on a sliding fee schedule, per person, like they do in Switzerland, then she would of had fiscal accounting with her Medicare for all. A public that continues to buy into anyone running for office that doesn't address not only the debt, almost $22 trillion, and interest on it, but the $30 trillion promised over the next 30 years in underfunded entitlement spending will be a disaster for the country. Under the administration of Barack Obama, who managed to spend $8.5 trillion during his 8 years in office, and the current President DT, who has managed to spend similar amounts, $2 trillion for his two years in office, with GDP forecast to be only 2.5% this year, we can't spend out way out of debt, or into prosperity, no matter what the so called experts say.
2
My African American heritage will have little to do with the candidate I choose other than it probably influences my sense of the importance of a candidates ability to relate to, and empathize with all of us - respect our interelatedness and celebrate the best of our shared American heritage. Honestly, at this early stage, my vote is probably Elizabeth Warren's to lose.
4
Harris’ comments on doing away with employee private health insurance plans is incredibly misguided. The majority of Medicare recipients also purchase supplemental plans offered by insurance companies. These plans cover the 20% of health care costs not covered by Medicare, and they are very popular.
Unless she clarifies what she intends, Harris will have already lost a segment of the population — seniors — that always votes, and most often votes their specific interests — health care affordability.
At the very least, Harris, and all Democratic candidates need to talk about a government sponsored health insurance option that does NOT cut out the private sector. That is simply a bridge too far.
8
No need to compare Sen. Harris to Obama. She may be a first term Senator but has an impressive resume in public service. And has been a firm voice for social justice in her brief time in the Senate. She hit it out of the park last night in the town hall meeting. Smart, articulate, charismatic and caring without being preachy. She won my wife and I over.
9
Mr. Obama won the presidency not because he was an African-American; he won because he was a great orator and debater. He won because he could speak to all of society, not just one race. He won because he had a string background in Constitutional Law. And, he won because he was a strong intellectual. Finally, he won because he was a very liable person, a good father and has a strong partner with Michelle.
This article, and those about Hillary Clinton, resonate with well, a black man won, now it is time fro a woman president.
I will say this, I did not see a black man winning the presidency in 2008, and 2012, I saw a person who won based upon his own merits. Race never entered the equation, except for those who made a big deal of it.
If Ms. Harris can exhibit the same attributes as Mr. Obama, and defeat a person like Trump, then that is what should be the most important. Trying to make history by electing a black woman, just because they are a black woman, is just sexist and racist. Color of skin, or sex, should not matter. What matters is can they be seen as someone who can unite the country and work with both parties to move this nation forward.
24
I think she is a good candidate. I’m interested in her positions on health care, education, federal debt and budget, immigration (sensible). She has good experience, at good age, law is a positive, speaks well and clearly, from a place other than NE. Can handle and beat Trump. She’s a top candidate. I’m retired, white and male. Hillary made some basic mistakes, like not showing up. Too many Americans overlooked Trump’s campaign braggadocio, incivility, and hubris.
6
She absolutely embarrassed herself and the senate process with her behavior during the Kavanaugh vetting. She and Corey Booker were like jr high kids planning dirty tricks and talking those poor woman into lying. I will never vote for her, not ever.
15
They were not particularly statesman-like.
1
It's unfair to Black voters to put them the position of having to back or oppose Harris strictly on the basis of race. At this point in the 2007-2008 race, Black voters were still looking Obama over, undecided. That's how it should be for Harris.
One of Obama's big weaknesses was the fact that he did not know all the tricks Mitch McConnell had up his sleeve, he did not understand cable news, and he was not a good salesman of his own economic policy. Let's see if Harris can pass these tests--as well as the many that Obama aced, Right now, it's too early to decide.
9
The only thing that is important is whether Kamala Harris can win, and not questions about whether or not she can repeat the success of a previous president with a particular demographic of voters whose skin color is highly correlated with that of the candidate.
Oh, and if there is actually information to report, by all means report it. But nothing says "news vacuum" like a headline that ends with a question mark.
2
"Can Kamala Harris repeat Obama's success with black voters?" No. Kamala Harris is not Obama. She should never try to compare herself to him or anyone else. She should run her campaign on her own merits, of which she has many. I agree with what others said that Harris should not run a campaign based on identity politics. Such a campaign will weaken her message. The Democratic party needs to be as unified as possible. Each candidate should focus on their strengths, experiences, and what they offer to the American people.
3
Do I care that Kamala Harris is female? No, I do not. Do I care that she is part African-American? No, I do not. Do I care that as California state attorney general Kamala Harris allowed her deputies to persecute physicians who discussed the medical uses of cannabis? Yes, I do.
12
Sen. Harris did impress me at last night's CNN Town Hall debate. She sounded self assured and detailed with her responses but at this time, it is too soon to anoint her as the frontrunner. Howard Schultz's story is impressive being rooted in the projects of Brooklyn and surviving an abusive father. He built a successful company based on ethical standards. But my view neither Elizabeth Warren or Howard Schultz are ready fro prime time. As for Harris? It will take many more tough debates and how she is able to justify her past judicial views. Will it take another showoff campaigner to beat the vacuous Mr Trump? Has America lost its self-respect? Facts still matter above TV ratings.
4
just what America needs - another racist divider ala Obama - haven't we learned anything from that mistake?
6
What Trump hates most? Losing to a black woman.
6
Isn't this basically asking if black voters are racist?
8
Hang on - what are we, chopped liver?! Ms. Harris is half Indian, the last time I checked - so how does she get to be a “black” candidate? If you’re going to insist on analyzing viability on the basis of ethnicity (which I do think is a misguided way to look at the world - see what it’s gotten us with the MAGA crowd), then at least respect the fact that her ethnicity is 50% black and 50% Indian, rather than erasing the Indian half altogether! Not that I give a fig what someone’s ethnicity is - the last thing I’m going to do is vote for someone just because they are Indian (they may well be a complete loser - cf. Bobby Jindal) - but if you’re writing about it, you need to get the facts right.
And no surprises regarding gender bias, tell me something I don’t know as a woman. If she had been perceived as “aggressive” it would count against her, you can be sure of that - damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I’m more interested in knowing how she will pay for healthcare for all, what is going to be done to fix the ruinous escalation of costs in the US healthcare system, how she will fix our immigration system so that it’s less of a disaster for LEGAL immigrants to navigate (as opposed to making it open season for illegals), how she is going to upgrade the crumbling infrastructure in this country, how she proposes to take corporate money out of politics, and what she is going to do on climate change (too little, too late, but still). Same goes for the rest of the field!
10
By all means, let's have more wall-to-wall analysis of whether this person can win or that person can appeal to left-handed redheads. It's such a nice diversion from all the cable news airtime and column inches devoted to actual analysis of actual issues.
Perhaps if during the last election cycle, there had been more discussion of actual issues and less analysis of why Trump can't win, maybe enough people would have been informed enough that he wouldn't have won.
Also, for the record, now that the Iraq debacle is old enough to get its learner's permit, can we all take a moment to recall just how few poops we now give that George Dubya is the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer with? And how little that should have mattered in the first place? And how, because so-called journalism made it matter, we have now blown FIFTEEN YEARS in which we could have been dealing with climate change, years that are now GONE FOREVER with no do-overs?
4
I like Ms. Warren for being a strong consumer advocate. I've watched her question the CEOs, she speaks from the heart , she is feisty and smart and you know she she speaks for all the middle class. Warren and Beto would be a great partnership.
2
The Times refers to Ms. Harris as the most high-profile and politically connected "black woman" ever to run for president. Why pick her father's race, a Jamaican black, to identify her? Why not identify her by her mother's racial background -- Indian/South Asian?
And what happens, as is becoming more common, when a politician is a complex a mix of racial/ethnic backgrounds: African, Indian, Chinese, Latino, First Nation, Caucasian ....??
Maybe the Times will then be forced to refer to the politician simply by her name. Then we could just focus on her character and accomplishments. Sort of what Martin Luther King was talking about.
33
Comparing President Obama with Senator Kamal Harris is laughable. President Obama never slept with the married mayor of any city. The man has integrity. Let’s not forget Bill Clinton and his loose sexual morals. Hopefully her campaign will never get beyond New Hampshire. Such a joke.
11
Besides the color of her skin what are her qualifications? Slim to none, just a lot of ambition and a pretty face. Cory Booker??? One trip to Newark should disqualify him. He did nothing for that city. This whole article is about racisim. It assumes blacks vote for blacks and aren't intelligent enough to see beyond skin color. How demeaning.
17
One thing for sure, Harris is no threat to the monied interests that control our government. In recent meetings with Wall Street bigwigs, she was making that very point. She'll make the right noises to make herself look progressive -- but in a Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton kind of way, i.e., change only around the edges of a system corrupted to the core.
Give me a candidate who makes the super rich paymasters nervous: that would be Bernie Williams or Elizabeth Warren.
6
kamala harris is: keenly intelligent charismatic empathic outspoken corageous attractive strong multicultural sharp witted
are such a lot of mental & moral qualities too much for a country who elected an individual like donald trump???
3
Well, she certainly knows how to take advantage of the press--CNN/NYT in 24 hrs? Contributes to my uneasiness with opportunism among the candidates.
What I know about her is that she's a strong litigator, an experienced performer, and a gifted strategist. She tap-danced on all policy specifics and around questions about her prosecuting record (which in many cases speaks to her values).
I'm waiting and I hope the press--electronic and print--is as well and can resist putting their ink/airwaves at her service more than the other candidates. Could we avoid "casting" and cut to the substance? This time, it's a competition.
2
Wow, not a single mention of "Indian" or "Jamaican," her parental roots. Is he an African-American? I don't think she has experience or family memories of African-Americans growing up in this country. She is bi-racial (Caribbean and Asian) and her relationship to "Africa" is tenuous. Are NYTimes readers so uneducated to think that Jamaica is Africa? If Beale Street Could Talk, she wouldn't be called African American.
8
Harris faces stiff competition from Elizabeth Warren, an American Indian. With over two dozen already in the Democrat Presidential race and more joining daily, they are splitting the money pot from donors. I hope that soon they start emphasizing their differences from each other. It cannot just be “I hate Trump more than you do”.
3
I'm amazed that so many Americans know so little about the world. Claiming that Ms. Harris can't be 'Black' because her father is Jamaican when most Jamaicans ARE Black shows a breath-taking level of ignorance about the world.
No wonder Donald Trump got elected.
6
yes! being that the strongest voting block in the democratic party is strong black women! you go girl!
5
No Kamala can’t win. She is a a woman of color and Trump’s base will only accept a white male because many of them are fearful racists and mysogonists.
The Democrats must choose a white male this time or lose the election.
3
@Grandma
Yes, of course. That's why Obama was not elected. Twice
3
And, the news media still pushes race:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_115056
7
So, minorities win majorities?
1
The lamest comparison or even attempt at a connection. Ridiculous. The difference is beyond apples and oranges. Irresponsible conjecture on the part of the NYT.
6
Strange Days are upon us. We don't have to wait for the summer of 2020 for the Wackos to appear. What a great strategy for Harris. Lay your cards down now so that you'll be gone by the summer of 2020. Has no one informed her that a person with many points HAS NO POINT AT ALL! Put aside the race, color, or whatever card. Here's what the other 49 States already know - another Cali anomaly. She joins Pelosi, Watters, Feinstein and Governor Moonbeam and others too numerous to mention. Good Luck & Good Riddance.
p/s: contacting the Mexican President; I suggested a trade, California for 3 street tacos from his Country. He declined.
2
"Can Kamala Harris repeat Obama's success with black voters?"
Not when they find out what she did to their community as a member of the criminal justice system. It's insulting to blacks to look at them a one dimensional voters, unable to see past a color test. Did they vote for Herman Cain? No. They voted for Obama, who also happened to be black, just like many of us, because of what we THOUGHT was his "hope" and "change" message, not his skin color.
This woman devastated the black community right up there with a Bull Conner. Why would they would embrace her?
5
It's going to be a bloody 'Battle Royale' when all these candidates start lobbing grenades at each other.
Isn't Harris just another Democrat claiming she is something she is not...she is not African American, check to see where her parents were born.
3
Black people who ONLY vote for black people. Hmmmm. So much for content of their character not color of their skin. MLK would be very unhappy if he were alive today.
5
Please spare me the “why is she being called Black” nonsense. American hypocrisy at its finest. For anyone saying this, you understand what Black is, but prefer to apply the designation at your convenience, ie when the person has done something negative/stereotypical. Otherwise, you pretend to be “color blind” in a society based on race and preserving power and privilege for whites. For hundreds of years, whites had absolutely no trouble designating as “black/negro” Americans with even the slightest bit of African DNA. Of course, those people could then be bought and sold like farm animals and used/worked to death for the benefit of White Americans. And then there are our “people of color” allies. The enemy within. Always looking to use us but never giving anything in return
5
Kamala is black and while that should matter it will. Obama’s presidency was damaged by racism.
1
Anyone who has to run on the "race" card is a non-starter for me. Identity politics sunk the Democratic ship last Presidential election. Will they ever learn? Apparently not.
6
@Sarah99
So are white candidates playing the race card by being white?. It is not much of an advantage to play a race card if you are numerically less is it?
3
Kamala Harris is a centrist, corporate candidate with a D next to her name regardless of her race and gender. Like so many of the other candidates that the D Party wants to prop up and highlight through corporate media, they are faux progressives who like to talk in platitudes, not policy. They provide lip service to working people while behind the curtain they are dialing for dollars from Wall Street and other wealthy elites who continue to dominate the D Party. Tax breaks and endless hand outs for their campaign contributors, but "incrementalism" for the working class.
The majority of citizens, in poll after poll, support real progressive policies, real progressive change and real progressive candidates. Biden, Harris, Gillibrand, O'Rourke, Booker all have green fingers.
4
I hope the Democrats don't blind themselves by expecting to have a perfect candidate. There is no perfect candidate and never has been. There is however a perfect time for an excellent candidate and I think the perfect time for Senator Kamala Harris. She is intelligent and strong enough to win against Trump or whoever else the GOP candidate may be.
3
Black or white, male or female, if you're for removing health insurers from the health care equation in this country, you have my vote...
3
What would the Democrats and liberals say if President Trump was said to concentrate his win on white male voters or whites in general. There would be cries of racism and hate from all corners. A candidate should be chosen on merit and qualifications. His or her gender and race should not even come into play.
5
In 2008 Kamala Harris broke into my house and stole my younger son's video game player at gun point. She never returned it. We had a discussion about the incident, which he remembers with disgust, last weekend. The case involved a dispute my older son had with tenants who lived in an apartment in San Francisco he owned. One tenant has literally lived for decades on awards from lawsuits against his landlords. Another tenant, who appeared to have been manufacturing meth, attacked his wife with a hammer. My son bought a gun for protection. This was Kamala's excuse for breaking into my house. My son never actually took the gun to San Francisco. Kamala covered up all of this. The most notable item on the search warrant was taxes records she could use for lawsuits. She promoted herself as a defender of poor, but she was just a public official on the take.
As for Obama, he was the best president in my lifetime. I was born in 1944. He worked a list of important things that needed to be done without making any serious mistakes.
@smacyj. Exactly what did Obama do? You seem to think he did “important things”.
1
Curiously, this question isn't being asked on Warren, Biden, Gillebrand or now Schultz. Wonder why it is seen by the press as only relevant to Senator Harris?
1
Personally I am excited for Ms. Harris but it is too early
3
Sen. Harris is clearly playing the "identity politics" game when her record as a prosecutor, as many blacks seem to know, is disqualifying. Let's hope the candidate's record--their ideas to improve the lives of those left behind--the working poor, their honesty, sincerity and passion, and as Martin Luther King said, "where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." The Democrats need a true progressive candidate with little baggage who has a proven track record of fighting for American workers. Sen. Harris doesn't seem to have those credentials, but I'm willing to be proved wrong.
4
Will Sen. Harris be popular with African-American citizens who over the past two years have made real, steady gains in job security and income, now fully covered by employers' health plans - will these successful people like to have the ever-bubbly socialist Sen. Harris take away their private health plans? Yes, that is very complicated.
2
Kamala may be Californian, but she does not benefit from their love. Some like her, especially the rising new machine in CA Demo politics; others don't, especially with her views on capital punishment. And that last thing happened a long time ago when she was AG. What's it gonna come down to? Easy; if she's the last person standing after the massacre of the other candidates, then she'll, for sure, get CA's votes. otherwise, she's a memory ... we're all very aware out here how Barack was treated -- we don't ned that disgraceful behavior again.
1
Ms. Harris is not just black. She is also Asian Indian. That should be just as important a part of her identity as well, and the fact that she and many supporters seem to ignore that part of her identity make me, also a half Indian woman, hesitate to support her.
6
To be fair, she speaks lovingly about her Indian mother at every opportunity she gets - and doesn’t mention her Jamaican father. Your complaint she be directed at the media and not Senator Harris.
The only surprising bit in the recent article about Ms. Harris' announcement for me was to learn that she is supposedly black. Do Americans, and especially African Americans, really see and accept Kamala Harris as black? As a European, I'm puzzled by this, because she is not actually black by any stretch of the imagination. She has white skin and none of the stereotypical facial features associated with people of African descent. By appearance, she is as white as they come. There is no way a stranger would identify her as different-looking in a crowd of, let's say, 50 random white people. My aunt, with purely German ancestors as far back as we can see, is somewhat similar to her but has darker hair and skin than Kamala Harris.
4
@GS WOW ..... as an European myself, I disown this commentary .....
As far as I can see, the only thing Harris has in common with Obama is the color of her skin. If she gets nominated we can be assured of another 40 years of Trump.
4
Suburban white women didn’t vote for Hillary. They’re not going to vote for a black woman. Sorry but we need to win middle America with a white man like Sherrod Brown. I don’t agree with the philosophy but am pragmatic.
2
Hillary Clinton won the popular vote over Trump by about 3 million votes. A woman - White, Indian, or Black - can beat Trump so long as she runs a smart race AND shows up everywhere and NOT take any region for granted.
Can she convince an old liberal white guy that is against tax cuts? Promise of tax cuts sound so Republican.
Raise our taxes and save us money - because good government can do some things cheaper than private industry - like healthcare.
2
@Tracy Rupp
OK, Tracy, but how can you make sure the government is "good" and doesn't waste our money? That's the problem. There is no accountability in government. It exists to perpetuate itself and divides the citizenry between public employees and private. It bestows all kinds of benefits and protections to public employees with money earned by private sector workers. Then it uses this army of public employees to keep the con game going, supporting the party who will promise more freebies, more taxes, more spending, for perpetuity, or at least until the money runs out.
For those who do not think that Sen. Harris has the strength to take on Trump, I suggest watching the full video of her speech announcing her candidacy for President of the United States linked below. In my opinion, she would make mincemeat of the current occupant of the White House. She projects a no-nonsense toughness and competence not seen at all in the current occupant. She can win.
Here's the link: https://youtu.be/F-TM1t7yDXI
2
Harris must overcome sexism and a bias on the part of some voters that a female candidate cannot beat President Trump
The way it's going anyone, male or female, could easily chase Trump out of the White House
This picture alone is enough to stop her campaign in its tracks, it's amazing how much the readers, and this newspaper can delude themselves.
She is playing to one part of the base, she needs a lot more than black voters to be on board if she's going to have a chance, but like most Democrats, they don't see that.
Good luck
4
"Can Kamala Harris Repeat Obama’s Success With Black Voters?"
Not if black voters have a clue about what's good for them.
Obama never did much of anything to help the black voters who helped put him in office and neither will Kamala Harris. Her election might boost their pride but
that's about it.
Kamala's history says she doesn't have any empathy for the black community
and she doesn't have a progressive bone in her body.
Black voters would be far better off voting for a progressive candidate regardless of race in 2020.
2
Her first name is Kamala, she was born to a Tamil Indian mother and a Jamaican father. No acknowledgment of that in an article that touches on her identity?
5
And this is why HRC was so unappealing.
What's our message to the Latinos? Latino women?
What's our message to America's youth? (Oh, yeah, let's do Pokemon!)
What's our message to White women?
Eh, the White Blue Collar men - I just don't relate to them so let's skip those flyover states.
Any candidate should provide a message for citizens, specific and clear. A universal message will appeal to all those 'centrists' who are fed up with being button-holed into a special interest.
4
This field of Democratic candidates will be an bottomless candy dish to enjoy at will for the next year+. Certainly some lightweights and outright tools, such as Kirsten Gillibrand, will exit early. The remainder will try to outdo each other to get Left of Stalin. Smart money will be whomever stands out by being a moderate. Only a moderate will get the independents and never-Trumpers. Not every Democrat is a socialist millennial, but you wouldn't know that from the media or most of these candidates.
3
Kamala Harris does not share the historical position to be called an “African American”. Her mother is from India, her father from Africa. No family roots in American slavery.
Also, her Indian grandfather was wealthy and she spent summers growing up at his luxurious enclave.
How in the world do my fellow (white) democrats think she has the family history of oppression (and poverty and slavery and discrimination) to call her “African American”?
You are insulting the histories and struggles and achievements of African-American women everywhere in the Americas.
Kamala Harris is a lot of positive things, but she is NOT African-American.
56
@Lily - I think Senator Harris' father was from Jamaica, and so there was an ancestral legacy of slavery. Did you consider Barack Obama "African-American"? His father was African.
27
@Lily Good point. The media will have to accept this.
6
@Lily
Well it’s not entirely monolithic, there are different African American histories and experiences. But if you walk around on the street in America and you look like Kamala Harris you’d find out soon enough that you’re “African American”. Same for Barack Obama.
34
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is an attractive candidate. Independent, socially liberal. He won't promise Venezuelan style economic solutions, and could take on Trump.
@jaco
Yes, indeed. People should very seriously consider him.
Sincerely,
The Republicans
The only good thing about all the coverage of the democratic candidates is that we have politicians other than Trump in the news. Apart from that it would be so great if the campaigns were restricted to a few months (6 or less) before the elections. What a colossal waste of money in a country where more money is needed for education, health care, infrastructure rebuilding etc. etc. etc.
1
@Trini
I agree about the colossal waste of money and the non-ending campaigns dividing the citizens with all the vitriol they must spew in order to "win".
The whole thing has gotten completely out of control. We need term limits for every one, including the Supreme Court and we desperately need campaign finance reform and transparency.
1
The working people of this country CAN NO LONGER afford to continue voting for the centrist, corporate Democratic candidates that the D Party props up and "highlights" through the help of corporate media. Whether they be black, white, male or female or any other race and gender designation.
The majority of citizens support real, progressive policies in poll after poll. There is no more time to waste on the numerous D candidates that merely provide the usual lip service and platitudes to workers for the last 35 years while dialing Wall Street for dollars behind the curtain.
Harris, Gillibrand, Biden, O'Rourke, Booker....all have green fingers.
4
Harris will have to address real issues to generally gain the support of racial minorities, women, and a working-class that continues to be plagued with financial insecurity and political exclusion. Harris must be willing to address political corruption, economic domination, racism, and sexism; she must talk about free and low-cost education, increased wages, unionization, reforming policing and judiciary, and campaign finance; all those topics that speak to the concerns of most Americans. If she wants the black vote she has to more than mingle with black folks, she has to place racial inequality center stage. If she does not want to step on the toes of the power elite she will lose.
1
Yes! I am a white woman (almost 50 yrs old) and I will donate to her campaign, both in time and money.
She is wonderful and I am so excited!
3
@RP. What has she done that is “wobderful”?
4
Sad that voters in this country vote their bias ; not the qualifications , and true passion to bring around badly needed changes . That was what made Bobby Kennedy inspirational and would have been our president had he not been killed . Why not ? The fault lies not in our stars but in us . Kamala Harris is my second choice . One has to look at their experience , their record , their passion for the country and its people , toughness , and their ability to work with others .
1
Interesting that this article and the commenters all immediately label Sen. Harris "black." No one mentions her as mixed race. I wonder how she sees herself.
And what a jump from the rich lily-white Westmount, Quebec, high school to Howard University. Like other US politicians with ties to Canada, she seems to downplay the connection.
It'll be interesting to hear how Kamala Harris speaks of her own history as the race continues.
3
@DD
DD, I find the term "Lily White" offensive. How would "Coal Black" sound to you? Would it sound OK? I hope not.
Ms. Harris' candidacy should be judged on the merits. It is unfortunate that whites and blacks should inject a good measure of race into politics, but they do.
As others have said, Harris's mother is Tamil Indian and father is Jamaican. The guy is an economics professor at Stanford, not Bob Marley.
But that should not make a difference, we're talking about Senator Kamala Harris. She is very well educated and obviously brighter than most people currently holding office Kamala Harris has given her life to public service. I'd vote for here.
However, I don't think she will play well in red states. I am apprehensive. It is my opinion Kamala Harris would not serve either the Democratic party nor our imperiled democracy at the top of the ticket at this time. Alas, she will be judged by the color of her skin, and maligned as a liberal.
2
I will vote for any Democrat over Trump. Kamala Harris is certainly highly qualified and has a strong resume. I’ve a lot of respect for what she has to offer - even if she isn’t my favorite candidate to win the Democrat nominee.
But, let’s try and move the debate to a candidate’s strengths, character, and policy positions - not race or gender.
What Dr. King once said, moved us because it’s a universal truth.
“
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
“
But, that universal truth works both ways. Detroit voted for its first White mayor, Mike Duggan, after 40 years, because Duggan was the best candidate for the job of running a majority African American city. And, Duggan got re-elected in a landslide.
So, let’s vote for the candidate for reasons beyond skin deep similarities...
1
I hope that Kamala is sincere about medicare for all. I keep hearing on CNN for example questions about how America is going to pay for it. Commentators who usually seem a bit progressive suddenly sound like dyed in the wool righties.
You can afford billons in tax cuts for the wealthy for decades into the future (tough we still have no word of DJT's 10% tax cut for the middle class which seems to have receded into non existence.)
Please, my American friends, do investigate how all other modern economies do afford it. Australia, UK, NZ, Canada, continental Europe and nearly all other industrialised economies. It is normal and we all manage it. Your citizenry has been comprehensively hoodwinked.
We have a conservative government here and whenever there is any hint of scaling it back there is an uproar.
It becomes a part of the work structure and a part of the economy. Funding it can have its challenges but its better than having sick citizens unable to get treated. Honestly we look with horror, wonderment and disbelief at how you don't have it.
We don't have long waits for treatment usually. It works well and in Australia you don't go bankrupt if you get sick. We pay a percentage of our income towards it and you can still have private insurance if you want it- and if you do you don't charged the medicare surcharge. I really like Americans and I hate to see you getting conned by the likes of Paul Ryan.
1
@Bob Guthrie
America is an Oligarchy. More than 70% of voters have zero impact on policy decisions. Every election cycle is a farce because the candidates in the general have all been "pre approved" by the moneyed interests that control our government. Both political parties represent corporations and the wealthy...not the people. As far as I'm concerned, the Revolution can't come soon enough.
3
As voiced by others here, I too feel there is too much emphasis placed on color and gender of potential candidates today. Ms. Harris was born of an East Indian mother and a Jamaican father. But she clearly identifies herself as a Black-American which may or may not make a difference in her running for the Presidency.
I knew of Ms. Harris' tenure as Prosecutor and Attorney General being a Californian and former San Francisco resident. She may indeed be a formidable candidate, but I need to hear specific plans and means to effect positive change across the U.S. for the majority of citizens to consider her. "Actions speak louder than words" in my book.
Odd that article omits two key details. First, Harris is Indian American as well. Second, while she was raised in Oakland in her early years, her father is Jamaican, a background that resonates differently with black voters. However, both factors may lead to greater crossover appeal outside of the black community.
9
No. She’s not “Indian American” as well. It doesn’t work both ways. The Black/AA tent is all inclusive. The Indian tent is not. But, you knew that. No Afro-Indian person is counted as Indian to Indians. Even the Sidi, who’ve been in India for centuries are not accepted as Indian though their language and culture is all Indian.
3
What a sad commentary. Looking at the African-American electorate only from the perspective of prosecution and prison reforms. How about social and income equality so that there are true opportunities for *everbody*?
13
How about social and income equality
Trump is handling that.
You have Obama to thank for these woes:
He promised to end the wars, then had 8 straight years of wars, including the Endless War in AF, Iraq and then he got us into Syria.
Another NYT article today: ‘the national debt, while manageable now, is on pace to soar. The primary cause is the cost of health care’ – you can thank Obama Care for this.
The climate change thing? Al Gore predicted the world would end about 3 years ago. It did not. The Obama admin gave money by the mountain to Elon musk and nothing happened, we do not see electric cars everywhere, only in the driveways of the rich, who use carbon created electricity to power up their 100k cars. So in a way Obama created more carbon burning use than others.
He also armed the cartels in Mexico via Fast and Furious, ensuring the drug war, illegal immigration and poverty in Latin American endures for decades.
The expenses of the Obama years will be paid by the Millenials long after the Obama Library opens up.
Yet they continue to vote Democrat.
Fool you once, shame on me, fool me twice, you must be a Democrat.
13
Say what you will about Obama but he never talked publicly about wanting to date his own daughter unlike the racist leader of the Christian Family Values Party.
These are the typical Republican lies about Obama. I suspect that your objections, as is the case with most Republicans, to Obama were based solely on his skin color. I’m sure your objections to Harris will be rooted in the same Idea.
The problem isn’t Democrats. The problem is a racist Republican Party which believes that “Making America Great” means a return to the antebellum South.
5
This is terrible. Entire scenario is
built around gender and race. We know
nothing about her views on myriad issues
the country faces. If a women becomes
a president, so what? Important thing
what she would do to make the country
more cohesive, somewhat equal, work
on non-partison basis and deal with
China and Russia. The world is becoming
bipolar" how would she maintain the
unipolarity with USA perched atop. These
matters more than being a black women.
24
I would vote for Kamala Harris any day. She would be a dramatic improvement over the impostor that is currently in the White House.
10
It does matter. She has to prove she wasn’t born in Jamaica or India. And why does the Times call her black when she is Indian. They also call Tiger black when he is more than half Asian.
7
Ms. Harris has proven her incompetence for years:
Incompetence as San Francsco District Attorney, e.g., the Bologna case and others
Incompetence as Calif. Attorney General: couldn't even run her office without sexual harrassers
Incompetence as a US Senator: look at the big nothing she has accomplished. Look at her foolish questioning of witnesses for TV mileage.
She has totally misrepresented her up bringing, with a researcher mom and economist one-time dad, stays in Berkeley and Montreal, as if she had no means.
She is a member of the Burton + Brown corrupt political machine. We certainly don't need her as president of anybody.
15
We can be sure that Kamala Harris will beat Kirsten Gillibrand with these voters.
4
Kamala Harris is a very attractive candidate, and many of the cable news hosts practically swoon at the mention of her name. I see another Hillary Clinton candidacy in the making.
My question for her and the New York Times is what does she stand for? Platitudes and appearances are easy; governing with a life-long commitment to bettering the lives of all Americans is hard. So is reporting on what matters to the rest of us.
20
You could read her speech or go to her website.
@avrdsThe contrast between Hillary and Kamala is as marked as their skin color.
I cannot understand how any American can vote for a candidate of any party, color, sex, or any national origin who has decided not to have or adopt children. Without that experience, a person is missing an essential chip of being a national leader.
7
There has been only one major Presedential candidate that was ever capable of having children, Hillary Clinton.
2
@Observer of the Zeitgeist
Donald Trump has at least five children. Are you sure having or adopting children should be the standard?
3
That's ridiculous.
4
There is no perfect candidate. I wish people would vote on the choices they have instead of comparing people to some imaginary perfect candidate. Are all those Jill Stein voters who voted their conscience happy with what they have today with this administration? I really despair sometimes.
8
The headline dog whistles racism - and then the article adds in a gagging dose of sexism.
“She’s a woman,” said Nathaniel Stewart, a 58-year-old barber. “And we need strong backs right now. I don’t know if she can pull off that type of strength to take on Trump. I’d rather Cory.”
Please report on Kamala Harris' platform - where she has achieved great things, and where she has fallen short, objectively, and without a quote from a random guy who clearly didn't see Trump get demolished by a 78 year old woman Speaker last week - so a powerful younger woman used to facing and besting criminals will have absolutely no trouble with the likes of Trump.
7
I like Kamala too. She's likable. Seems intelligent. Seems very passionate. Check, Check, Check. However, on the CNN town hall, she spoke in generalities, sometimes missing not answering the questions asked. On that score, she seems like most politicians- talks around the issues. Her answer on Medicare for all was naive. For example, does anyone think that CMS doesn't review claims? What's worse? Having a private insurer deny coverage before your treatment or having CMS deny coverage afterwards? On this gating issue, we need leadership who really understands the complexities involved. Otherwise, she's great.
2
I reckon that people from about 40 states have a visceral hatred of anybody from California, so she's also got that to contend with.
12
@Joe Schmoe
Yes, exactly. That's probably what kept Reagan from being elected to any national office.
1
Kamala or Liz? Both brilliant dynamos. Can’t decide. So run together. Maybe Liz for pres as she's the elder statesperson, who can bring this country back to sanity after the gasbag grifter. Kamala as VP since she runs on her own ticket after that.
They both have it and both get my support.
3
Yeah, because picking a Democratic candidate based on who performed best among black women in southern primaries worked so well the last time.
10
OH PLEASE, PLEASE! Stop with this identity politics, will you? That’s what gave us Trump the first time, and his re-election is guaranteed in 2020, unless you stop diving people by the pigmentation of their skin. STOP. PLEASE.
29
Identify politics is epitimized by the almost exclusively white Republican Party.
1
The real question is are half of Americans, mentally challenged or apathetic or both.
4
If you want a left wing, job killing, tax raising radical...then by all means support her and guarantee a Trump victory
7
What is so left wing about her positions? Medicare for All? Reform of our criminal justice system? Action on climate change? Living wages?
1
Personally, I couldn't care less about someone's color or gender (and because I'm not a citizen, probably not at all). However, I care about people rambling about "cohesive Scandinavian societies" with "free everything", and then suggest to create a society where ideally 20% pay for 80% of free-riders. The difference between high and low income taxes in Scandinavian countries is about 10% (50% vs 40%). But the minimum wage is $21 (not exempt from tax). And that's, my friend (along with efficient redistribution especially when it comes to healthcare), how you build a cohesive society where people are "happy with their taxes" and feel they receive "a fair value" for paying them. From numerous counterexamples, albeit one of the most extreme, you can take Eastern Europe, 1948-1989. All private property of the most successful people was made public, so that everybody can get what they need. And surely a miner is deserving more than a businessman. It didn't end up well. In any case, convincing the bottom x>50% that they have all the rights to take money from the top (100-x)%, and use them freely, builds the very opposite of a cohesive society.
10
@Mirka S
It helps to start with an ethnically homogeneous group.
6
“Free everything”? Investing in the health and education of our citizens—like every other first world nation on earth—means “free everything”?
1
Harris will be a viable candidate for VP, but her leftie progressive fiscal policies are over the top. Runaway inflation if we actually think that the US can have Medicare for All, free higher education, and a check for $6K for the entire middle class. Taxing the billionaires simply won't pay for that.
She will be a train wreck at the top of the ticket, and will invite Schultz to make a play for the center, which ultimately puts Trump back int he white house for another 4 years. Dem party leaders need to wake up the mess they have on their hands with runaway progressive madness.
I'm all for tax equity, and will wait for a Dem candidate who sensibly proposes rational policies: AMT at 30% rate on all income over $500K, including carried interest and commodity profits. Financial transactions tax of 2-3 bps with revenue split between deficit reduction and a subsidy for a Medicare at Cost option and a catastrophic medical co-pay which is about all that could ever be affordable. Cap the deduction for passthrough income for business owners at $50K so that small business is not alienated but take it away from Trump, Kushner and Koch.
2
But Medicare for All is LESS expensive than for profit health care, the most expensive health care in the world. No questions are ever asked about how we can afford another trillion dollars thrown at the military industrial complex. Only when talk is about investing in the health and education of our citizens, only then does the question of cost come up.
1
It's going to be quite a challenge for Kamala Harris to rise over being the first Black female candidate without constant comparisons to Barack Obama -- let alone the dependence of Black voters at a time when a broad-based support of the American electorate is called for.
And especially at a time when this country has been plunged into the increasingly racial divisions since Donald Trump has been in office.
If anything, Ms. Harris is going to have to prove herself beyond being Black, female, and centrist or left to appeal to those who have felt left out or betrayed by a country and a president that has no interest in representing them.
Good luck.
3
President's Obama's charisma and speaking skills are once in a lifetime. I'm not sure Senator Harris is in the same league but only time will tell.
1
Read her book: THE TRUTHS WE HOLD, AN AMERICAN JOURNEY, by Kamala Harris. You will see Kamala is Presidential material and she will win.
3
Ms. Harris is touted as a black candidate. This is simplistic. She is half Indian; Kamala Devi is an Indian name. The parent who influenced her most was her mother, Shyamala Gopalan who was Indian and very liberal in her views. Kamala is married to a white jewish husband who is also liberal.
Would it not be better to perceive Kamala's identity simply as American, brewed in the melting pot of American schools and American culture? She chose to attend Howard University. Why would she do that unless she felt some affinity to African Americans? She could have chosen any of the other great universities. The blacks should be cognizant of this fact.
After discarding her various perceived and concocted identities, one should listen to and find out what she stands for and what she would do if she became President. She would certainly be a great improvement on the current occupant of the White House.
The final decision on who the Democratic Party nominee will be is a long ways off. How Kamala performs in the many debates and many primaries, yet to happen, will be the most important factors, not her racial, ethnic, and cultural identity or identities.
The person who sits in the White House is the President of all Americans, not this or that group. For blacks to presume that a black President should cater specially to blacks is a false notion.
7
What's the difference who the Democrats run? The Russians as well as Republican shadow operatives are already hard at work on how to subtly push "buzz" on various social media for a Howard Schultz candidacy. If he drops out they will push the next Jill Stein or Ralph Nader. That's how they have won these close elections and drawn off the one or two percent of the votes that make the difference in close states. Neither Harris nor the Democratic party has tools to confront this
1
In her announcement speech and last night in Des Moines, Senator Harris was sparkling, statesmanlike, and sincere. I think among the announced and probable Democratic candidates, only she and Senator Amy Klobuchar could cut Trump off at the knees in a debate (Joe Biden could, too, but he's too old too run).
I am somewhat perplexed at Senator Harris' positioning herself as a "black candidate", when she is half South Asian, i.e., Indian. Highlighting that too would simply be fair to 50% of her heritage, which must have also played a big role in forming her character. She's biracial, and an unusual mix at that. Wonderful!
2
This is a story about how people feel about a candidate. Instead, the Times should be investigating what policies the candidate has backed in the past and would back in the future. Even stories about her leadership are game. But stories that skip to how people feel or view the PERSON? No. Way too soon.!
3
Way too early to start speculating. It's already making me weary. Here we go, forgetting what's at hand in the immediate realm - a solution to thwarting this insane wall monument to the don in the WH, AND Mueller's investigation results. IMHO, Senator Harris should stay focused on what needs to be done on the Hill right now instead of drawing attention to herself on these excursions. No matter how many times I read 'don't focus on race/gender' the press continues to keep it at the top of the conversation. Meanwhile, the don and his thugs continue . . . and we're still talking about race/gender.
2
Typing this hurts my heart and I am not trying to be mean but this country will not elect a black woman to be president, at least not now and not anytime in the near future. It just won't happen. I live in the Midwest and the reality is this, it's a mans world. I wish it weren't so but it's the truth.
4
She's too ambitious. She only changed her position on pot because most people now want it legal. She changed her position on medicare for all because most people want that. Her history as a prosecutor shows she won't admit when she's wrong.... She's good looking, smart & calculating. But if your talking about someone who actually fights for people, is articulate, and is a well rounded thinker, Elizabeth Warren runs circles around her.
7
Totally agree.
1
I liked things much better when old-line WASPS were handling the affairs of this country.
They lived quiet, orderly lives, tried to stay married to their wives, handled their wealth discreetly, supported the arts, made it a point to occasionally visit their church, served in the military, liked horses, dogs and boats, believed that America had a primary role in advancing liberty throughout the world, occasionally read a book and ultimately got around to recognizing blacks, women, Jews and other minorities as worthy Americans and even hiring a few.
I hope the Democrats will try to find one.
2
And murdered millions of brown people.
3
Senator Kamala Harris does not have to retrace Big "O" ascension. She simply needs to rise as he did on the shoulders of the many outstanding leaders who preceded her including Big "O" big paradygm of "CHANGE" that appealed to all Americans. She would be better off to address the current country challenges and if possibly design a strategy for USA around "NEW HORIZONS, NEW POLITICS". Stay AWAY from REVISIONISM that has consummed the current electorate. She needs to CHANGE the 2020 Electorate lecture to her OWN UNIQUE POSITIVE VISION of an inclusive Country in "NEW HORIZONS, NEW POLITICS".
I understand the concerns that people who have not known Senator Harris for more than a week into this campaign. I suspect that the more they hear from her the more people of all races will appreciate and respect her candidacy.
Would they support her if it came down to a choice between Kamala Harris or Mr. Trump...I think they will.
Mr. Booker has a bigger problem, teachers really don't like him and his support for Betsy Devo as she tears apart public education. I don't know how far into the primary season he will get.
A separate issue is, who actually will vote. In that regard, experienced black women are most likely to drive a friend to the polls. Kamala Harris will have earn their vote and she will.
55
@Joe Barnett Good reflection. I'm a teacher and recently read "The Prize" about the campaign to reform Newark's schools when Cory Booker was mayor. Public education certainly needs more attention and input from educators. I hope this will be brought back into focus in the next administration.
4
@Joe Barnett
Faux news. Booker voted against Devos.
https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/booker_and_devos_served_together_now_he_voted_agai.html
7
Identity politics is the road to defeat.
Like the military, political editors and writers are always talking about the last election (or war), and somehow, the lessons are seldom learned.
Our nation is nowhere near what it was in 2008, or 2012 for that matter. Trump's appearance on the scene has -- or ought to have -- caused the media and candidates to completely recalibrate what it will take to win the Presidency.
With so many potential candidates, this far in advance, I would hope that the Times will instead focus on deep dives of the key issues like health care/insurance, immigration, economic inequality, infrastructure and the environment. Force candidates to state their positions clearly. Put aside considerations of race, gender and education of the candidates; what do they really believe and stand for? That's what we want to know.
7
I listened to Harris respond to questions during the CNN town hall in Iowa last night. It seemed that instead of considering the question and answering it afterward, she went quickly into general talking points in the area of the question but rarely addressed what she was asked directly. I was wishing that she would stop being the reflexive politician that is too ready with an answer. My recollection is that President Obama was most appreciated as a person who would listen carefully and answer with insight. Harris should be able to do better by trusting in her own ability to think and respond with consideration.
9
In this whole article, there is no mention of her Asian ( Indian) heritage as if it does not matter. Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in this country though the percentage is small. The AAPI ( Asian American and Pacific Islanders) community comprises more than 5 percent of the citizen voting-age population in seven states: Hawaii, Alaska, California, Washington, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York.
18
@Padman
Agreed! All too often the Asian and Indian communities are ignored in these stories. I think media and politics might take them for granted, or the parties, the Democrats in particular, assume they will fall in with their ideology - but they do this at their peril. Those communities are very successful and well educated and may be more common sense and conservative than they think.
5
@Padman
That may be well and true -- but how many more racial divisions matter in a day and age where it's already quite an achievement to be non-white on the political stage?
1
@Padman
Indians have very little in common with other Asian nationalities like the Filipinos and the Vietnamese. Indians are at most 1-2 % of the voters and an inconsequential minority in swing states. Indians are going to vote for her anyway based on her name Kamala Devi which translates to Goddess Saraswati in Sanskrit.
3
First Warren, now Kamala Harris ... and then there is Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi ... I have to admit that I'm starting to get really excited about Democratic leaders today.
They don't even have to talk about Trump, they all are SO clearly offering moral leadership and basic, common sense decency and fact-based policies that are not only supported by a majority of the American people but even also by a majority of GOP voters (Medicare for all, higher taxes for the extremely wealthy, Dream Act, climate change action, ending the SC Citizens' United ruling, more gun control, ...), that just talking about what they stand for in their typical, both calm and passionate, intelligent way truly gives me hope - hope for the future of this country.
Now it's up to us, ordinary citizens, to do our part of the job, inform ourselves (= listen to what candidates have to say, rather than sticking to MSM alone, as they're typically going to limit their scope to each candidate's individual chances to "win" once again, rather than focusing on a real debate on issues), and study HOW progress is made in DC (and yes, that necessarily means step by step progress, improving things election after election, so we HAVE to be in it for the long haul and certainly not get distracted once again by side issues such as race, gender, likability, charisma, flawless record, etc.).
Now is the time for the majority in this country to put our differences aside, have a real debate, and then unite and vote.
4
@Ana Luisa
If you think that a "majority of GOP voters" support Medicare for all, or ending Citizens United, you are sadly mistaken.
1
Right! You go girl!
She needs to prove her mettle on the Senate which takes more than 1 year. Doubt her nomination goes far.
17
Why is Kamala Harris labeled a color? In this case, as a "black"
woman. In the summertime, my skin turns a bit brown,
in the winter - it fades to a sort of a yellow color. Am I a yellow -brown woman? No, I am a Hispanic woman. Kamala Harris is the product of her parents and her upbringing. That is what defines her. Latin Americans do not define themselves by the color of their skin - as it often ranges from white to black. Instead , our culture defines us.
Kamala Harris is so much more than a black skinned woman.
5
I have been thinking to say basically the same as you. When I hear her speak, whether it be in front of an “audience” or on a talk show, questioning someone in a hearing, I hear an intelligent, clearly understood, strong person that knows her way around the political arena. I really do believe she could undo all the chaos that has been created by the current administration. I was looking forward to her declaring her candidacy.
This is categorically false! Latin American societies are all race/white power, privilege based. And, Hispanics are thoroughly obsessed with color, hair texture and facial features. All Latin American countries observe some form of the “Spanish hierarchy” for social, political and economic position where “whites” are on top, mestizos (in varying degrees) second, indigenous people (to the extent they exist8 third and “Blacks” last! No group has a more dizzying (and often delusional) array of terms for color/race as “Hispanics”. Your problem isn’t with color, it’s with Blackness. But of course, you can’t be racist, you’re a “person of color” and an ally right?
3
That’s a complete and total lie! Latinos are obsessed with color. Every country in Latin America observers a racial hierarchy where whites are on top, followed by mestizos of varying types, indigenous people, then Black. The real issue is that most Latinos are thoroughly racist and anti Black so dealing with Blackness bothers you/them. If she’d been called “a woman or color” you’d be far less bothered. Color isn’t what’s bugging you. It’s Blackness.
1
Kamala Harris wants to shut down natural gas production in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Trump supports natural gas production in those states. Harris wants to throw millions of people in those states out of work. Trump wants the people in those states to thrive.
8
@Tom Becker-I do not yet know enough about Kamala Harris to speak about her policies. I intend to learn more as time goes on. However, I do know enough about Donald Trump to state that he does not care whether people in Ohio or Pennsylvania (or anywhere else) thrive except insofar as they can benefit him. That's all he is. That's all he has ever been.
4
@Tom Becker
Except that Trump doesn't know at all HOW to stimulate the economy - let alone specific sectors of the economy, whereas Democrats not only know how to do so, as they only propose science-based policies, they also care enough about ordinary citizens to do so in a way that does not hurt them.
Remember how Obama and the Democrats saved the US auto industry when the GOP wanted to let it disappear?
Remember how Trump's foolish trade wars are costing Iowa alone already more than $2 billion?
Obama not only brought manufacturing jobs back to the US, he also doubled the solar industry jobs in this country.
Because only when your heart is at the right place and you focus on policy details rather than insulting tweets can you truly create jobs.
So concretely, when it comes to natural gas, yes of course we have to transition away from it. The entire world knows this. And we have to do so fast, as it has been proven to be an existential threat to our country. Our grand-children will need clean air and water too, just like we did.So we need to have the guts to confront this problem and use this challenge as an opportunity to create jobs. As there are tens of millions of jobs to be created in clean energy, all that is necessary to not imitate Trump and hurt the economy is to make sure that the workers in dirty energy industries today get the schooling they need to acquire the skills that will allow them to work in clean energy plants. And THAT is what Dems are committed to
To say that Trump wants something for other people is the purest sophistry. They do not even exist for him other than pawns in his sick games.
2
She is not black. Her mom who raised her was Indian. The 'Black' tag is convenient for her and she is using it. It is very disconcerting but useful identity to use. Like Warren being the other type of Indian.
Democrats are now totally tied up with being Black. They need the black votes. The black voters show enthusiasm only when there is a black candidate. Anyone else will lose to Trump.
13
She isn’t? So who gets to define who is and isn’t Black? As far as I’m aware, “Blacks” in America, like Blacks all over the western world, are a thoroughly mixed population.
5
@rohit Her father is Jamaican.
2
@rohit Her father is Jamaican. Last time I checked that country consists of a majority Black population.
2
Sorry - the country is not going to elect a Senator from California. It’s just not going to happen, regardless of gender or ethnicity.
14
@GB
True. All the Republicans have to do is make Harris the face of California and all of its ills and it will be game over for the Democrats.
2
I wish the Times would do an in-depth study on EVERY candidate that throws their hat in the ring. We need to know who they are, what they have done both good and bad, and what their policies would be. Every one, not just front runners. Only then can we make an educated decision. Stop with the stupid tweets. They are not productive of anything and keeps Trumps ego stoked. I don't want to read his idiotic remarks. I want news and theses candidates ARE news in my opinion. Let us know what our choices are. Education, not titillation, is what should be front and center.
8
@ExPatMX I watched a documentary on HBO about Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin. Two of the best modern day reporters. We need more people like them. Not fluff pieces on pretty candidates. I want the meaty stuff, what's her record as Prosecutor? She has the thinnest of resumes as a senator. Other than the color of her skin which seems to be all that anyone is concerned about here, what are her exact qualifications to become POTUS?
@Margo Channing
Jimmy Breslin is dead.
I feel as though I am in one of those WW II movies where Americans had to ask detailed questions about baseball to determine who was really American and who was a foreign agent pretending to be American.
Pardon my stereotype, but this article strengthens my impression that African American women are the most politically educated demographic in America. It was the black women of Alabama who handed Trump his first defeat in November of 2017 when they rewarded the prosecutor of the Birmingham church bombers by sending him to the U.S. Senate. Ms. Harris might have found herself with more enthusiastic supporters if she'd spent less of her career triangulating and more jailing the real super-predators.
Until I hear her practical plan for freeing up the massive cash-hoard of the 10,000 families and circulating it through the real economy, she's just a face.
4
Aren't we lucky that the thread is bloated with self-righteous comments warning us that voting for a black woman is to sink into the muck of identity politics?
Can you guess what percentage of those comments are not from whites?
One percent? One half of one percent? One quarter of one percent?
Can you gess what percentage of the people who posted those comments have ever voted for a black woman?
One percent? One half of one percent? One quarter of one pecent?
4
I have taken offense at some of the comments being made, and I’m Italian-American. I truly Senator Kamala could make a difference, at least in the current state of the nation. I find her to be a very articulate politician that handles herself very well in the world of politics. She’s not just smart, but she’s personable. She can hold a conversation aside of politics without ridiculing others every time she opens her mouth. After two years of hearing nothing but name-calling, hate speeches, anti-Semitic ideas, racism, homophobic bans, I’m ready for someone that is none of those.
2
Kamala Harris not only will be successful with black voters, but all voters. You are watching the next American president in action.
4
@DSS Please explain why? Other than her skin tone and speaking skills. Thanks. Her record in CA was mediocre at best. And she's only been a senator since 2017. I guess cause she's pretty. That's enough right?
5
i so much wish you were right... but i doubt america is ready for her
As unfortunately, just like in 2016 the NYT is already skipping the debate about policies and instead merely talking about who will win the elections ... two years before the elections and without anyone knowing the candidates yet, here's a way to get to know Kamala Harris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fGQBHPaV0
It's a town hall with Jake Tapper, allowing us to have a first idea of what policies she defends and what she's passionate about. And she also ANSWERS some of the criticisms that this article mentions (why didn't you add those, NYT?).
THEN we can finally talk.
To want to discuss whether African-Americans would vote for her BEFORE knowing her is absurd, and an insult to ANY black candidate running for office at this stage of the elections.
If once again the media want to make the horrible mistake to focus on the "horse race" aspect of elections alone, then Trump will easily win a second term, as his immoral tweets will draw all media attention to him, and once again, there will be no serious debate about issues at all.
Even Tapper made the same mistake, when he asked her whether she would accept money for a wall or some border security "in exchange for" DACA. THAT is the GOP narrative, and it's totally false. Democrats for years have proven to want and systematically support REAL border security. How come that two years after the 2016 elections, journalists STILL ignore this? Because they didn't focus on border security policy in 2016 at all.
TRUTH MATTERS!
10
No one is perfect. Definitely in the realm of political races, no candidate running for office is perfect. I am not looking for perfect. I am looking for someone who will bring back Hope, fairness and willingness to reach across the aisle to work together in improving the majority of Americans— the middle and lower classes— the backbone of this country.
7
The comparison with Obama shouldn't be about race. It should be about charisma. And she is far from charismatic.
12
Since this article was published, Ms. Harris has killed off her own candidacy by announcing that she is in favor of abolishing all private medical insurance in favor of a single payer system. It's all over for her. She's dead but too stupid to lay down, as the saying goes. That's what happens when you live in a political bubble.
5
@Ken
Since when is supporting what a majority of the American people, including a majority of GOP voters support, somehow "killing" a candidacy in this country ... ?
Any ideas?
Here's why people want Medicare for All today.
The only alternative to Medicare for All where you can still have universal and affordable HC is Romney/Obamacare, which is entirely private sector based.
The disadvantage of such a system is that you need real leaders in DC to manage it, because if not, it's quite easy to destroy from within, as the GOP is doing today. Ending the individual mandate, for instance, means destroying the healthcare of a whopping 13 million Americans.
IF the GOP would truly have proven to be competent managers of a private sector based insurance system, Obamacare would have probably been here to stay.
Instead, the GOP has proven to be totally incompetent at managing it, and even to deliberately use the government to try to undermine it.
Enough is enough.
In that case, the only "safe" option, that cannot be undermined once it's signed into law, is what all civilized counties have: Medicare for all.
THAT is why now even a majority of GOP voters want it, you see?
And if you don't, I'd invite you to get out of your "political bubble" ... ;-)
6
@Ana Luisa
It's easy to confuse policy and politics. People do it all the time. If she had said she was in favor of a plan that would cover anybody who couldn't afford private insurance, that would be one thing, but to say that people who want private insurance won't be able to get it (and therefore everyone will have the same lousy health care) is quite another. If you think Obamacare galvanized the right, sit back and watch this one. But it won't be just the right, it will be the whole middle class. There's a whole world outside Oakland, and if she didn't know it before (as it would appear), she knows now.
Don't believe me? Think I live in a bubble? Take a look at Fox News right now; it's their leading story. They are absolutely loving it.
The only time I've seen anyone go up in smoke faster was when Rick Perry couldn't remember which government agencies he wanted to abolish.
The prime example of how right I am is ME. Last year I sent real money to Democratic candidates in close races all over the country. I carried Elizabeth Warren signs for months when she first ran. But for Ms. Harris, not one red (no pun intended) cent. I want somebody with a chance of winning. I want to get rid of Trump, and we can't do it with somebody who managed to turn off half the voting population, at least, in her first week of candidacy. And, yes, like the vast majority of Americans, I want to be able to buy the best health care I can afford.
1
Kamala, please just go away. We dont need any more self-serving, self-entitled, faux progressives mucking up the Democratic leadership and primary.
16
If Kamala Harris had done her job when she was Attorney General for the state of California, we could have avoided seeing Steven Mnuchin become Trump's Treasury Secretary. None of the national media articles about Harris' candidacy are mentioning this issue, and I think she has a lot to answer for before she can expect enthusiastic support from Democrats. For details, google together "Kamala Harris" "Steven Mnuchin" and "foreclosure king" .
8
Trump will be re-elected. IF, democrats pull the same immature garbage they did last election-bickering, pouting, buying into every Russian troll news item & the barrage of planted anti-candidate slurs in every news article comment section (read the comments n any Harris news article and you will see they are already out in force), etc. But the biggest mistake-acting like giant sullen babies and refusing to vote.
I don't care who you love, I don't care whether 'your' candidate is the nominee or not. You get out there and support whomever the nominee is and VOTE!
This is not any election. This is a fight for democracy. So, grow up, get active, and elect a democrat President!
10
I shall try again, as the earlier comment has yet to be published.
If it is the case there is no such thing as Race then why does
the New York Times go on and on about what "race"
Ms. Harris is ?
Moreover, why does the New York Times make the clam over
and over again that African American should/must vote for
Ms. Harris because she is "Black".
After all Ms. Harris has a Jamaican father and a mother from the country of India. That hardly qualifies as an African American through and through does it ?
Finally, Ms. Harris had an affair with Willie Brown just before he became Governor of California. My great-grandmother, who was born into Slavery, would never had voted for anyone who committed adultery, why is that affair not mentioned in articles about Harris and her suitability to be President ?
13
@John Brown, It's not supposed to be about race but it is ALWAYS made into being about race. Can't have it both ways.
7
@John Brown Who says "there is no such thing as race"?
And can you cite for us an article from the NYT in which the NYT states "over and over again that African American should/must vote for Ms. Harris because she is 'Black'"? Go on, cut and paste an actual quote (like I just did with yours) that actually says that.
And, sorry, after nominating and electing a three-wifed twice-over (at least!) adulterer, to say nothing of his many other ethical deficiencies, the GOP has forever lost the ability to raise "morality" concerns about any candidate . . . not without everyone else laughing them out of the room.
(And here's where you tell us all that you never voted for Trump, and that you're not a Republican . . . )
3
@John Brown
Uh,... Jerry Brown, not Willy Brown, is governor of California.
2
Identity politics are a losing strategy. We need to stop seeing the electorate in colors, we should be decades past that. A good policy for the middle class should be color blind.
17
@Ted
It's not because the media are constantly focusing on the gender and race of candidates, once they belong to minorities or are female, that those candidates themselves feel limited to that aspect of who they are, let alone would limit their passions and interests and policies to those issues!
The very notion of "identity politics" is insulting, and invented to reject any debate about real problems that minorities and females are facing in this country, all while suggesting the totally false notion that those politicians who are having the guts to talk about these things and propose to do something about it, somehow wouldn't have the same kind of focus and passion for other policy issues.
Fact is, it's the exact same politicians who stand up for minorities and females who are also standing up for the sick, the poor, the middle class that can't afford healthcare or a college education, real diplomacy with our allies internationally, and fighting climate change, income inequality and the damaging influence of Big Money on our elections.
Only those who talk about "identity politics" refuse all of these things, and de facto limit their speeches to cultivating hatred for immigrants, all while doing nothing in DC (including when it comes to border security) except for passing bills that make the wealthiest wealthier and the 99% poorer.
So yes, let's stop talking about "identity politics", and start discussing the policies that Kamala Harris is proposing today ... !
3
The farther down the page I read, the more you impress me, Ana Luisa.
2
Can someone explain to me why everyone describes her as black, yet her mother is Indian?
16
Ummm...because we live in the country that invented and enforced the “one drop” rule. President Obama’s mother was white, yet we refer to him as the first Black President because he is.
8
@David, Same as Obama. Although he was raised by his white mother and white grandparents. They weren't discussed much. I never recall seeing a photo of his mother or grandparents, ever.
7
@Duh she doesn't even have one drop. Indian and Jamaican. She is NOT black!! not that it matters, but I sure hope she isn't trying to sell herself as black.
2
To add to my earlier list of the democratic party and main stream media future worries.... the pro Israel vote, the anti Iran and pro Iran vote, the pro Saudi and pro Russia vote as well as the pro and con China vote, the fishermen’s vote, the American car manufacturers vote, the pro Climate control vote, the pro less environmental control vote, the universal healtcare vote, the for profit insurance vote, the quick loan scam vote, the lower gas price vote, the anti doping vote as well as the pro cannabis vote, the pharmaceutical owners vote, the pro and con sports vote, the non smoking vote, the Starbucks vote, the anti establishment vote, the ex prisoners vote.....
Etc etc,
Why do democrats always start their campaign with saying that no one is suited to become a democratic President of America?
They make themselves completely irrelevant and non suited.
Dismayed that the path to our highest office seems to be to have as little actual experience governing as possible, so there's no record to attack. Whatever Harris' qualities are, being a prosecutor in SF, minimal time as a state AG, and a 1-term Senator is not experience. What a promising path to greatness for our country. America was made great originally (in general) by leaders who had previously demonstrated their fitness for office before running. The job's too hard for the most qualified of candidates; why foist a job on folks that are destined to fail for at least 2 years?
I got the desire to move on to a new generation of leaders, but by that, we should mean leaders who've demonstrated something.
Equally disturbing about this piece is it's implication that identity politics is alive and well. I yearn for candidates that talk about our country and about Americans, not ones who slice us into every flavor of hyphenated Americans imaginable.
10
Yeah that's all true, but she is a woman and the right color so that makes her qualified. Or so the article says.
I have yet to make up my mind. It is far too early, and not enough is known about all of the candidates. But I will say that when I first noticed Elizabeth Warren, back she was working on the idea for the Consumer Protection Agency, I found myself wishing that she would run. She was a breath of fresh air amid all of those tiresome neo-liberals. She certainly has plenty of experience, and no one can doubt her sincere wish to serve the American people, rather than the rich and powerful. She is somewhat older, but I can live with that, because she has a proven track record of siding with the less powerful against the powerful. The wealthy and powerful, however, will work hard to stop her, because her policies really could do some good for the majority of Americans, and it could impede their ability to keep robbing the U.S. treasury. The fact that the Times continues to ballyhoo the neo-liberal faction of the Democratic party at the expense of everyone else is troublesome.
9
Do you think for one second that Ms. Harris would be fraternizing with these African American women in the photograph if she weren't running? Not a chance. She knows a good photo op though as does this paper.
19
@jk Ms. Harris is an AKA since her days at Howard University. Is it 'fraternizing' with African-American women when you yourself ARE and African-American woman.
A lot of people mention that her Indian descent and claim that means she's not Black. Believe me, if Ms. Harris denied being Black, people would be lining up insisting that was White, with the people moaning about identity politics' at the head of the line.
Just like with President Obama, many people don't understand why someone would CHOOSE to be Black if they had another option. Maybe it's because African-American culture has such a rich history that she's PROUD to be part of that culture, just like President Obama.
Also, the fact is that many people of African descent in the western hemisphere can claim to be 'bi-racial' thanks to the tendency of slave-owners to rape the women they owned. Ask Sally Hemings.
2
pointing out the speed bumps may be useful but it can also reduce people once again to their demographic bubbles. black? woman? black not woman? not black? pollsters love those metrics; america needs to rise about them because they limit the overall dialogue. (that doesn't mean being oblivious to micro-demographic concerns.)
i wish there were a way to winnow the field without pitting a dozen or more candidates against each other, costing billions of dollars before we even get to the real race.
i watched kamala on the cnn town hall. she is warm, has charisma, is sincere and engaging, is willing to split the hair between empathy with a micro-demographic issue and also stating some real hard facts. i'm worried that maybe she speaks too fast and too long for a lot of voters who have become used to sound bites - it's a strength, but even as she always circles back to acknowledge her interlocutor maybe she sounds like she is talking at the issue. one mistake would be to carry a "not trump" theme too far. some of that does need to be stated; some of it gets old real fast. but with a bit of tweaking i think she looks like THE best candidate: smart, concerned, a little centrist, and calls it like it is. i'd like to see her round out her answers with more specific plans than "we have to do it the smart way." (border security, gun control, things like that: of course we have to do it the smart way. what way is that?)
73
@Aubrey
All Harris has to do this early-on is speak the TRUTH!
We are all so dang sick of Trump's name calling, his hate speech and his lie after lie after lie, it's stomach churning.
20
@Aubrey You may be glad to know that my own take on the cnn town hall is identical to yours. On the other hand, consider my place of residence....
4
@Aubrey
Pattern recognition aka color aka ethnicity aka national origin is how African primate apes decide how to allocate fat, salt, sugar, water, habitat kin and sex by any means necessary including conflict and cooperation.
We don't pick our parental heritage. But American history defines that heritage.
This country is being torn apart and the NY Times is playing a key role. Can you please write an article about this upcoming election without dividing us by race, gender, geography, etc? Whether its a conscious choice or just a reflection of the way this newspaper is choosing to see the world, you are making the Democratic Primary all about identity and this is the wrong approach. The presidency is a single incumbent position. There is no way for that individual to fully reflect everyone's identity. Continuing to focus on identity is a recipe for disaster and for Trump's reelection.
43
@SJG, Divide and conquer. It's all about keeping us separated and fighting.
5
@jk
No, that's just the GOP you're describing.
I have to say, as a cis white man, I am soooooo sick of the narrative that maybe the country isn’t ready for a woman as President, or -insert identity descriptor here- as President. I’m sick of men being the President! I will vote for any of the women who are in front in the Democratic primaries, gladly! I personally prefer Kirsten Gillibrand, but Harris or Warren? Bring it! Women are just as electable as men and women are the future, so say I.
5
The media are doing their best to anoint Kamala Harris as the next Barack Obama. Let's hope African-American primary voters don't fall for it.
Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand are two corporatist, centrist Democrats and long-time water carriers for Wall Street and Silicon Valley who are suddenly trying to outbid each other with all the super-progressive programs they can offer, that we can pay for by taxing the other guy, and that they know are unattainable. At best, it's cynical pandering. At worst, it's a Trojan horse to distract us from the real solutions that are out there, solutions like the public option. Oh, and all while thinking they deserve some special dispensation between of their identities.
And as for Harris trying to be the next Obama... Maybe black voters and Democrats as a whole need to develop a more nuanced view of Barack Obama's legacy. Barack Obama is a man of irreproachable character, Obamacare was a monumental achievement, as was rescuing the Detroit automakers and getting us out of the financial crisis, but let's also acknowledge where he fell short. Obama oversaw eight more years of letting China walk all over us, of letting the bargaining power of the American worker erode in the face of a globalized labor pool, of letting Republicans dictate the discussion about the role of the federal government while our infrastructure has fallen apart. I could go on.
11
@Mitch Gitman
Uh ... you find Harris too centrist, but instead of Medicare for All you merely want to add a public option to Obamacare, as Hillary proposed?
As to your idea that Obama "oversaw" eight years of etc.: as long as ordinary citizens don't understand that NO single president will EVER solve all of our problems in two terms alone, cynicism will prevail, and a corrupt minority of billionaires will continue to control DC.
The most effective way to reduce China's influence was Obama's TTP. That's an agreement that took YEARS to write and negotiate, and the exact opposite of doing nothing, all while being MUCH more effective than Trump's counterproductive trade wars.
And the TTP increased the world's labor protections, remember? THAT is what we need, contrary to the GOP's constant attacks on unions and minimum wages, both here at home and abroad.
And obviously, if "we the people" wouldn't have put the GOP in control of DC in 2010, when Obama barely had had the time to turn around a -8% GDP and pass his signature legislation, the ACA, then for six years the same kind of groundbreaking progress for ordinary citizens would have continued.
Instead, we gave in to cynicism and stayed massively home. THAT's exactly how to slow down progress and grind it to a halt, especially now that the GOP lost its moral compass since more than decade, and has become the most amoral party the US has ever known.
But Kamala Harris is Kamala Harris. So let's debate her policies now.
4
@Ana Luisa You're right that my criticisms of President Obama's legacy are somewhat unfair. After all, he was a democratically elected chief of state, not a dictator. The better point I could have made that those eight years weren't as rosy as he tried to paint them, whoever's fault that was.
And you're right that TPP was one effective way to counter China. I just wish he had resorted to other ways to really stand up to China. The theft of intellectual property and currency manipulation have been going on for a long time.
As for how I can criticize Kamala Harris for being a centrist and at the same time proposing a maximal "Medicare for All," does the phrase "wolf in sheep's clothes" not mean anything for you? Right now, the best way to keep us from building on the foundation of Obamacare is to expend an inordinate amount of political capital on an overreaching single-payer plan that goes up in flames.
1
Kamala Harris staunchly supports sanctuary cities and states.
She will lose. The Dems don't get 'it' at all.
16
@JM
In real life, she has MUCH more experience with gangs and violent crime and border security, as a prosecutor, than all reality tv stars and radio talking heads taken together.
The day you guys will start listening to national security experts when you want to know something about national security, you'll get it.
In the meanwhile, any candidate who doesn't parrot Fox News' fake news will give you the feeling that he doesn't get, and any candidate who between his golfing hours copy-pastes the Fox News lines of the day in his tweets will give you the feeling that he gets it.
That's not how we will obtain strong borders and a thriving society - and of course, no longer paying border patrol agents for more than a month and refusing all the fact-based border security strengthening measures out there to instead, after two years of forgetting his campaign slogan, start talking about a medieval wall again, won't give us any stronger southern border either.
Time to wake up!
3
Americans seem hopelessly stuck in reality tv mode.
It’s easy to see why the country is being systematically dismantled by the rich while the voters are distracted.
What America needs is real leaders and engaged voters.
8
She's NOT black!! She is Indian and Jamaican!! In what world is this 'black'??? Stop, please, she is not black, not that it matters,but it just seems WEIRD to me, and I am hoping it is not coming from her - she is NOT black!! In the US 'black' is 'african american' and she is NOT!
13
@grace thorsen, Obama was considered 'black' too.
3
In this world. Unless all those reggae greats I love, Jamaicans like Toots Hibbert and Winston Rodney, aren’t black. Yes, she is of mixed background, but no more so than President Obama.
You’d think we could at least get over this impulse to divide candidates along the lines of the most pernicious construct of all, race. What does that have to do with Senator Harris’ qualifications? When will merit be what matters?
@grace thorsen
No. Black is black
I’m a white man and Harris has my vote (or Elizabeth Warren if she makes it.) Quit looking gift horses in the mouth.
7
@Harry
"I'm a white man and I've voting for a partially black woman. Does everyone see what an amazing human being I am? I 'm just sooo wonderful. I'm giddy with happiness!"
1
Sounds like a racist approach to politics--"overwhelming support from black voters"--because she's black?
Too bad Trump can't rely on "overwhelming support" from white voters--Ooops, but that would be "racist"--right?
Her problem, though, she's not done much besides getting a freebee hand-off from Boxer and worked hand-in-glove with Willie Brown's political munchkins over the years.
15
The short answer to this question is: “no.” The only way Kamala Harris receives the blessing and endorsement of the larger black community is if the there a great collective amnesia about her record. Although technically and genetically “black”, Harris has no relationship to or representation of the black community. She was not raised “black” in this country (a curious similarity to Obama) and shared no sympathies with it. Her prosecutorial record in California is abominable. She endorsed black inmate slave labor, declined to release those who were eligible, and denied responsibility for doing so. She wantonly prosecuted poor blacks yet ignored Steve Mnuchin’s rampant criminality in dispossessing those same blacks of their homes. Mnuchin is (as a result) sitting pretty as the galavanting Treasury Secretary. He politely threw her some campaign cash as a tip. Harris wanted to incarcerate black parents for the truancy of their children which certainly would make for an interesting discussion of her ‘black family values’ on the debate stage. She is a bandwagoner on M4ALL and any other social policy that is the flavor of the day. And when asked to defend/explain herself all you get is a demure smile. Not to mention her grooming by Wall St., (traditionally no ally of the black community). Knowing the Democratic Party, the fix is probably already in for her. But, the black community is watching this time. Personally, I’d rather Bernie or, let Trump flounder against a Dem Congress.
14
Her record in California is more representative of the Taliban wing of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. She doesn’t want to talk about her record at all now and only gives empty phrases.
I resent Harris pandering to black people with her “dancing” and talk of her favorite cookout song. She didn’t dance to Cardi B when speaking to AIPAC so please bring that same serious demeanor when talking to black people, and also tell black people what specific benefits she is offering us in exchange for our votes. Politicians are clear on what they will offer to Hispanics, Jews, LGBTQ, etc so treat blacks the same way.
6
Dear NYT,
once again, I found myself so bored and disgusted by the way you're reporting on the elections that by the middle of this article, once you start talking about Booker, I stopped reading.
First the article about Warren yesterday, and now this.
Haven't you learned anything from the 2016 media debacle ... ?
This is two years before the elections, and ALL that you're writing about is who might and who might not vote for this or that candidate, based on race and gender and then quoting some of the most cynical citizens out there?
Yesterday, I had to read an op-ed (written by Krugman) to at least obtain some information about ONE key policy Warren is passionate about and wants to see written into law.
Today, the same goes here with Harris. I just watched her Iowa town hall with Jake Tapper, and here we clearly have a highly intelligent and competent candidate, with lots of experience, who said tons of crucial and important things, from the point of view of WHICH future we want for this country.
And yet, NOTHING of this is somehow tangible in your article here. Who she is, what she stands for, what kind of policy debates she wants us to have during the next two years ... it all disappears, sacrificed in order to turn readers' attention to some pundits' feelings about whether or not she'll win the elections.
We URGENTLY need the media to start taking candidates and a real political debate seriously, if not pathological liars can easily win the next election again!
20
The Democrats are experts at losing. Just crazy.
5
@Christopher
FYI: just recently, they've won the presidency twice in a row, and now won the midterms with the biggest voter gap in DC in three decades.
So if I may ask, on what planet are you living? ;-)
5
I take your point, but the shutdown excepted, internecine squabbling and disunity among Democrats, and deleterious punditry of the sort this article represents, are the norm. You’re right, they have won often (though losing to Trump was a disaster to undo many victories) — but now imagine how well they’d do if they got out of their own way, and if the media would stop reading tea leaves and focus on substantive policy matters. Heck, humane values might win *every* time then.
Disenchanted by Pres Obama’s presidency. Now that’s having your cake and wanting to eat it too. From the land of magical thinking to the reign of blatant racist backlash. Obama’s terms could never fulfill the unrealistic heights ascribed to him. In the end, he was a reflection of us, not a panacea, and we succumbed to our base desires for ease and comfort. Look where that has taken us. Looking for another savior to pull us up out of the abyss back into the light.
7
I am in favor of any Democratic leaning candidate who pushes my policy preferences.
Kamala Harris fits.
What ever ethnicities people insist she represents.
She is from my race - the human one. I claim her!
13
This early in the game, Democrats are too anxious to find their shining star. I don't think Kamala is ready for Prime Time.. It's a sad day when the party ignores short comings and says, "At least she'll be better than Trump" ... Yes and so would 90% of the country.
Her message is a shelf ready liberal platform, filled with the same platitudes. I personally don't like her continued use of the word, "Fight" .. It's negative and it isn't unifying. It's angry.
There's other candidates out there -- Let the process continue and see where the chips fall in the Spring.
12
@Aaron
Democrats?
It's the NYT that is focusing on trying to already found out who might win the elections even BEFORE they clearly explain to readers who's standing for what ...
As to "the best words": we focused on that in 2016. It brought us so much destruction that now we HAVE to fight, whether you like it or not.
3
I don’t understand the obsession with identity politics. These opinions by the general public listed are just ridiculous. Let’s judge these candidates on what they think and what they want to do as president rather than race/gender.
19
I find it astonishing that anyone would not credit Harris with strength and aggressiveness. They clearly haven’t seen her grill witnesses in front of committee. She’s clearly on of the toughest candidates out there. I’d hate ace expected the anti-woman sentiments reach for “shrill” and “angry” rather than “not strong enough” in their toolkit, though I am seeing complaints about “tantrums” in the comments. Right on cue!
5
The Democratic establishment is already working very hard to make all progressive candidates look unqualified, incompetent, too young, not experienced, they aren’t Obama, or Hillary, they can’t deliver the black vote, the Hispanic vote, the white Christian vote, the middle class vote, the young voters, the millennials vote, the elderly white vote, the intellectual vote, the teachers vote, the military vote, the fashion vote, the veterans vote, the single parents vote, the non-insured vote, the police union vote, the wallstreet vote,
the, the billionaires vote, the poor vote as well as the not interested vote.
Reading all these commenters, we should add them as well to the list that can not be relied on.
4
She's too green and she thinks she can ignore her past. That said, she should not be compared to Obama or anyone else. She is a breath of fresh air in a fetid environment.
1
Why didn't she work as a public defender?
2
I can't wait to see how she handles the planned updates to the CA voter registration lists.
Maybe Stacy Abrams can move to California to help.
1
Kamala Harris is articulate and highly intelligent but she is not familiar with the national government nor with foreign affairs. She should dig in and spend her term as Senator to become familiar with these. Then she should run for President and she would be s good one. Right now she has a lot of ambition and focus upon campaigning which is not helping her learn to be a competent chief executive.
The media is far too interested in the competition for high office to provide the electorate with the information people need to determine who will and will not serve them well as elected officials. Effectively office holders are sold like laundry detergent and reported by the media like sports competitors.
Elections are trivial in comparison with what elected officials do in office. What they do in office determines how people can function in our society. Trump gets more coverage than any previous President but his policies effects upon everyone sre not being covered. Important issues like climate change bringing likely disasters in two decades or the big Ebola breakout in Africa are being ignored. This is crazy.
9
The prosecutor record is a simple one to over come. Its a matter of careful, quasi-apology, its a matter of making sure the accusations are based in facts, its a matter of personal revelation, and professional epiphany, its a matter of speaking on the issue ONLY when its needed, and not playing the HRC game of silence. Its all about being willing to be critiqued, and then properly critique the critics.
Sen. Harris was an effective prosecutor. She had rules to follow, and she followed them. Sometimes zealously, but that's what we want in a prosecutor! She also made serious moves to fix broken sentencing, too slowly for many peoples tastes. But the wheels of change are difficult in these matters. Politics plays a huge role in how these cases play out. Politics that were often above her pay-grade.
Being honest, being open and being real about where she was then and is now - is the way forward. No national candidate can run on one issue and win. No national candidate should be defined by one issue from their past, and the only way to avoid it, is to address it openly and from a fact based orientation. She can not let the opposition spin the narrative.
She just needs not to hire any old HRC advisors, and not listen to anyone in her camp who says silence is the answer.
She can do this...and black voters should not be evaluating on her on one issue.
1
I was watching her on CNN where she promised to cut taxes for the middles class and give medicare to all without any explanation how this it is even remotely financially possible, so I'm out.
10
@Tony If it's any consolation, she's not at all sincere about the "Medicare for All" thing.
1
Race and probably gender are not as important as imagined. Ben Carson was at the top of the Republican ticket for awhile. Any candidate who unabashedly runs as the President of everyone is in the running, one who tries to please one demographic group or another isn’t.
4
Well, I learned something from this, but as far as I can see just about all that Kamala Harris and Barack Obama have in common is being accomplished black people. Harris' path up by being a prosecutor is nothing like Obama's as a community organizer.
The Democratic field looks very crowded and it's wide-open; a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows most Democratic voters not able to name their favorite candidate.
At the moment that includes me; none of the contenders (Harris included) enthuses me enough to "seal the deal," but I am comfortable we can get a good candidate, and it could be Harris.
I'm not at all convinced Trump will be the Republican nominee. That's another wait-and-see.
The claim that "But nonwhite women — more than men — represent the core voting base of the Democratic primary and are arguably the most important constituency for any Democratic nominee" cannot be true as far as winning the candidacy. But an energized black vote in several key states (Florida particularly) may well be important to winning the presidency.
In all of this there are tough questions; among them Stacey Abrams loss-by-a-squeaker to Kemp. It looks like she will contest Georgia's senate seat in 2020 ... she's almost certainly the strongest Democratic candidate if she runs ... can she win it? Could Georgia vote for any Democratic candidate for President?
3
If she is nominated, the details of her relationship with Willie Brown will be all over the papers. It is a natural subject for the scandal sheets, of which there are many.
From USA Today: "Brown appointed Harris to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and then to the Medical Assistance Commission – positions that paid her more than $400,000 over five years, according to SF Weekly. Brown also gave Harris a BMW. "
This won't look good to the voters. Of course, Trump was elected despite his manifest flaws and questionable business practices, so you never know, but it would be better to have a candidate with a cleaner record.
12
Kamala Harris cannot win by trying to be the female African American Barack Obama. She needs to be herself, not an imitation. On a personal level, I'm tired of packaged candidates who hide their flaws only to show them later. When we elect anyone what we get is all of them, flaws included.
There are some hard questions that need to be answered honestly by her and every other candidate.
Can she (and others) accept their own limitations and listen to what the experts have to say on topics where their knowledge is limited? The presidency is not a job where advice should be ignored or where experts should be ridiculed.
Can she accept the fact that some of the decisions she makes will be unpopular no matter how she frames them or what her reasoning behind them is?
Can she share the credit?
Can she accept the blame and move on?
Is she thick skinned enough to deal with the inevitable nasty taunts and hurtful remarks that will be made about her, her family, her heritage, her looks, etc.?
Last but not least, can she be the adult in the room when important matters are being discussed?
She doesn't have to be perfect or the smartest person in the room. She can retreat to the family quarters and be as childish and angry as she wants to be. But when she's out there being president she has to be the adult, make reasonable decisions, and accept the fact that those decisions will not satisfy everyone. And we don't need the country to be held hostage either.
3
Kamala Harris is not ready to be POTUS and in any case she first has to answer for her weak performance in negotiating a settlement with the big banks after the 2008 financial crisis when she was California’s Attorney General. The settlement she brokered was (and continues to be) shouldered by the working middle class, with no apparent benefit to minority voters. She was tough in her questioning of the last Supreme Court nominee, but as I watched her then I wondered where was that toughness during the negotiations with the big banks on behalf of California - the big banks got a FREE PASS earning huge profits in the years following the settlement. Her weak performance then earns her a NO vote now in her run for POTUS - all talk but no delivery when it matters.
15
@James Melino So which Attorney General negotiated a good settlement? If the answer is none of them then maybe you need to rethink your concept of what sort of settlement could be negotiated. I myself don't really know, do you?
1
It's disheartening to hear Democratic voters question whether a woman can be a strong leader, the week after a woman was the principal backbone of an effort to resist Trump's shutdown.
That said, while I will keep an open mind about Kamala Harris, I haven't seen much about her positions on anything but trendy issues like Medicare-for-all and free college. Specifically, what does she propose to do about the scourge of income inequality, perhaps the single greatest threat to our democracy? Will she take on big money in her campaign and government, or will she prostrate herself before big donors? She says she supports increasing the minimum wage to $15, but what about a wealth tax and high marginal income tax rates? Reinstate estate taxes above $10 million? Removing the carried interest loophole? Increase capital gains rates? Along with increasing the wealth of those at the bottom, we need to confiscate the immoral wealth at the top through tax policy.
2
Kamala Harris is "demographic allure" backed by big money CA centrist Democrats.
As CA Attorney General, Harris’s office declined to prosecute Steven Mnuchin’s OneWest Bank for foreclosure violations in 2013 after finding over a thousand violations of foreclosure laws by his bank, and expecting to find thousands more. In return, she was the only Democrat who ran on the national level to receive money from him that cycle.
Her first Senate vote on a hugely increased military budget was yes.
When it came time to vote on her second military budget she had seen that it was politically expedient to vote no.
California will be lucky if she can grow into being a good senator.
She does not have the substance or integrity to be President.
8
Harris tried to be a law and order prosecutor and was big on locking people up for trivial charges.
5
@dc
Name three.
Wow! Two years to the election and the horse race has begun! NYT. Please do some actual journalism. The truth of the matter is, like Obama, Harris is a very calculated, cautious politician - that is how you get elected. People often assume a progressive because of someone's race or gender. Hopfully this election will be about the issues, qualifications and character. Forget the polls. Dig deeper.
14
What does it mean to be black in America? I ask because Sen. Harris's mother is Tamil Indian and father Jamaican. She spent most of her teenage life in Montreal.
Maybe Democrats should stop focusing on identity politics and focus on Sen. Harris's policies and message. Voters are not dummies.
31
She's actually half indian btw.
10
Since Warren and Gilabrand might also be in the running during the primary, I am left wondering:
What identity issue will be the first to send people (at least Democratic voters), over the edge simply through who gets the primary vote.
If they also run a male candidate, will it be sexism?
Or if they stick with an all-female line up, will it be racism?
Regardless, I look forward to seeing how how this places out.
2
Focusing on her race and gender is the perfect bait that Republicans need to once again use identity politics as a pejorative. Harris has not been the one to highlight her race and gender, features she obviously can’t hide! She should embrace identity politics, which is to define the IDENTITY of the party: social justice, health care as a right, integrity by elected officials, etc.., everything the current government stands against
2
Until Senator Harris co-sponsors the S.720 - Israel Anti-Boycott Act, like almost every other senator including Cory Booker, she does NOT have my vote.
2
@Martin X Ah, another one-issue voter. So why is it so wrong to boycott Israel?
3
@Jack Toner it is wrong for our government to allow funds public or private to be invested in, or used as part of a boycott campaign for any nation not just Israel but Israel needs special protections from certain people and it appears you are one, Jack.
1
I was initially skeptical about Harris because, frankly, I know very little of her despite the fact that she is a senator from my state. But reading this article and the comments have changed my mind. I’d support her against any “progressive” candidate precisely because of all the qualities that have caused a storm of vituperation from the unhinged left wing of the Democratic Party. She is a neo-liberal? Great. Neo-liberalism is the only political ideology standing between the world and a new wave of authoritarianism from the right or the left. She is a former prosecutor? Good. Crime is still low but it’s rising. She is a politician? Even better. Voting for somebody into a political position because s/he is not a politician is akin to hiring an auto mechanic because s/he has never held a wrench. I don’t care about the color of her skin one way or the other, but it’d be nice to have a woman as President. This said, if Democrats run a socialist, whether male or female, black, white or any other color, they’ll lose.
5
@Mor Please do more than read comments posted here as to who you'll cast your vote for. Google is your friend. Everyone here praising her for a very thin resume in Washington. Look to other outlets as to each candidates record and previous employment history and what it is they actually accomplished and did.
6
@Mor
With the ticking time bombs of huge and growing wealth/income inequality, and climate change, the time is now for real and serious change.
Those who care about the future, Their Future, are going will be inspired to vote for a DEMOCRATIC socialist, Senator Bernie Sanders.
I hope his running mate is Congressman Ro Khanna CA.
I regret that women candidates are so hawkish.
Now, I'd greatly appreciate it if Sanders talked more about the importance of personal responsibility with plans for incentivizing responsibility.
The US would be a much stronger more vital country with a healthier and better educated citizenry, and that will need serious government investment, catalyzed by more personal responsibility.
2
@Lucy Cooke a socialist with an adjective, whether democratic or national, is the same thing: a proponent of authoritarianism, forced redistribution, economic incompetence and lying propaganda. I just came back from Norway, a functional social democracy, in which democratic socialists hold the measly 6 percent of the popular vote. Somebody like Sanders would not go far in a Nordic country where educated citizenry know the difference between a sound policy and sheer demagoguery. You want to decrease inequality? Level the same high taxes on everybody, regardless of income. Offer robust social services but demand accountability from both rich and poor. But if your program is ripping off the professional classes to pay for freeloaders, you will never win.
Posit Sen Harris the practical equivalent of F P Obama and that in two terms she would prove it, QED.
To become this 8th decade observer's pick, she's gotta overcome the mere possibility that she would elicit a Republican - and similar ilk's - reaction and implementation to her that FPO did (and handled with aplomb (see historical judgments to come).
Said R&I probably best epitomized by the damnable Sen McConnell, and compared to which the the current Resistance to PT would be a rounding error.
That possibility eliminated, for my purposes, needn't bother with other Dem candidates, a convention, a campaign ... nothing. Just start her going around the country the day after that elimination.
It is certainly noteworthy (and very newsworthy) for a black woman to be one of the leading contenders for one of the major parties’ nominations for President. But a comparison between Senator Harris and Barack Obama based solely on race is sure to exclude what should be the most important part of a candidate: her (or his) individual traits.
While Senator Harris is an accomplished, successful politician, it was Barack Obama’s rare blend of optimism, charisma, articulation and intelligence that inspired the nation (including a lily-white state like Iowa) to vote for him.
If we can focus on individual traits, policy, and effectiveness, I hope that we Democrats can find the best candidate in 2020. And, in the spirit that Martin Luther King put forward, that consideration should be based more upon the individual’s abilities than their race, gender, or sexual orientation.
140
@Tom "consideration should be based more upon the individual’s abilities than their race, gender, or sexual orientation"
'Should' is the key word, so dream on, Tom from Queens, dream on.
3
@Tom
Race matters, too. It was very important, very exciting for Obama. Why deny that aspect to the women? You cannot.
Just look at that electrifying photo.
1
@Tom
Who is " we"?
You are confusing their color with their race. Their race is human from Earth. John Boehner and Donald Trump are fake colored.
Dr. King did not believe in nor dream about being blind to the physical reality of color aka race. And Dr. King did not mention gender nor sexual orientation. King dreamed of the absence of white supremacist bigotry associated with color.
In a 2008, 2012 and 2016 about 57%, 59% and 58% of the white voting majority went with McCain/Palin, Romney/Ryan and Trump/Pence. We focus upon color aka race and gender aka female and male group pattern recognition.
3
The fact that people still mention race, the color of one's skin in 2019 (the 21st century) is troubling. ... The fact that Senator Harris is likable is a good enough reason, but also not enough reason to automatically endorse her. President Obama was likable, and intelligent as well. He knew how to be diplomatic, human, and have a sense of humor (with everyone). A marvel of a President in my life time. Best wishes to Kamala! "For The People."
3
Democrats Need To Wake Up And Smell The Electoral Votes
With all the unpopularity of tRump, which doesn't figure to worsen unless Mueller implicates him in a Russian conspiracy (which is highly doubtful) a simple tallying of last November's midterm elections tells the true, sad story for a Democratic candidate:
Republicans outvoted Democrats in Oh and Fla. If that holds, and the red states remain red (Dems may get Va but that's it) there is no way around the simple arithmetic which shows there is no path to 270.
@Chris Manjaro "Republicans outvoted Democrats in Oh". False! Republican win in Governor's race, Democratic win in Senate race.
Democratic House candidates received 10 million more votes than Republicans. That's quite enough to overcome any EC problems.
BTW Virginia is clearly no longer a red state. Time for you to wake up and drink some coffee.
1
@Jack Toner
Virginia is still a red state. The section of Northern Virginia close to DC may be blue but the rest of NOVA and the state in general are red. Hillary won the state because of Tim Kaine. No conclusions can be drawn from our gubernatorial races because all governors are one-term.
No, I think the US is not ready for a Black woman president.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sen. Kamala Harris could become the next Attorney General.
We had a Black man as president, so why not first a woman,
who is White? Let's take it a step at a time, not all at once!
I like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has far more experience,
with a focus on economics. I also like Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Sen. Kamala Harris is likely to polarize too many voters, now.
It is a spectrum of voters who will pick the next president.
I think having our first woman president would be incredible
for the nation. It would be awesome. Let's not ask for too much.
"Rome was not built in a day"
------------------------------------
1
She’s great but it’s a club, The other club is the Republicans. They are clubby with Corporations. You think they would cut military spending,you think the would raise taxes on the rich,have an assest tax on the rich,have an estate tax on the rich. Restrict corporations from buying back there stock, It’s congress and there is nobody there thinking to do something about you. You need the an independent party to arise from the ashes and start a revolution. Stop talking about fences. Illegals have to work. Fine their employer $10,000 end of problem. Infrastructure builds a stronger economy. Wars kill people and make certain corporations rich. Smaller classes. No screaming liberals. No obnoxious conservatives. Set a agenda for people and take power away from the rich. It has been said that the programs of Roosevelt’s New Deal were to keep the Socialists from taking over the country. The only way to take things back from all of these controllers is to vote them,all of them out and start over again. We can take control. Why? Where are the powerful going to go? Europe,Asia,Russia,No they are going to stay right here and do what we tell them to do.
The MSM being wholly—not just in part—white owned and run, once again, focuses on race.
Kamala Harris is her own person and candidate. The success of Barack Obama’s successful jump from the Senate to the White House was its own dynamic and offers no clues as to how successful Ms. Harris’s campaign will be. It’s as though the MSM latches onto a past track of success for a minority candidate and expects a rough duplication of what worked for another as an index of what the future may hold. It’s sheer laziness leavened with more than a little racist condescension.
The MSM continues to remain in the 1940’s-1970’s as far as African-Americans are concerned: “the first to...” In 2007-08, the MSM made a run at comparing Senator Obama’s campaign and candidacy to Jesse Jackson’s of 20 years earlier, a quest that never got off the ground. Now, the MSM is looking at President Obama’s past as a clue to Ms. Harris’s fortunes.
Here’s proof: who has read of Elizabeth Warren’s run for the White House being compared with Hillary Clinton’s?
3
This article sounds like Harris is running on a demographic that is 6.5% of the American population. Will that get her elected?
13
@wes evans
No, it probably won't. Yet, we will be reading many, many articles all the way up to election day about this topic. She will get plenty of media coverage from the usual media sources and if she is the candidate in 2020, we will once again be reading the day after about all the why's and how's when she loses.
4
Yes it will. and it isn't about black. It's about "qualified woman".
2
Not only have the neoliberal Identitarians in the DNC learned nothing, but they're doubling down.
Wealth among African-Americans declined noticeably under Obama, who seemingly couldn't address Black audiences without lecturing them and/or condescending to them. As if that wasn't bad enough, now Democrats are beings asked to support a candidate who opportunistically, and often gleefully, jailed them.
Watch a video clip of Harris discussing her plan to jail the parents of truant students if you don't believe that. Some progress.
Harris' candidacy is a perfect example of the Colors of Benetton/ Identitarian strategies that have the Democrats the party of meritocratic losers and grifters.
Basing your policies and strategies on the idea that as long as the people who start wars based on lies, arrest and jail us, spy on us, foreclose on our mortgages and deny us health care coverage, etc. follow the demographic contours of the census, is a proven loser, as the 2016 election demonstrates.
14
Why does everyone refer to Ms. Harris as "black"? Her father was born in Jamaica, and her mother was born in India. She is just as much Indian and she is Jamaican.
This infatuation with racial identity is perplexing. Ms. Harris said that she views herself first as an American. How about we all take that approach?
23
Could this fact affect her support of illegal immigrants?
3
just another article from nyt that pushes the continued racial divisivness in the country. if you are not irate about race you will be after you read the nyt. it continues to exacerbate the divide rather than try to heal it. it portrays only negative attitude and opinions toward race rather than trying to promote an attitude of moving beyond the hate and trying to come together as "Americans", one and all. i propose the nyt take a 6 month holiday from using a hyphen in the context of race and sex. no more this-americans or that-americans. and no americans of this or americans of that either. talk to us simply as americans, one and all and stop trying to divide us.
8
@bored critic, It is a divide and conquer tactic.
If the 90% stopped arguing about PCness and other crazy stuff we'd stop and maybe look up at the uber rich 10% who control the media and toss a crumb or two occasionally. It is all about diverting our attention away from the ruling class and their obscene wealth.
4
I find the press focus on Ms. Harris being black (her father was black) without giving a nod to the fact she is also half Asian (her mother is Indian) skews this conversation. This is the face of America. Please do not over simplify her race.
3
I want a president who has raised a child. Color be darned.
2
@Observer of the Zeitgeist Right, that always works out.
@Observer of the Zeitgeist
Hmm. The current one has 5 kids. Doesn't seem to have conferred any special abilities on him?
1
"Ms. Harris handily won a presidential poll among women of color published in December 2018 by the political group She the People. "
Why is the NYT still using this to push an unproven premise? The poll was among party leaders and activists, not the general public. The group of women polled was also not entirely women of color. This is misleading and incorrectly states the parameters and results of this singular poll.
2
Kamala Harris dated her boss, Willie Brown, who was married at the time and who subsequently helped her career. As a result, she advanced over her peers to end up in the US Senate.
How does this square with the #MeToo movement? Do their ideals support a woman gaining a substantial advantage over her peers by sleeping with the boss?
Is this who we want for president?
13
How interesting that, once again, the power of voting black women is being ignored. Ms. Harris has that vote. And the power.
@Susan: Do you see anything in my post about ignoring the power of black women? I don't. I see a comment that a woman who uses sex to advance herself to a prominent position is an offense to the principles of #MeToo. It doesn't matter what color she is.
2
@ bored critic—unfortunately, your boredom has taken the edge off your critical thinking. "Basically" I said we are all biased and then admitted to what some of my biases are.
I failed to note that as an agnostic, or more correctly—a we-ist, I would be leery of anyone who takes their religion too seriously or vocalized their religious beliefs to garner votes from any religious group, because that goes against commandment #3. I'm over 65 but would not use one's age as a factor. And since I believe we all are descendants of the first group of hominids, I would not consider ethnicity a factor in the election—even though I identify with the Greek part of me. I am biased against unethical, greedy, and mean-spirited people—that may tell you who I didn’t vote for in the last election.
I notice you didn’t admit to your biases and assumed you were correct in surmising that I more-or-less said I was voting for a woman of color.
I notice you didn’t disagree that women are as smart, perhaps more intelligent, and wiser than men. Should I infer from that omission that you agree with me? I hope so.
I'd like for you to point out to me where in my comment I indicated that I would probably prefer to vote for a woman of color. I think, perhaps, that the biases you don’t admit to and the assumption you made tell me more about you than you care to tell. But that would be presumptuous of me and that's what I try to avoid.
Regrettable though it may be, this is not a time Anericans will take another risk voting outside the box. Minorities and millenials make movements but still do not vote in sufficient numbers to win without mainstream support. Dems need a principled, experienced Democrat candidate with solid domestic and foreign policy credentials who is not a retread to win.
3
Translation: straight white guy. Like Kerry, because that worked.
1
Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
Kamala shall have a team of people analyzing her years as a prosecutor right now and finding a way to distance herself from past decisions that could cost her votes now. That's all that matters.
Kamala Harris has to answer for her weak stance in the settlement with big banks after the financial crisis while she was acting attorney general of California. The settlement she brokered with the big banks was (and continues to be) shouldered by the middle working class in California, and in no way benefitted minority voters. While she was tough in questioning the last Supreme Court nominee, I wondered while watching her where that toughness was when it mattered against the big banks that got a FREE PASS after the 2008 financial crisis. Her absence from the debate then earns her a NO vote for President from me!
2
I totally disagree with the writers of this article for bringing-up the topic of racism the first time an African/American is running for President. I believe the American people have had enough of President Trump and his Administration’s prejudice views against people’s race or ethnicity; it’s become a stigma in our society.
African/American leaders must change course; recognize that a balanced personality isn’t easily achieved; that it takes years to recognize who we are and what we stand for. They should give Senator Harris the opportunity to proof herself as a Presidential candidate. She’s the ability to communicate with people in a simple but articulate explaining the dangers we’re confronting as a nation.
1
Please stop supporting racial and gender identity politics. Your reliance on anecdotal stories offer no solid proof of real trends one way or another. In fact, it's just lazy journalism.
8
I continue to be amazed that right-wingers think they’re NOT all about, “gender and identity politics.”
1
So Kamala Harris will attract black women, Spartacus will attract black men, Castro will attract Hispanics. In the end the supporters of candidates that lose will stay home in protest during the general election. Identity politics will ensure Trump remains in the White House.
9
Ms. Harris projected such strength in her speech in Oakland. She can beat Donald Trump and get America back on track again.
3
Kamala Harris might be a very good candidate, but in polls and media coverage she is already being anointed as the front runner even before the whole field has been announced. At this point responsible media needs to ratchet back horse race type coverage and soberly examine the positions of all the candidates as they throw their hat into the ring and start talking about how announced candidates fall on specific issues instead of turning this into junior high school class president popularity contest. It is way too early in the process for CNN to be giving Kamala Harris one hour specials unless they are going to immediately going to do the same for every candidate who announces. Their coverage during the last presidential election was as if was a reality show about people running for junior high school class office and they relentlessly stirred the pot for ratings with panel shows that look like MTV had scripted them. That yielded Trump the last time. This time out we need impartial coverage without preference and thorough examination of candidate's positions and inconsistencies.
3
This is what we have primaries for - to weed out the candidates without broad appeal. I am glad to see a wide field of candidates to choose from. It means that it is more likely that we will find a candidate of high quality. Stop speculating upon who is going to win for now. Focus on what proposals the candidates are making to help the country in its current situation. What solutions are they devising to assist the many Americans who have no hope for representation in Congress due to gerrymandering? What are their stands on privatizing government functions? Do they believe in the federal government, & do they believe that government can function properly in its role of overseeing & regulating the private sector? Do they have administrative capabilities? Can they organize & inspire people beyond getting them excited at rallies? Can they delegate well? Can they raise the country's morale? Do they try to be as honest as they can be with the American people? Do they care about the powerless as much or more as they care about the already powerful? Are they good role models for children? Will they represent America well on the world stage? Do they care about diplomacy? Do they have the ability to see multiple facets of an issue & still retain the capacity to make principled decisions? Do they practice cronyism? Are they running to satisfy egos or to fatten wallets, or are they running because they sincerely want to serve the American people? These are questions we need to address.
5
The only comment here that makes sense. But then I’m from Texas too.
1
Kamala Harris is another centrist Wall Street Democrat. I don’t know if she can beat Trump, but I am also certain that she won’t stand up to the billionaires who have hijacked our democracy, who have devastated huge sections of poor and working class people of all colors and genders and who made Trump’s rise possible in the first place.
The politics and policies we need to get out of our present mess are best represented not by Harris, but by the women of color recently elected to Congress: Rashida Train, Ayanna Pressley, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In the Democratic presidential primaries in 2020 those politics will be best represented by an old white man, Bernie Sanders.
I am as eager to see the white male near-monopoly on the White House broken as anybody, but if the choice is between a Wall Street Democrat who is a woman of color on the one hand, and a lifetime fighter for poor and working people who happens to be a white man on the other, I will be casting my vote to break the power of the super-rich.
A Trump-Harris race would, in the end, represent a choice between the mess we are in and a continuation of the politics that got us into that mess. By contrast, a Trump-Sanders race would represent a real choice to continue with or to escape the rule of the rich. The latter is the choice I want and the one I am most confident will actually end our present nightmare.
16
Tru dat Christopher.
3
I’d be a lot more convinced by this argument if somebody could point me to where St. Bernie actually did 10% of what Hillary Clinton did for women and kids, or Barack Obama did for minorities and poor folks.
4
@Robert
If you think HRC actually did anything for woman & kids (other than voting for ScHIP, like many others), you are too naive to be allowed to vote
1
It's very interesting to see the mainstream media attempting to shape the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries and contest.
CNN, NYT and many other outlets have been hyping Harris to the exclusion of all the other announced candidates, while dissing or excluding Sanders.
Harris is a neoliberal former prosecutor with a regressive record. Her main marketing point is that she's female and not white.
She's not progressive and was so regressive that she opposed cannabis legalization.
When you see the media constantly hyping a particular candidate, you know that candidate is the establishment choice...a bad one.
17
First off, the article’s about a question regarding Harris’ appeal.
Second off, you sure you want this paper taking a good hard look at St. Bernie’s track records regarding wimen and black folks? Especially lately?
3
The real question is if she can repeat Obama's success getting white voters as well as minorities. She can do that by focusing on issues, being factual, and using her intellect not dramatics to convince a majority.
4
Kamala Harris is half asian (Indian). Why this focus on her being black. what about the other half of her heritage?
(same issue with media reports on Tiger woods (half thai) and President Obama)
17
@Sanjay
Probably because for many, any known black ancestry negates whatever else may make up an individual’s race or ethnicity. Maybe this recurring issue is not fair or rational but an issue which persists nevertheless.
Voting for someone because of their race is as backwards as not voting for someone because of their race.
31
It’s very scary knowing that so many Dems will be running and are already causing fights between Dem voters. Add Schultz to the dysfunction and if not Trump (hope he’ll be jailed) then some other Repub idiot will get elected. Bernie and Stein supporters are still arguing over 2016! Look at these comments about Harris—my god so disheartening!
1
@Crissiegirld
It is media pushing Harris that is disheartening.
She is all image and little substance.
Senator Bernie Sanders, perhaps with Congressman Ro Khanna CA as running mate, for 2020!
I wish that the potential women candidates were not so hawkish in their foreign policy. I suppose they felt cornered into proving they are strong, in what had been a "man's world".
Some of the newly elected Congresswomen are obviously strong without having to prove their militaristic creds!
1
Great reporting.
She's too phony and a lot of us can see her overt pandering to black voters. As a black man and fellow Howard alum I can tell you without a doubt that when black voters (especially female ) see her with a white husband it dampens their enthusiasm because with Michelle Obama they could see a part of themselves in the white house. Even though both are bi-racial , Kamala Harris doesn't have the currency of being on the trenches of change unlike Obama " the organizer " Many like to say " love who you love " but, in america race matters.
4
She is an excellent candidate. But no coronations yet. Way too soon.
As to repeating the "black vote?" President Obama did only marginally better with Black voters than any other recent Democratic candidate.
2
What can be more racist than voting for someone simply because if their skin color?
14
@Jerome
What can be more racist and clueless than pretending that an individual’s race and gender have nothing at all to do with how he/she is perceived, judged or treated?
2
It's said that if you've got a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
I guess for some voters--I know for a lot of the media--the hammer is race and gender. That's what they see so that's how everything looks.
But there are plenty of voters for whom race and gender aren't the overarching concerns. I wish the media would give it a rest on essentially forcing us to see their hammer and nail, when many of us see things differently.
15
I'm kind of miffed that all the media coverage misses the other historical aspect of Kamala Harris' run - that of her East Indian heritage. As a first-generation South Asian American, it would be nice to see some exploration of that background in relation to the rising Asian/South Asian demographic in this country, especially since she is quite vocal that her mother (a Tamilian) was the most influential person in her life.
5
I think it would be extremely helpful if primaries were run with Presidential and VP candidates as tandems already. Yes, the occasional losing primary candidate does become a VP, but is it not the norm. Why not give us the full picture right away.
For example Tulsi Gabbard ( P ) with Bernie Sanders (VP) - mostly for age reasons in the VP position - would be a winning combo on the more progressive spectrum, but still appealing to blue collar military style voters. In the same way Beto and Klobuchar or Harris and Warren would paint a picture that is appealing in the more mainstream way, just for an example.
What's with this no black woman candidate can win? Harris is an exceptional senator who also happens to be a woman and a lawyer. She's highly intelligent and she has a winning fighting spirit that is mandatory to go up against Trump. There are many intelligent candidates running or considering running, but they don't stand a chance in the ring with Trump. Most put me to sleep when I listen to them and Trump will demolish them.
2
Unless she is promoted as such, I don't think the average voter would think of her as being a Black Woman.
3
Please Please Please resist the urge to handicap the candidates' chances, and instead focus on something more urgent and substantive -- the distinctions among their policy positions.
The horserace talk is worthless. Didn't a regressive, boorish bigot at one time have only a 28.6% chance of beating a former Senator and Secretary of State?
20
As an African American male, I find it condescending that some folks assume that I will vote for Kamala Harris or Cory Booker in the Democratic Primary, because they're black.
Firstly, I know nothing of Ms. Harris's record. I'll have to learn more about it, to make an informed decision. As for Mr. Booker, having been a defender of Wall Street and taking many financial contributions from the banks there, leaves something to be desired. Additionally, he needs to answer once and for all questions of his sexual orientation. With Pete Buttigieg running in the Democratic primary as an openly gay man (I applaud him), this is imperative.
Both Senators Harris and Booker, will go down to South Carolina and have a great opportunity win there in the Democratic primary. However, this state and other Southern states haven't been won by a Democratic candidate in a Presidential election in decades.
I have to admit that I'm an Elizabeth Warren fan. Her expertise in Finance and the excesses of Wall Street are particularly attractive.
When it comes to making a decision who I'll vote for, it will be based on qualifications and who best represents my hopes and desires. Regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.
19
@Hal Skinner
Why does Booker have to "answer once and for all questions" about his sexual orientation? He has said he is straight, and even if he hadn't, so what? How is that relevant to what kind of president he would be, and how is it your business at all?
9
I was with you until the question of sexual orientation... as long as it's not in public and not in the office - any office - it really shouldn't matter.
1
@Hal Skinner
I don't think Booker has to explain his sexuality; that's nobody's business but his. But he does need to explain why, for someone with such a stellar academic record, every time he opens his mouth he sounds like an idiot.
1
I don't see much difference between Hiliary Clinton and Kamala Harris besides the ethnicity. Both are very politically calculating. Harris was the kind of prosecutor in CA who cared only about winning even at the cost of locking up innocent men. I would have a hard time figuring out what Harris truly stands for. This was why Trump got elected. His message was clear, no matter how crazy or stupid. We want a leader who is willing to say what he/she believes even if it will offend certain segment of the Democratic party. I don't want someone who tries to please every interest group. I also don't care about gender or race. Obama was initially inspiring but he didn't know how to work around Republican obstructionism and worried too much about re-electability. We need a Democratic candidate whose presidency won't be neutered by the likes of McConnell.
12
@Sadie
If you don't want a Democratic presidency neutered by McConnell, then work for a Senate controlled by the Democrats. No Democratic president is going to be able to push through an agenda without a friendly Senate, any more than Trump can ignore Pelosi.
2
Excellent reporting....I'm a 55-year-old African American male and a big Kamala fan. I think this story nails the conversations within my family and between the generations. Above all, we are engaged and ready to vote. Looking forward to 2020.
7
When did politics turn into a episide of the “The Real” ? Unqualified applicants are now the norm. Time to splinter off the states into nation-states.
3
The candidate who can best withstand Trump is the one with a strong healthy ego and with no interest in sparring with him, because the sparring is both irrelevant and boring. My early sense is that Booker and Warren would be tempted to spar whereas Harris would not. She seems like a person not easily drawn into verbal spats. She has an inherent dignity the other two don’t quite have in the same measure. And for those assuming men are somehow “stronger” than women, consider that two of Europe’s most formidable recent leaders have been Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel. Consider too that women are far more likely than men to have careers and manage households. Harris has been tested and achieved plenty despite stereotypes against her. Let’s not be driven by these same lame stereotypes.
8
First, let it be noted that I am a woman of pale ecru complexion.
Running for president should not be a popularity contest. The only dedication I want to see in a candidate looking to occupy the highest position in our nation is to the betterment of our nation and everyone in it. I don’t want to hear what others say about them because we all have personal biases that color the lenses we look through and influence what we hear.
I claim to be color-blind because I do the best I can not to notice, although I'll admit a bias toward my own opinion of women-of-color based on my experience: they are less concerned about what others think of their appearance—probably because of decades of having been told that the color of their skin doesn’t matter—and tend to be more authentic about appearances and all that entails than those of us who are hueless. And I’ll admit to spending long summers baking in the sun trying to get some of the color nature bestowed upon them.
I'll admit to a bias toward women, probably because I am one. I know we are just as smart as men, perhaps a bit more intelligent, and definitely wiser. On average, I believe women are less drawn toward violence than men and more repelled by it. It's time to see what a woman can do as president. Will she have the backing of other women? . . . only those who have not bought into patriarchal bias. Same with men.
I’ll work against the re-election of McConnell, his being out would help the nation enormously.
4
so you said you want the best candidate for the country overall. then you basically said you are biased and really want to vite for a woman of color. please stick to the first thing you said, best candidate overall, regardless if race or sex.
6
So sad that identity politics have to define Democrat candidates and their approach to high office. Any party or parties that put gender, race, creed, color over experience will never garner a vote from me.
24
So presumably you do not vote Republican.
5
How about the affair with a married Willie Brown (The Bay Area papers have pointed them out), he admits he appointed her to posts and arranged for her to meet the big donors, to help her carreer. She knew he was married. Am I being a prude? No, I'm not particularly a prude, just pointing out what everybody else pointed out about Trump.
33
@BorisRoberts
How about Willie Brown was separated from his wife for years prior to dating Kamala Harris? How about the number of men who have run and have become President of the USA who have had extramarital affairs? How about most people in the political arena (and Corporate America) leverage connections - whether friendship, romantic, or both - to help pursue specific career goals? As Willie Brown stated in his own OpEd on the subject, he has helped the career of many California politicians ranging from CA Governor Gavin Newsom to Senator Feinstein to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
@BorisRoberts I'm not a fan of Kamala Harris but a quick Google would show that Willie Brown had been publicly separated from his wife for years before they started their relationship. Willie Brown remains married -- probably for financial reasons -- but it's not like they cheated on his wife as your comment implies.
On the other hand, I don't recall Ivana Trump feeling pleased or even neutral that the Donald was sleeping with Marla Maples even while he was married to her. And that's not even getting into his affairs with various women while Melania was pregnant.
The article states that Harris will have to "overcome... a bias on the part of some voters that a female candidate cannot beat President Trump." Why is it a bias to suggest that Harris would face major challenges if she were to run against Trump? As a woman and a left-leaning Democrat, the only thing that matters to me is who is best positioned to take on Trump in 2020. And I'm concerned that we're deluding ourselves if we think that racism and sexism aren't still potent forces in the red states. If we are to get that autocratic thug out of the White House, we need to be able to discuss these potential obstacles honestly amongst ourselves and unite behind the candidate who stands the best chance of winning. Personally, I don't care who it turns out to be, as long as they are in the strongest position to beat Trump.
6
I'm from California, and am Black, and obviously love Kamala Harris...as my Senator. But on the National stage, I don't think she's done enough. I look at Elizabeth Warren, who has spent many more years building the Consumer Protection Bureau, which has had a national impact, who has fought hard against the bankers who put many people's homes into foreclosure, and I fear that Harris is really relying on ethnicity, gender, a helpful primary schedule, and a few high profile theatrics during Senate hearings on the national stage to propel her forward. I think she'd be a great President, but at this point in the process, I think I want someone who has achieved more at a National level.
24
So, a rush already for her 2012 bid. The other party should counter today with ads, etc. Equal time, right? Start with her time as Attorney General in a city, county, and State providing sanctuary for illegals. Her arrest numbers? Her work with ICE and the Feds?
Bring this phony candidate back to reality now before she steals campaign money from those lost supporters.
5
the concern about a woman being strong enough to deal with Trump is sadly out of synch with reality, as Nancy Pelosi just managed the only show of effective power against him we've seen since the republican primary where he knocked everyone out of his way and had not stopped since.
5
Here we go again. The Times, and the voters they chose to interview, are misfocused on the same things that populated an article about Elizabeth Warren several weeks ago. Is she “electable?” Is she “pure” enough in her Democratic principles? Is she got “strength”? Good luck getting a Democrat elected! Politics is about moving the ball in the right direction, not taking your ball home if you don’t get everything you want. That’s also why we’ve got gridlock in Washington, on both sides.
7
“Some rum for office to be something, others run for office to do something. “ Not an original thought with me but I don’t know to whom to credit it. I may be wrong, but Harris just seems to be the former, and Obama seemed to be the latter.
2
and in the end, just what did obama actually do?
2
since when is a jamaican/indian person considered black?
stop with the skin color judgements already!
22
@me
...says the person making skin color judgments
2
@me why can they not be considered black? Please explain
1
Why can't democrats focus on policy substance over empty platitudes and identity politics? Bernie, Warren, Gabbard, and Yang are the only real options for a president who will actually do what they promise to help the American people.
2
Black, brown, white or purple, this woman is smart as a whip and exactly what this country needs right now. After listening to her speak for 20 minutes, you forget the color of her skin or the fact that she's a woman. She transcends all so-called handicaps. It’s still very early in the game and a lot can happen before 2020, but I’m impressed with what I see so far
5
Sen. Harris isn't ready for prime time with only two years under her belt. Perhaps in a future election cycle but not now. We need a president who knows the ropes around Washington and the world and is able to go toe to toe with our adversaries. We need a woman or man who is skilled and can undue the damage that Trump has done and continue to do to this country. Whoever is elected POTUS in 2020 needs to hit the ground running .
6
Harris has far more under her belt than Obama did at the start oh his presidency and he more than held his own.
2
@davidmiller--i wouldnt exactly say obama held his own. talked big, did very little. weak foriegn policy.
2
Unless Kamela Harris can tone down her tendency the show what a jolly good old girl she is, the primary trail will be hard for her.
President Trump has shown us that you don't need to be a serious policy wonk in order to be elected President of the United States, but Trump's tactics will not work on the Democratic side where mean-spirited, mindless bluster is not the coin of the realm.
I am hoping that Amy klobuchar will join the presidential sweepstakes, and that the American voting public has been sufficiently sobered-up by the Trump presidency to embrace a candidate with calm but strongly progressive seriousness of purpose.
2
Gee should I feel slighted because as an Italian American there hasn't been a candidate who you know will look out for fellow Italians? How about a candidate who promises to work for EVERYONE??? What a novel idea huh? This identity politics is the ruination of the Dems and they are falling right back into the trap set in 2016. Keep it up.
48
@Margo Channing
Why the automatic defensiveness and misinterpretation? There literally is nothing in what Sen. Harris has said that anyone can interpret as favoring Black Americans over others, in terms of political agenda.
When people are used to entitlement, any talk of equality sounds like oppression. I hear Bensonhurst...
3
@Margo Channing So true. The show begins.
1
No! As a 50-year-old African American man who regrets voting for Barack Obama in 2008, I find Kamala Harris to be Obama’s female version. Both have empty and unfocused agendas, agendas that disregard the plight of young and old African American men - the back bone of any functional community. Black men will either vote for Trump, who has a family agenda, or we won’t vote.
Furthermore, from a racial perspective, I would like to see authentic African people represent African Americans in the United States. For example, people who resembled our ancestors; and thus myself, such as Martin Delaney and Henry Highland Garnet.
Indeed, there is growing animosity within the African American community towards white people who fund and promote multiracial people (Recall, NAACP white founder Mary White Ovington and W.E.B. Dubois) as African Americans with the support of the white liberal and conservative medias. Since the One Drop Rule, which is unconstitutional, is a racist white social rule. It is disrespectful and insulting that a woman with a South East Asian mother and a father, who is supposedly an Afro-Jamaican, would define herself as African American when she is multiracial. Kamala and Obama either have psychological issues or they failed biology since race is not a social construct. Ask a geneticist who is not beholden to an University.
19
Jonathan, there has been growing animosity in the black community, and blaming of the white community, for a long time. Right now, the media is also attacking 'White Men" and their "White Privilege", trying to get "The Black Vote" for the Dems. You tell me, is it working? It doesn't appear to be.
7
@Jonathan Excellent point, Kamala is trying to attach herself to Black Americans when she is not--even detached from her Jamaican father-- and exploit this racial politic for her own advances. She is not a good candidate and I say it as someone who errored in voting for her as Attorney General in California.
6
@Jonathan
Please tell me more about the "Trump family agenda". I never heard of it but it sounds promising. Does it have something to do with his increasing the ranks of the uninsured? Work requirements for food stamps and Medicaid? Or is it the removal of as many environmental protections as possible? I'd really like to learn more.
6
She doesn’t stand a chance. Why? Because she’s a traditional “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” As always, the Democratic elite are trying to pass of a conservative as a liberal/progressive by using race and gender sleight of hand. That’s a tired old trick. And after 8 years of Obama, most poor and working class people are tired of it.
15
Even the gentleman interviewed in this article gets it. “mr Obama didn’t bring about the changes he promised.” You can hate Trump with every cell in your body, but you must admit, he is the one who signed legislation to give thousands of inmates a second chance (thanks to van jones too). Consider who has been pushing Three Strikes and open borders? this has driven down wages and ripped apart the black family unit.
3
@Lisa Malcolm....Black Family Unit? What Black Family Unit? The last statistics I read showed 72% of children born to black parents were raised without a father figure.
2
When will anyone notice that Kamala Devi Harris is not just a ‘black woman’ but equally an Asian Indian woman ? Ignoring her mother’s heritage and race, when she was the primary parent, is deeply sexist. I would definitely vote for Kamala—and frankly for anyone with D next to their name at this point—but this is yet another example Asians could legitimately point to where they are taken for granted, and willfully underrepresented and written out of the public space so that America can go on with its black-white obsession and the limited discussion that it has on race. Kamala’s potential hinges on her uniqueness as a biracial candidate, as the child of an immigrant single mom — she could legitimately reflect a changing America and hopefully drag the Democratic Party with her. However I’m not feeling too hopeful on that score after reading articles like this.
7
Not being a Democrat its uplifting to see some of the posts here about the downside of KH. The last thing we need is another Obama-like President especially one from the Left Coast of Sanctuary Cities , high taxes and homeless heaven.
Why is she portrayed as a black woman with no mention of her Tamil Indian Mother? She would be the first Indian President just as much as the first Black woman if my math is correct.
The Left will continue to digest its young until the only person remaining is an unelectable candidate that middle America will shun.
7
Kamala Harris is campaigning on platitudes and skin color. Elizabeth Warren at least has the guts to campaign on specific proposals. Last week Warren presented details of her plan to impose a “wealth tax” on the top one percent of American families that would raise $2.75 trillion on tax revenues over a 10-year period.
https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-unveils-proposal-to-tax-wealth-of-ultra-rich-americans
12
you mean elizabeth warren, native-american indian (1% heritage).
2
@bored critic
Warren says she does not consider herself a Native American.
3
@William Case
"Warren says she does not consider herself a Native American [anymore, after she tried to claim credit for being a minority, took a ridiculous DNA test, thereby making a complete fool of herself.]"
There, finished that sentence for you. You're welcome!!
1
The NY Times and the left need to figure who they consider a “minority.” There are increasing references to “Black and Brown,” leaving out the Asian population. Asians seem to make the Left very uncomfortable. Asians have lower suspension rates than whites In school and lower arrest records as well, slamming a hole in the “schools to prisons” rhetoric. Senator Harris also qualifies as Asian, it’s hard to find that fact in this article.
Asians make up 15% of California’s population, 6% is Black. Asians have been the most discriminated against group in this state. They are also the most successful of all racial groups in this quietly majority/minority state.
How about if we focus less on race and the horse race and more on policy and character?
8
@Michael Haddon Most Asians are foreign born primarily from China, Vietnam and South Korea plus voluntary immigrants do not meet the minority category only those incorporated by force. White teachers favoring Asian students through grade inflation is already a privilege handed to them who are then favored for college or employment. Asians are not a minority.
@Michael Haddon "Asians" are not a montholithic group. There is a huge difference between my family (refugees from SE Asia who came with $10 US total to our name) and my friend's family (mom and dad both PhDs who immigrated voluntarily with over $100K to the name on arrival). The median family income for an Indian -American family is $100 K (way above US median of $68K), for a Burmese family, $36K. Some Asian_Americans speak English proficiently (people from India, the Phillipines, etc.) while others struggle with it. The drop out rates for East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Korean) is low but it is high for SE Asians. The problem with lumping everyone together is the problems Asian-Americans face are ignored.
I'd love to leave sex, nationality, race, age, etc. on the sideboard but the truth of the matter is people are still judged and treated according to these factors. The only people who get to ignore these factors are the most privileged in society.
1
You would be hard pressed to find a white man who professes to be a Democrat who would be willing to be quoted in the NYT stating that women are weaker than men, as several black men in this piece do.
3
Because people are afraid of the Political Correctness Police. "You're a racist!!!!".
2
It’s too bad she chose to side with the unsubstantiated and outlandish claims during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, to the point she walked out of the hearing. This kind of faux political theater is while I’ll never vote for her. We need leaders and decision makers, not temper tantrums and walkouts.
91
You supported a Supreme Court justice who threw a major temper tantrum? I watched her firmly press for answers following his obfuscation and clear boof up of his own calendar terms. Dr. Ford’s memory was unclear but the further investigation that followed gave more than enough information to see the now Justice was unfit.
134
@E
Respectfully, that ship has sailed.
7
@CG
"I'll never vote for her"...yes, Republican Trump supporters will not vote for Senator Harris. Thanks for letting us know you are concerned.
65
And, who exactly is the alternative candidate the doubters in this article are going to vote for? Who is that perfect candidate that checks all their boxes. Trump voters didn't care about his record. They just wanted him to beat Hillary.
If the quest for the perfect candidate eliminates the good candidate, Trump will be reelected.
9
I was not paying attention until I came across with her Iowa townhall with CNN. I think she seems to be a serious candidate who got a shot at our current president. We don't have to compare her with Obama. Let us accept her as herself. As long as she is speaking truth and going to add value, she got my vote.
6
I watched her Town Meeting.She presents well.However, what I see lacking are real, and probably brand new, ideas to reshape our democracy to serve everyone. Elizabeth Warren, on the other hand, has already initiated a process to redistribute wealth without simply "a major tax hike on the rich" (Kamala Harris). Our next president has to be very special, an Obama plus plus, a reincarnation to the modern day of a F.D.R with the ideas, determination, experience and political savvy to really make America Great Again for everyone, not just the luck few.Don't think this is Kamala Harris.
7
Redistribute wealth? I'll believe it when any congressmen or senators donate any of their bankroll to "the people". It isn't going to happen.
1
Unless she stops the insanity of open borders and fake asylum claims she will lose.
13
Another, frankly, conservative democrat with very centrist and conventional lawmaking and autocratic tendencies is the last thing we need. We need a progressive, left wing, pragmatic person to run the country. We have skewed so far to the right that supporting a centrist candidate in the Obama mold, is like acquiescing to the status quo. We need to balance things by going hard left for a few terms. Perhaps then we can get to a centrist because hopefully there WILL be a center. Right now there is only the right. We need real change. And Harris isnt that change. She is a qualified candidate and a good senator, but I dont think she would make a good President. Next please.
107
@mike Who are “we” here? You and a coterie of like-minded social media buddies, I assume. Polls clearly show that independents/centrists outnumber progressive (so do conservatives, incidentally). Running a socialist will ensure four more years of Trump.
15
@mike
Harris is "demographic allure" backed by big money CA centrist Democrats.
Time will tell if she is more substance than show.
Her first vote on a hugely increased military budget was yes.
When it came time to vote on her second military budget she had seen that it was politically expedient to vote no.
11
@Mor
how did your strategy work out with Hillary? Voters, both Democratic and independent are ready for a left-wing candidate. People like you are what will insure four more years of Trump.
5
If Kamala Harris has to worry about whether she’s progressive enough for the Democrat party, then the party has a problem. No one is sufficiently woke enough, and obsessions with intersectional tribalism have their voters tangled up in knots.
What’s her plan to raise wages? What’s her plan to deal with China’s rising global influence? How will she improve school test scores? Climate change? Reigning in spending?
Most people want to know the answers to these types of questions. Issues regarding race and gender will evaporate when people get to know a candidate’s record, principles, and philosophy of governance. If Democrats spend their whole primary obsessing over identity politics, don’t be surprised if voters grow tired of it when they get into the voting booth in 2020.
302
I had a few more questions. Is she more powerful than a locomotive? Can she leap over buildings in a single bound? Bend steel in her bare hands? We keep looking for a messiah. How about settling for someone who can do a decent job and get the scourge of DT out of office?
47
@Kirby Most people really don't want answers they want platitudes. They bought Trump, they'll buy anything.
11
@Kirby You make a great point. It’s like Pelosi calling the tax cut “peanuts” when so many people saw an increase in their take home pay. Just wait until tax refunds go out also. I’m tired of hearing the back and forth, when none of them have any actual plans! ACA caused premiums to skyrocket and now Harris says we all have to buy government insurance? Yikes
5
Does anyone else feel that all this ‘black voter/white voter, black candidate/white candidate’ talk is muddying the water in the article on Senator Harris’ announcement? Why is that the focus? Why is that all we can talk about? ‘Black’, ‘woman’....seems so yesterday!
Perhaps it’s my Southern ears that are bothered, but we need to move on. At this stage in the game do we really need to be parsing the electorate? Let’s talk about the person Kamala Harris, the lawyer, the Senator, the candidate.
Stop telling us that all blacks are Democrats and that you know how they’re going to vote. Be wary of the old alliances that use to get candidates elected. I’m ready to move on! Please help us move on!!
476
@Melanie
Move on in the sense of what.
That birthers don't have to do anything but vote Republican to qualify for another tax cut?
That now it's okay to raise the deficit?
Now it's okay to for the president to worm his way out of a fraud conviction by settling out of court on 3 class action lawsuits filed against him for fraud?
Move on to the GOP platform of letting it slide when a president makes denigrating comments about our nation's intelligence officers while backing Putin?
Move on to turning our country into a Trump Rally while shutting the government down for one of his most idiotic of campaign pledges - his "big beautiful" iron curtain on the southern border?
Move on to ignoring that there were infants taken away from their mothers at the southern border - infants who can't even identify themselves.
Move on to histrionic Supreme Court judges who are sarcastic to female senators questioning him while he refers to Dr. Blasey-Ford as a liar and expresses outrage over people tampering with his privilege and threatens anyone who defies him with the words, "What goes around comes around."
You mean THAT kind of "move on"?
Move on
37
@Melanie Because the Dems/Socialists are only about identity. Only.
12
@Melanie totally agree with your questioning of the article focusing on black / white / female / male. Simply ridiculous to make the case for a candidate based solely on identity.
23
Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris. I'm betting and hoping (and praying) that happens! The rest of the potential candidates are important to the process of expanding the conversations and pushing the envelope, but a Elizabeth Warren or Beta O'Rourke will never be in the forefront once the horserace narrows.
1
yes, she can. she will, if she's nominated or is on any ticket. the question, i think, is can she do the same with non-black voters?
I would like to see more reporting from the New York Times on the process of elections. Kamala Harris is a first term Senator who had no national government experience. She never served in the cabinet, has no experience in the military or foreign policy, no experience running a major government department, has never done anything beyond being mayor of a big city, something about 100 people do now. She has near zero name recognition outside of California. So how did she manage to get a hyped Town Hall Meeting on CNN, millions in free publicity? Who made that happen, and why? Is she a Silicon Valley billionaire pet in disguise? Please describe from the beginning the process of how Kamala Harris got a Town Hall in prime time, and who pulled the strings to make it happen. Until the voters know who is the puppeteer, we can never know if we should trust the puppet.
15
@Michael Shore You just described Obama. And as for military Clinton didn't serve either (Bill or Hill).
@Michael Shore her sister, who runs her campaign, is with MSNBC and her bro in law is general counsel for Uber.
2
Why assume there is a puppeteer? Obama's rise was relatively similar, in that he was largely unknown before he began running for president. He was good at raising money, and maybe Harris is too.
1
Kamala has more experience in life and law at the government level
Obama was a non governmental agency social justice lawyer
Obama was essentially doted on as " special" his entire life based on bios
He could not prevent the rabid onslaught of southern racism and corporate commands when Bush dumped the financial depression on him immediately and gave him a dug in republican Gingrich light congress to demean him.
Obama withdrew and used the regulatory state instead of congress to pass unpopular regs and laws
Kamala has seen Obama and Hillary's gross mistakes and mismanagement of the opposition and their embrace of leftist elite money under Citizens United
Kamala would have not folded on a Supreme Court nominee
We have a slew of wanna be presidential candidates
Most are better than trump
Anyone of them if elected could lasso the losing candidates for important Whitehouse posts and Secretary positions
It could usher in a new purpose for a Great inclusive country
I want her to mention the incarcerated refugee children at every interview and event
If that continues everyone is culpable and their candidacies soiled
The candidates must demand enough government social service employees to process reunification in the USA of these families
All candidates must support full citizen rights for DACA
All candidates must undo the deportations that have already separated American citizen families
Nothing less is ethical before making infrastructure and military funding promises
3
Do not underestimate the "Willie Brown" effect with Ms. Harris. She should be the candidate to beat in the Democratic field among black voters.
Racial solidarity? Her record is about as awful as they come. She has flip-flopped from a law and order mass incarceration platform to something different in no time at all. Anyone who can google can see that she is not an ally to, nor a representative of, the black experience in America.
6
Nominate Kamala Harris and re-elect Trump. As I see it, Harris has an exceptionally thin resume in preparation for her presidential run. Vote for me because I'm not male and not white!. Yes, maybe she can win the black vote in South Carolina. Then she will go on to do the same thing in Alabama and Mississippi, etc. That is, she will carry states in the Democratic primaries that she cannot win in November. Just like Hillary. She is another death wish for Democrats.
15
The real question progressives need to ask is "How close to Wall Street and the big banks is she and why are they and the establishment politicians and media, including the NYTimes all googly eyed over her"?
And the answer is most likely that she will happily play ball with them like Obama did, to get re-elected. And the establishment politicians and media don't want to upset the apple cart of the corruption of our electoral process and buying of politicians with campaign cash that buys policy.
The people see the corruption and are looking for ways out of that corruption. And you can see who the establishment media and politicians and banksters don't like and it is Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sander neither of which get a fair shake in the pages of the NYTimes or on establishment TV. The billionaires who have corrupted our electoral system see it as a threat if you paid any attention to the news out of Davos. And the likes of the NYTimes and Washington Post and the networks will fall in line to keep the party going against the people and for the rich.
5
Post Trump, this country needs someone who understands how to govern - not another OJT candidate.
Kamala Harris is a fine enough candidate - but so far I cannot see her going all the way.
Some candidates, like Tulsi Gabbard, have been misrepresented by the media right out of the gate. She is a military veteran who would appeal a cross a brought spectrum. Her attempts to find out of the box solutions in Syria have been grossly misrepresented. Why is talking to Kim acceptable politics, talking and bowing to the Saudis official policy, but talking to Assad is not? All are horrible monsters.
1
The media makes the assumption that if there is a black candidate running for office, we (black people) will automatically vote for them, which is not the case. African-Americans across the political spectrum should do a deep dive into any candidate--Black, White, Hispanic, Asian and pick candidates that serve not only their particular interest but the interest for all.
9
No, I think the US is not ready for a Black woman president.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
We had a Black man has president, so why not first a woman,
who is White? Let's take it a step at a time, not all at once!
I like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has far more experience,
with a focus on economics. I also like Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Sen. Kamala Harris is likely to polarize too many voters, now.
I think having our first woman president would be incredible
for the nation. It would be awesome. Let's not ask for too much.
"Rome was not built in a day"
------------------------------------
1
@Harry Pearle. All i can say is “wow.” Keep em in their place? Disgusting.
1
@Sharon
No, I am not saying that.
Who gets elected is up to the voters, not me and not you.
And after the election, the president will need the support of the Congress and we, the people.
Hillary made the mistake that she could get elected simply by being Hillary. She was mistaken.
I think we need a president who is has experience and moderation, and a program, right now.
Also, I think the key issue is economics.
"Its still economics, stupid"
Sen.Warren focuses on economics
-------------------------------------------
3
@Harry Pearle
Umm, no. Warren does not have more experience.
I decided to find out what Kamala Harris stands for. I watched the speech she made in Oakland. Here is what she said. She supports criminal justice reform. Helping people defrauded by banks in the great recession. Complained about big banks and talks about how she went after them. Passed an anti-foreclosure law. The American dream is under attack and we must answer a fundamental question - who are we? The answer is - we are better than this, an attack on Trump. Transphobia, homophobia, anti-semitism, racism is alive and needs to be address. Too many blacks are being locked up. Back to criminal justice. Kamala promises a pay increase, debt free education and health care as a fundamental right and supports medicare for all....plus a middle class tax cut by reversing the tax cuts to the top wage earners and corporations. Then. unity, unity, unity.
I would say Kamala makes a stirring speech. Comfortable on the podium and seems like a natural politician. She's got solid government experience and speaks well in Senate hearings. This person is more qualified than Trump. So if she wins, we will be better off.
Like many Democrats, her views are complex and varied, but solidly progressive. Not a word about reforming the electoral college or re-districting though...
5
@John Barry If you base your decisions on a speech you heard I deplore you to do more research on any given candidate. A lot more research. Speeches tell people what they want to hear. Google is your friend. Use it.
4
@John Barry
Words are cheap, and any politician can say anything and some gullible people will believe it's sincere.
Your comment seems to have been written by Harris's public relations team.
If you were a true progressive and analyzed her record, not her rhetoric, you'd see she's unacceptable.
2
All primaries ought to be at the same day. We would have a very different race and dynamic. Too bad this is never going to happen.
1
There is another issue standing in the way of Senator Harris getting the black community behind her the way it supported then Senator Obama: Ms. Harris is married to a white man.
I am a black man and I personally do not have a problem with interracial relationships, having been involved in several myself. However, a lot of black Americans do have a problem with such relationships, especially traditional older black people in the South. As Senator Harris' profile rises and her interracial marriage becomes well known, it will hurt her, especially when there's another viable black candidate to vote for, namely Cory Booker.
4
@Randy
Black men marry outside their race 2-3 times more often as compared to black women, but they have an issue with a black woman marrying outside her race! Maybe some of these fine people need to look in mirror and see if a double standard is reflected back. In any case, she is Indian too, so maybe they will give her a pass for breaking the code.
6
I don't think you have to worry about Harris' success with black voters, blacks vote black, that has been the story time and time again provided there is a black candidate to vote for. What she really needs to be worried about is will the whites who supported Obama support her. I'm not talking about the liberal university crowd and east & west coast dems, I'm talking about normal working class whites who voted for Obama and whom Trump got their vote four & 8 years later.
3
Harris is articulate, inspiring and speaks to the heart of America. With her "For the people" maxim, I think Harris can match or perhaps become an even greater orator than Obama.
Obama's casual (interview) speech is often punctuated with "hesitating" interjections. His formal speeches were eloquent but his "cadence" became a bit "choppy" at times . Even comedians were starting to mimic him.
And 45? Well, Trump sputters like Mr McGoo's,...confused, bumbling, and rambling.
2
I watched the CNN Town Hall with Kamala Harris, last night. I was impressed with her passion and commitment to lead our country with integrity, deep knowledge of the issues and, what it appears to be, enough energy to bring our country back to its people.
I was also impressed with her preparedness of the plethora of leading issues facing our country. She chose her Town Hall opportunity to introduce herself to the nation. She showed her passion, experience and commitment to our country, which cannot be denied. Will I vote for her in the Democratic primary? It is too early to decide. However, she will be one of the candidates on top of my list.
3
Let's be clear: any Democratic candidate is going to go into the 2020 general with a Democratic-leaning electorate that will want to support their candidacy. The candidate might utterly blow that goodwill, of course. But there are two separate conversations here: who can muster a plurality of the Democratic base in the primaries, and who can project competence, run a good ground game, and avoid costly mistakes in the general. Assuming Kamala Harris can get through the primary, conversations about her "electability" in the general are just coded racism and misogyny.
3
Let's get a moderate Republican economist and a moderate Democrat economist, and have them analyze the costs of Harris' proposals, along with the proposals of Trump and every other candidate. Then print their conclusions on op-ed pages.
4
The primaries are about one year away. The election is 22 months down the road. She is a political novice who will shoot herself in the foot too often by December and her fans will abandon her. Maybe she should concentrate on her duties as a Senator, instead.
7
@Jacob K It appears a strong, smart, highly qualified and passionately committed woman, running for a high, political office, continues to get men terrified! Recommendation- Get over it!!
2
Democratic voters want to protest when White voters flock to Trump, but that same group becomes defensive when it comes to focusing on the viability of a Democratic candidate who happens to be of color. Obama could not be a "Black President" because, no matter how you parse it, 14.7% does not constitute a majority; we only need look at the current sitting President to see how difficult that is. America needs a president that has a much better vision than "tax the rich" or "smaller government". Almost twenty years into the 21st century and government seems trapped in the late 1800's.
8
@Mark No we are trapped in a corrupt system that is willing to give whatever tax policy the politicians owners, the donors, want. You do remember Lindsay Graham saying if they didn't get the tax cut disguised as tax reform through the money would dry up. What did that mean? It meant that corruption reigns in DC.
2
This seems thin stuff, predicated on old notions that may well no longer be truisms.
First off, we need to get over this notion that Trump will be the nominee. It doesn't take much to topple a weak incumbent, and Trump, with a 34 percent approval rating and plummeting popularity even among Republicans, most certainly is that. Presuming that polling continues on its current trend, there's a pretty fair chance that he's going to get a primary challenger--the numbers and prospects simply would be too tempting--and if he stumbles in Iowa and New Hampshire, we might well see a replay of 1968, when LBJ went from sure thing to not-gonna-run within weeks, with McCarthy instantly subsumed by more viable candidates.
Second, the article is written as if we've seen a viable black woman presidential candidate before. We haven't, and so how this plays out is, largely, an utter mystery. Instead of focusing on Ms. Harris' race and gender, NYT, at this point, should be paying more attention to her record and how positions on given issues are going to help or hurt her. How good is she at pivoting, because, given her past stances on things, she'd better be pretty good at it. There is some of that, to be sure, but not nearly enough.
2
@August West, Thanks for your comment. I think the important question you raise is that the Times should focus on her record and policies. I assure you such reporting is underway and you will be reading more of it soon. But precisely because Ms. Harris is likely the first politically viable black woman to seek the Democratic nomination, I would suggest that it's important to write about how race and gender continue to shape perceptions of her and how her campaign will strategize around those points. The Times will do all, not either/or. Thanks again.
4
An entire year of this numbing repetitive election chatter endlessly obsessing about tactics, demographics and optics, mostly bypassing actual policy positions. And then another year of primaries and conventions and daily polls before the actual vote.
In the UK, they declare a date for voting, have 6 weeks of campaigning, and the new leader is installed 24 hours after the results are announced. What would Americans prefer: an endless election season, the one morphing into the next, or something akin to how the rest of the world goes about it, and more importantly, gets beyond it?
Less is more.
47
@Xoxarle
The media is more to blame than the candidates.They started obsessing over 2020 months ago. Journalists and pundits prefer covering the horserace, the gossip surrounding it, the conflicts, the personality, etc. over covering substance which takes much more work work and is a lot less fun for them.
Candidates need to start now to see if they can raise enough money to compete because that is the money driven system we the people have tolerated.
1
Ms. Harris's focus on South Carolina is a reflection of our party's doomed strategy of letting Republican states choose our presidential candidates. South Carolina hasn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. Even President Obama lost his two elections there by 10 and 11 point margins. It makes as much sense for Democrats to give that state, and the other Super Tuesday states, a decisive role in our primaries as it would make for the Republicans to let Massachusetts, Illinois, and California choose their candidates.
39
Kamala Harris might be a fine candidate but she's no Obama. As a candidate, he had oratory skills that come along once in a generation. Charm to burn. Intelligence and humor. And most important, a message millions responded to, regardless of race or gender.
That's a winning combination for any politician. And on top of those things, he was a black candidate.
The worst possible thing for the Democratic party is media pot stirring about race and gender. eg, Is it misogyny if people don't like a woman over a man? Racism if they prefer a white to a black candidate?
We need somene who can beat Trump. Let the voters choose. For their own reasons, whatever they might be. A candidate chosen because of gender or race before other things is going to lose.
220
@Talbot Very well said, could not agree more.
16
@Talbot
She may not be Obama, but she has the intelligence and fighting skills to take on and beat Trump. Kamala Harris is a tough lady and I don't see anyone beating her, man or woman.
18
@Talbot
Since there is only one race aka human from Earth you are too confused to be worth listening to.
Since there are only two biological procreative genders and maternity has never been questioned you are also missing the gender point.
I am for any candidate whose race is human from Earth. And I support both procreative genders even if the baby daddy is unknown.
4
In a perfect world merit would rule the day. Voters would be color blind. Gender blind. The most qualified candidate would win after all issues were thoroughly examined during spirited public debates during the primary and general election. And the best candidate would emerge as president. By contrast in the real world generational prejudice determines elections. Sadly the most qualified black female candidate has no chance to be president.The historic prejudice of white and black men based upon gender and racial lines will rule the day.
29
@Milton Lewis According to 2016 exit polls, the female candidate for president received several million more votes than did the male candidate. The male candidate won the election only because of our curious Electoral College system. The exit polls also showed that 53% of white women voters voted for the white male candidate. Had the white female vote split 50-50 in strategic states, the election likely would have had a different outcome. It seems quite a stretch to now claim that male prejudice will somehow roe the day.
9
@Milton Lewis
I disagree. I have looked over the candidates who are interested in running in 2020 and, for the most part, most are milk toast and either too old or too young or too just plain blah. None have Harris's quick response intelligence and fighting spirit. Just picture any of the candidates debating with Trump and you'll see what I mean.
8
@Milton Lewis
Soon, your belief that male prejudice will continue to rule the day are going to bite you in the you-know-where.
Thanks for the laugh.
3
If she is to win, she will have to rise beyond her shining resume and inspire, and reach people in their hearts, and let them know she's really serious and really cares. That's the way a leader overcomes silly objections like, "[But t]he banks got bailed out[.]" The banks got bailed out because our ATM's were a few days away from running out of cash, and we were genuinely on the brink of collapsing into another Argentina. And obviously prosecutors help enforce the laws, and do not determine what they are. No doubt "community organizer" probably sounds more generally appealing as professions go, but all candidates have their challenges, and successful ones overcome them. She could have shied away and said running wouldn't be worth it, given these sorts of unreasonable objections to someone so obviously qualified at such an important time. I'm glad she entered the race, and now it's up to her to rise to the occasion -- to rise to genuine greatness as a US president is called upon to do.
108
@Joe
Joe the Banks were not going to run out of money,
they pleaded oncoming bankruptcy and so they got
our money and made a fortune out of our loans while
at the same time showing no mercy to those homeowners who were having trouble making their loan payments.
6
@Joe
About the 08 collapse...
No one ever went to jail. Plenty of evidence of fraud but instead bankers and ratings agency execs all got giant bonuses.
And that was Obama's biggest failure.
So bankers are richer than ever
and the Banks are are still Too Big to Fail.
6
@Joe
"Silly objection" that the banks got bailed out?
Wow.
The lack of action against the banks is one of the factors which gave us Trump.
4
Its disheartening to hear the viewpoint from many black men that a black woman may not be strong enough or ready to be president. In truth, black women have been the backbone of the black community and family unit forever. Black women are the least believed, but they exhibit a tenacity that is undeniable in the face of adversity. As for Kamala, I'm learning more about her day to day, and I like what I see. I hope people give her a chance and view both her womanhood and blackness as assets that will both inform and strengthen her leadership.
307
@Brandon P
I don't see woman or black.
I see strong, articulate and inspiring!
16
The idea that Black women are/have been the “backbone” of the AA community is a preposterous myth. This “community” is the descendants/survivors of enslaved Americans. White America has always ensured that it had no strong, defended family structure; always economically, academically, socially and politically marginalized and impoverished. Dysfunction is no more a virtue than mass incarceration is a point of pride.
5
@GLW
What is the source of your preposterous claim?
Read Herbert Gutman's historical account, "The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom, 1750-1925" to educate yourself on the truth.
Black families have survived despite slavery and Jim Crow.
12
As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated myself, I am proud to see a fellow soror speaking truth to power. I was thoroughly impressed with Soror Kamala’s questioning of Brett Kavanaugh. She is no doubt a very learned, purposeful, and no-nonsense woman - just what our current political circus needs.
I wish Soror Kamala the very best in her candidacy; however, she doesn’t automatically have my vote simply because she is a woman, a woman of color, or a member of my sorority. As a person who “belongs” to all three groups, please grant me (and others like me) the benefit of being able to choose a viable contender based on his or her record, and not gender, race, or sororal affiliation.
401
@Sherry
My daughter is AKA and she is down with Kamala. I was Me Phi Me and so am I.
But my first dream choice was my black South Side Chicago homeboy Deval Patrick. His withdrawal has a delayed a real black born and bred Chicagoan from occupying the Oval Office of the White House. Michelle?
By the way despite all of the ignorance and stupidity to the contrary there are no "races". There is only one biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit human race species that began in Africa 300 000+ years ago. The only race is human from Earth.
Color aka race is related to producing Vitamin D and protecting genes from damaging mutations in ecologically isolated human populations at altitudes and latitudes in connection with varying levels of solar radiation.
Color aka race is a malign socioeconomic political educational demographic historical white supremacist nationalist American myth meant to legally and morally justify black African enslavement and separate and unequal black African Jim Crow.
See " The Race Myth: Why We Pretend Race Exists in America" Joseph Graves
10
@Sherry I couldn't have said it better Soror Sherryl!
8
@Blackmamba I lived in Mass. while Deval was Governor. I agree that he has the ability to do well in the office. Also, sad to say, he's smart enough not to want it.
Harris has strengths but there are many differences from Obama. She has nowhere near the national profile he had, and lacks the family that gave him credibility in the black community. She has to overcome a widespread impression of opportunism that Obama never really faced.
26
We are way past identity politics and this writer and still falling into that trap. How can you the candidate make a majority of people's lives better. How can you give people hope in the future. Tired of Trump antics that takes the air of the room and leaves us with nothing in its place. Being an Obana wannabe doesn't inspire me. Is it possible to be yourself for once?
3
This woman is too rude and obnoxious to rise to this level of power. In have watched her in the Senate hearings, and have lost any respect for her. Furthermore, the path of her road to the Senate is now being exposed, and her trail in California does not leave a pretty picture. Just as a large number of white women refused to vote for Hillary, I expect that a large number of black women will refuse to vote for Kamala Harris.
32
@Michael I have watched and rewatched Senator Harris question Jeff Sessions and Brett Kavanaugh during their hearings. I saw a calm, highly intelligent, confident, knowledgable, assertive, well-prepared, laser-focused Senator using the authority of her position to question above men and hone in, again and again, on the heart of the direct question that they were trying to avoid answering.
At no point did she raise her voice, lose her composure, grandstand, exceed her authority, ask unrelated questions, or behave rudely.
Could it be that her gender influenced your assessment of her demeanor? I think that your opening words, "This woman" give a clue to the answer to my question.
16
Rude? I don't see that. It would take something simply off the charts incredible to be ruder than today's Trumpists.
10
@Michael Her behavior in the hearings played to the base. She knows what boxes need to be checked to get press coverage.
5
The Republican party's downfall is their assumption that women aren't proper unless they behave like kittens.
It's the height of irony that they are still behaving as if they're puritans - particularly with a porn star suing the man they endorsed, the Access Hollywood video, and the obvious fact that Trump is a demented pig.
The Republican party can declare themselves anything they want and sound like fools: "Moral Majority"?? Neither. "Party of Fiscal Prudence" ?? Ridiculous. "Party of Lincoln"??? Nope. Lincoln would be calling Trump the leader of the Know-Nothing Party.
And it's beyond obvious that they're not showing much respect toward women, as we saw with their dismissal of Dr. Blasey-Ford's testimony and the number of women "representatives" in the female GOP congresssional results which you can count with your hands and still have some fingers left over.
Kamala Harris speaks truth to power and knows how to stand up to an adversary with soundness of reason and the winds of change to her back moving her forward. What intimidates the Republican party the most is a woman who is a lioness, with experience and courage.
4
The writers ask a question that will make Blacks and anyone who understands American History and how oppressed Blacks remain in an America run by White Men question how ignorant they both seem .
Blacks are naturally gonna gravitate towards anyone who offers the chance for representation and an understanding of what the Community needs . Someone who by birth right if not upbringing should be more caring and empathetic .
So, a more reasonable question would be will White Voters support her candidacy ? Will White Women abandon her like they failed to support who should have been our first female President ? After their lack of support let an unfit , lying, failed businessman who is caught on video saying you have the right to grab strange women by the pussycat if you have money and fame .
A question the Media and women's groups have yet to explain .
6
Why would people be angry that a prosecutor upholds the current law, and metes out sentences that befit the crime committed?
I live in W. PA, near Erie. Every time there is a shooting or violent crime perpetrated by a black person, the parents and relatives are on TV praising the sentences to prison for hurting thier relatives or friends.
Black AND white people want justice. It' silly to lump blacks together and imply they don't want justice for crimes. They also want the drug nonsense to stop. WIthout strong prosecutors, that won't happen.
Harris may not get it all right, but she appears so far to be very smart, articulate, and obviously knows how to read.
I can not in any way imagine her standing on the stage with candidates and assigning them stupid nicknames.
Watch Trump going forward. He will have derisive names assigned to the Dems running for President. His contempt for women will be in full view during the next campaign.
Look at the criminals that surround Trump. I think people would much rather have someone who puts people like the tax cheats, liars, traitors in prison, especially those who care more about enemy governments than the US.
Without prosecutors, when someone murders ,rapes or sells drugs to YOUR family, lets hear you get out there and tweet: "Boy I'm so glad that no one will hold these people accountable!!!"
That's what we have now. Administration that ignores rules, does whatever they want, and expect people to look the other way.
21
Forget the Convention... Instant nominee!!!
5
The question should be" "Can she repeat Obama's success with white voters?" And as far as white progressive liberals burdened by the guilt of white privilege go, the answer is yes. Thank you.
11
"Can Kamala Harris Repeat Obama’s Success With Black Voters?"
If you replaced the name Kamala Harris with Stacey Abrams of Georgia, the answer would be a resounding "Yes".
20
Absolutely agree. I dream of voting for HER someday, without moving to Georgia. And cheers to you !!!
2
Black voters view Kamala Harris as black African American, just like they viewed Obama as black. Never mind she is half South Asian Tamil, just like never mind Obama is half white (Nebraska white).
All over the Caribbeans, and South America Guyana, Jamaica, Bermuda, Fiji islands etc, Indians have lived peacefully with blacks, Pacific Islanders, inter married and inter mixed with them. Yet, in America, blacks have not accepted South Asians - Indians Pakistani Bangladeshi Nepali Sri Lankan, with open arms.
Credit goes to Kamala Harris' mom Shyamala Gopalan, who raised her daughters in black neighborhoods in Oakland and helped them appreciate their black heritage through their Jamaican-American father who himself is a descendant of land owning Jamaicans.
This is what democracy looks like! It is awesome.
8
Kamala was born in Oakland, but from the age of seven her family moved to Canada.
6
“She would also need to win over left-leaning young black voters, some of whom were ultimately disenchanted by Mr. Obama’s presidency and may value political ideology more than racial solidarity.“
FYI, NY Times editors: racial solidarity is also a“political ideology.” What she will need to overcome is the belief that she - like President Obama - is also a spokesperson for the propertied elites and corporate interests that dominate the Democratic Party, no matter how she “looks.” In other words, she will have to overcome the belief that she is beholden to the political ideology of Neo-Liberal Capitalism.
I know official policy here is to only use “political ideology” when referring to Socialist politicians. However, the apparent “absence” of ideology is also an ideology.
5
Is she on board with lovable (?) Oprah's agenda, openly stated in a BBC interview, that "all old white people must die"? Since Harris apparently wants to get rid of Medicare Advantage plans, it seems she agrees with Oprah.
12
@me
"Harris apparently wants to get rid of Medicare Advantage plans"...Now there's the first compelling thing I've read about this woman.
I don't mean to be a mathematical bore, but you can't interview 30 black people from all over the place and then make broad claims about how the black electorate as a whole will behave. That's not how statistics works.
125
@Brock
That’s true, but since the current polls all show the most popular candidate among African Americans, among women AND among lower income voters to be Bernie Sanders, a discussion of the actual statistics will not help build the narrative the Times is interested in of Kamala Harris following Obama’s path to victory. The purpose of articles like this is not to report on the news, but rather to shape public opinion and to sell us on the seriousness of certain candidates while APPEARING to report on and analyze actual news.
10
I'm so grateful that you get this. I'll never forget the article the NYT wrote about black people and forgiveness after interviewing a few black people at one Harlem church.
2
It’s so interesting watching a media fabrication in progress. Absolutely nobody - and I mean NOBODY - is interested in her or thinks she has the proverbial snowball’s chance. With her record, if she were a white male, she’d be in the “other people who have announced they are seeking the nomination” paragraph and nothing more. And yet here we have the NYT and CNN, every day 2-3 new articles every single day. “Historic candidacy”, “first this”, “first that”, blah blah blah blah blah.
Just as long as you check the boxes, you get the coverage. The answers to every question you have about her are “no”. Zero chance at the nomination, zero chance at the presidency. But I guess the NYT has decided she’s important!
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@Mike
So true, and so well said...." another media fabrication in progress".
6
I am interested in her. I think she has a chance. So does five thirty eight.com.
So that rules out your “nobody” theory.
5
So long as Rush Limbaugh can describe dems as Hitler-like with impunity, when in fact it is Trump’s behavior reaching that racist ranting level, KH doesn’t have a chance.
3
I hope all voters, including Black voters, will realize during the primaries that she is a political opportunist extraordinaire. Having a relationship at the age of 30 with a married man 30 years her senior (Willie Brown) to climb the political ladder, calling herself a Baptist although raised as a Hindu, labeling herself a Black American (let's not bring up the one drop rule), when she is 50% Indian American, throwing her hat into the presidential ring when she hasn't even completed her first term as a California senator...There are more qualified and more honest contestants in this race.
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@Zara1234
Willie Brown was separated from his wife for years prior to dating Kamala Harris. Moreover, they reportedly were both consenting adults - what is your point about their age difference? Most of the men who have served as POTUS have had extramarital affairs including/especially the current occupant of the White House. I do not understand why someone's dating history from 25 years ago is relevant to their qualifications to be POTUS in 2020.
Senator Harris was an elected DA in SF, a two term, state-wide elected Attorney General for the largest state in the nation, and now a US Senator - one of only two African-American woman in US history. Clearly, she has demonstrated the intellect, integrity, and leadership capabilities to further her own career through merit.
Typically, most children do not choose their religion. Adults, on the other hand, typically do choose their religion, if any at all. How is that indicative of being an "opportunist"?
Senator Harris has been transparent about her racial/ethnic background - her father is a Black Jamaican and her mother was Tamil Indian. Again, how is it "opportunistic" to claim the racial/ethnic heritage of both of your parents?
4
although I agree that there's more to ancestry, it is noteworthy that she joined a black sorority in college. so she made a choice to honor that part of her identity long before agree became a politician.
4
While the voices and social media accounts of the new far left are loud, that doesn’t mean they’re the majority. Let them throw their tantrums and the adults will do the hard work.
5
Remember that the whole primary equation has changed dramatically this year because the California primary date has been moved up.
Iowa and NH are overwhelmingly white, rural states, and whichever candidate proceeds successfully from South Carolina will have the credibility of having competed well across the racial and geographic spectrum of the party. The sad part about the primary schedule is that urban people of all stripes are ignored in the early states.
Kamala Harris might be the person to master the primary math this cycle. I have very mixed feelings about her, but would be okay with voting for her on Super Tuesday.
2
If a Democrat can't win in the farm states, they won't win the Presidency. You can hate the math and the Electoral College, but if Hillary had won all the conventional Democratic states, lost some swing states, but picked up some of the farm states, she'd probably be President.
2
The other question is whether black voters will think Kamala Harris is black enough. She has also been described as Indian-American, which is more accurate since more of her ancestry is south Asian than African. Her father came from Jamaica and probably has a similar slavery background as American blacks - although he is clearly of mixed European-African race.
In terms of family background, she didn't face the obstacles others do. Both of her parents were highly educated and certainly not poor.
So other than some relatively small amount of African ancestry, Harris doesn't have much in common with most African-Americans.
26
@J. Waddell she also spent her formative years in Canada.
5
An article like this feeds into the divisiveness of our nation right now. Black voter, white voter, purple voter - enough. Let these candidates have a chance to have a voice without citing every example contradicting the last of why they will or won’t appeal to Americans of different colors, backgrounds and gender.
44
She is not a rich, White, straight, male, unlike Mr. Schultz. So, no one is afraid she will split the vote.
2
Senator Kamala Harris has my vote and full support in her run for President!
It is time we had a woman as President and she is it.
I know Republicans will try to discredit her and say all kinds of things about her which are not true. They need to clean up their own White House before they go pointing fingers at anyone else!
Kamala Harris in 2020!!!
4
Can we actually just admit that Hillary - a female candidate - won the popular vote by 3 million votes!? And this came despite 25 years of right-wing smears and full-throttle attacks. That is all the right-wing is good at - smearing people. I think we are ready for a female president.
9
@Paul
Sure, we can admit that. Just like we can admit that the team that lost the SuperBowl had more pass completions than the winners did. And just like we can admit that the team that lost the World Series had more base hits. Because NONE OF THOSE THINGS MATTER. Move on!
2
If Harris comes clean about her unnecessarily aggressive prosecutorial style (I think they like to say “evolved”) and makes peace with the Movement for Black Lives, maybe she can win the so called black vote. But then she will lose white liberal voters who secretly loved the idea of a cop for president and will be branded a radical by everyone—which is what she is trying to avoid. She can’t win in this atmosphere.
3
When I look at this picture I see well to do women with perfectly coifed hair, perfect makeup (and plenty of it), and fancy clothes. Everything about it shouts ELITE,ELITE,ELITE. As a white working class women I just can’t relate.
Give me a plain women like Elizabeth Warren who has a long consistent record of supporting social justice, health care for all, environmental sustainability, and human rights.
This is the third time in two weeks the NYT’s has had a Kampala Harris article with pictures on the front page. Are you promoting her? Enough already.
90
@Gwen Vilen The caption to the picture states that they're attending a sorority gala (i.e. dress up affair). Their attire seems to be in perfect order for this type of event. Or, maybe you expected these Black women to come out to a fancy affair with rags on their heads and burlap sack dresses, huh? smh Quite possibly you're part of what's wrong in this country right now. Really sad commentary you've just penned here ma'am.
10
@Max: I think you are reading things into this comment and deliberately misinterpreting it.
10
@Gwen Vilen - I'm sorry but this comment seems shallow.
I worked my way out of poverty and into a comfortable middle class income. When I was younger I looked at well dressed and well groomed professional woman as inspiration and I worked hard to become one of them.
2
Lot to unpacked here , to find some clarity as of today ,I only put names on a piece of paper and don't get influence by ages , gender, colors , and just look at records, here is where I stand so far.
C.Booker, Taking money from big pharma to vote against the bill to reduce price of drugs.
K.Harris. Her vote against the reduction of prisons population.
J.Biden. Being the architect of tough on crime , that locked up peoples for decades affecting millions peoples and their family to this day.
H.Clinton. Don't even get me started.
And then magically appears : Sherrod Brown & Amy Klobuchar.
2
She has a far more fundamental problems. The black middle income, who do the voting, are like the Irish of the 1950s. As the blacks showed when they supported Obama, they want respectability now in the ways that the Irish wanted it in JFK.
Instead Harris is running a Mayor Barry campaign. Moreover, the gossip about Willie Brown's role in her rise to power is going to hurt her among blacks much more than among whites. People made the assumption that JFK used women, which was okay then, but it is a far more damaging for a woman.
14
The vibes I'm getting from the writer is that it's still an issue of black vs. white, and how many black voters will go to the polls to elect a woman because of her color. What voters need to consider is who is the best fit for Commander in Chief, and vote accordingly. The time is ripe for a third party, since neither the Democrats or Republicans can agree on anything, and in a state of contention over every issue. I can only imagine Kamala Harris and her support for socialism will create even more contention and discord as she forges ahead on focusing on radical change across the board.
11
@November-Rose-59 hi, I'm one of the writers on the story.
In addition to this piece on Harris, we have also written stories about how white candidates relate to communities of color, because how a president handles issues of race and racism is also an important question for potential commander-in-chiefs.
I personally thought that the U.S. after the American voters gave us two terms of the Bush would have become a little more savvy about our approach to voting. Nope. Trump came out of Obama. I'm okay with Kamala Harris so far, but Bush then (dramatic pause) Trump??.... I can't imagine what the GOP pendulum would swing into us on the next round.
8
Scary thought.
3
I’m wondering when we can see your article reporting on Harris’s ability to woo Indian voters. When you focus entirely on one aspect of her race, you discard half of her ancestry. If I were Indian-American i’d Feel slighted.
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@Puny Earthling Yeah, I noticed that too. I was reading the whole article thinking to myself, "What exactly is the definition of 'black' here?"
25
@Puny Earthling Indian American here, and I am not slighted. There is no such thing as ``race'' (see Blackmamba's post above) and Senator Harris has clearly opted to identify with the Black culture. She went to Howard! Good for her! I respect her for the choice she made.
By the way, her name, and her sister's name (Maya) are both Indian (even though you will find many Mayas born in the west in the past 100 years or so).
5
Obama was half white, too, but the press couldn't stop labeling him as a "black" candidate. We live in a far more diverse country than some may want to be believe. Journalists cling to labels, though, because they are shorthand, and don't take up precious space and time in a medium that is constantly scrambling for more of both. Pigeonholing may be convenient for journalism, and it certainly helps to create controversy, but it ignores the reality that very few people in the world are that simple. As more and more interracial couples produce more and more children, this kind of labeling according to skin color is going to become irrelevant. Miscegenation laws kept the numbers of children of mixed colors at a minimum for centuries and perpetuated the myth that human beings ought to be separated into categories by color. Some of these laws were still in effect fifty years ago, so there hasn't been much time for Americans today to perceive and adjust to the effects of their abolishment. We are starting to see them now, though, and there will only be an increase in the numbers of children whose ethnic background will not be immediately apparent. We can only hope that what seems like a terribly important issue to some now will eventually become irrelevant to most in the future.
11
I sent contributions to both Obama's and Sanders' campaigns. Kamala Harris? Not a dime, and not my vote either.
Why bother with Harris, when Elizabeth Warren is ready to take up the job, and fully qualified for it.
64
@Fran
This is the way Bernie bros thought - my candidate, or nothing. And look what that
produced.
7
@Fran Ms. Warren can’t win
6
@Fran Warren can win, she's got the right message for where the public is today. Wall Street and the donor class are hated and the reason behind the corruption in politics.
9
Good grief. Every time I think Donald Trump is finished, the Democrats spring to life with the perfect foil for 2020. We need Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders leading the ticket and we need them fast. Enough of this nonsense.
28
Donald Trump will win regardless of what Democrats do ! Obama was a lucky break for that party .They have repeatedly proven after Obama that they are incapable to present a solid candidate to face Republicans . Trump must be laughing looking at the the candidates offered by Democratic Party so far .
6
Sorry, but Biden and Bernie are nonsense choices.
Both are too old, both are losers, one is a gaff machine and the other isn’t even a member of the Democratic Party.
29
@John Jabo Bernie again? Is he going to spend another 6 months degrading and demeaning the eventual winner of the Democratic primary so they are easy pickings in the general election? Please, no.
8
The work of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has shown that most people vote for the candidate who “feels” right rather than the specific policy positions that candidate holds.
Kamala Harris has a unique advantage in this race, for she looks like the prototypical “intersectional woman of color” and yet signals that she will govern as somewhat of a pragmatist.
Harris will win the Black vote. And unless Biden steps in, she will likely win the more moderate, suburban vote. Whether she could beat President Chaos in the general election remains to be seen.
22
When one of the "two evils" is Donald Trump, I have no problem voting for anyone nominated by the opposition. Whom will I support in the primary? It probably boils down to the (potential) candidate most likely to win, i.e., the one in the political center. At the moment, most polls point to Joe Biden. But for the record, in 2016 I voted for Sanders in the primary, Clinton in November. I think it was more "fun" to vote for Sanders the first time around. So who knows, maybe Harris will get my vote in the Louisiana Democratic primary. Seems like she'll have a good chance of winning that one.
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@Some Tired Old Liberal
If Biden jumps in, he gets my vote in the primary, as he has the best chance of beating Trump. But until that happens, my support goes to Harris.
2
@Some Tired Old Liberal this isn’t a game. Vote for you think is best qualified to run the country. If DJT teaches us nothing else, it’s that politics is incredibly serious and we shouldn’t be voting for who is who we want a beer with.
5
@Some Tired Old Liberal
A co-worker said the same of Bone Spurs in fact if I remember correctly her quote went something like this...."I am voting for trump because I think it would be cool to have a tv star as president" Please base your vote on accomplishments, stance and who is actually qualified to attain the office.
1