I am Vice-President Kamala Harris: "For the People"
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
December 08, 2024This is a retrospective analysis of Vice-President Kamala Harris' bid for the US presidency in 2024
At the outset, it must be emphasized that the historical presidential electoral process reveals that on 7 July 1984, the Rev. Jesse Jackson uttered these poignant, monumental but now famous words during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago: "I would rather have (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt in a wheel chair than (Ronald) Reagan on a horse."
Ergo, in this 2024 presidential election campaign this new and improved albeit updated version of Rev. Jesse Jackson's epic comparison now reads as follows: We the American People would rather have Kamala Harris as that "little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public school and was bused to school every day" than Donald John Trump who already had $ 400 deposited into his bank account even though he was just a baby boy.
Translation: For all of her life's history, Kamala Harris has relentlessly and doggedly fought to unite, protect and serve the rights and privileges of "the least of these in society" rather than to divide and polarize them. That's her obdurate trademark, DNA and unquestionable but proven legacy.
Moreover, in recent times, attempts have been made to link Kamala Harris' foreign policy decisions as Vice President to that of President Joe Biden-----but not so fast. More specifically, to illustrate and elucidate this profound issue, it is instructive to note/ recall that the State of Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to retaliate against Hamas as a result of its massive, unceremonious, inhumane slaughter/ massacre of 1,200 innocent Israeli citizens/civilians plus the blatant seizure of 251 hostages during their savage, infamous attack on 7 October 2023.
As of November 2024, the Gaza Ministry of Health has reported that 44,356 Palestinian human beings have been killed and 1o4, 265 wounded. This stark inhumane tragedy has thus compelled a United Nations report to conclude that "70 % of deaths in Gaza are women and children "" and this is solely and precisely because "Israel does not distinguish between civilians and fighters". But the State of Israel did not stop there. In fact, it proceeded to assassinate several high profile Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. To date, the State of Israel has NOT faced any consequences for this non proportionate retaliation. Indeed, the retaliation by the State of Israel was NOT geo-political justice. In other words, TWO wrongs DO NOT make ONE right.
Indeed, the salient point that is being made here is that President Joe Biden labeled Israel's initial response/retaliation as "revenge killings". NO consequences. It is obvious that President Joe Biden made that decision against the backdrop of his over forty-five years experience on Capitol Hill and America's inherent symbiotic relations with Israel. His was a legislative foreign policy decision.
However, let us recall that during that time, Vice President Kamala Harris publicly stated that she would have more to say on that matter. Translation: She did not agree with President Joe Biden's decision. This is prima facie proof/evidence of Vice-President Kamala Harris distancing herself from President Joe Biden's decision in her own words: "We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies . We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent."
Now, let it be clearly understood that under the United States System of governance, the President determines and formulates the country's foreign policy posture ----- NOT the Vice President or even the Secretary of State. The President is the one who calls the shots. Or in common jargon, the foreign policy buck stops at the desk of the President.
Ipso facto, here is the significant difference between the two actors. For whereas President Joe Biden made a legislative foreign policy decision with regard to the crisis in the Middle East, it is overtly obvious that as President, Kamala Harris will undoubtedly make prosecutorial foreign policy decisions based on her years of experience in that field. In other words, the basic rationale used for making such decisions are totally different between current President Joe Biden and a future President Kamala Harris.
Truth Be Told: On 5 November 2024, Americans albeit all Americans needed to let the entire world know that there will be a new and totally different geo-political prosecutorial foreign policy decision-making sheriff in the White House and her name is Kamala Harris.
And let this be perfectly clear--- it is NO question and/or doubt that as President Kamala Harris will utilize all the powers and resources of the presidency to prevent any nation from using the denial of Basic Human Needs ( BHN) to another nation and its people as a weapon of war.
More specifically, the concrete example that immediately rushes to the fore is the denial of direct and ready access to their second dose of the polio vaccination for thousands of innocent Palestinian children. Indeed, the United Nations has aptly assessed this situation as "the lack of humanity in northern Gaza". And not to be out done, in its October 2024 report, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has precisely prognosticated that " īt could take 350 years for Gaza to rebuild if it remains under blockade." And there are prima facie "reasonable grounds " to conclude that Israel did indeed commit "genocide." A future seasoned prosecutorial President Kamala Harris will never tolerate and/or countenance such a utterly, deplorable condition/situation for any nation and its people.
Truth Be Told: The salient fact of the matter is that the slightest breach of International Human Rights Law is anathema to Kamala Harris' prosecutorial mind-set and modus operandi.
In addition, as a former erudite Attorney General, prosecutor and Senator but now as the putative 47th President of the United States, President Kamala Harris will guarantee that every nation and its people will have "the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Indeed, it need occasion no great surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris is deeply "concerned" about the wanton, massive human carnage in Gaza. Truth Be Told: African Americans and Arab Americans needed to internalize the stark reality that as President, Kamala Harris will champion the cause of the Palestinian people. Her geo- political motto runs true, loud and very deep : Palestinian lives matter.
Most specifically, African Americans and Arab Americans needed to embrace the unifying construct that this world in which we live now is the opportune time for equal geo-political justice for all. That's the geo-political prosecutorial foreign policy decision of the future US President Kamala Harris.
Let the historical record show that Vice President Kamala Harris always firmly fought for a two-state solution to solve the Middle East crisis. Her obdurate geo-political decision/position has been that the State of Israel should be able to co-exist along side the State of Palestine without Hamas at the helm. In this way/scenario, both nation-states shall live and prosper in peace, security, harmony and utmost respect for territorial boundaries and national independence /sovereignty/ self-determination.
Indeed, a putative President-elect Kamala Harris possesses the inner-gut unflinching, steadfast, obdurate geo-political prosecutorial stance for We the People of the World.
Postscript: Vice-President Kamala Harris lost her bid to become the 47th President of the United States by her 223 electoral college votes to Donald John Trump's 291. Congrats to him. Nevertheless, We the People need to realize that there might be " dark days ahead " for the next four years but "joy cometh in the morning" of Tuesday, 7 November 2028. Indeed, the salient, poignant reality is that during the next presidential election cycle, then President Donald John Trump will not be former Vice - President Kamala Harris' opponent. "Keep hope alive."
Truth Be Told: In terms of the articulation of America's foreign policy, it must be concluded that Vice-President Kamala Harris lost her bid to become the 47th President of the United States primarily because of the foreign policy decisions made by President Joe Biden particularly toward the Middle East crisis. And the overt proof of this presidential debacle is borne out in the stark reality that former President Donald John Trump received 42 % of the vote among Arab-Americans compared to Vice-President Kamala Harris who got 36 % among this group in crucial battleground swing state of Michigan.
In the final analysis and in her defense, Vice-President Kamala Harris is an unfortunate victim of guilty by foreign policy association.
The new futuristic geo-political prosecution rests,
Dr. Kwame Nantambu is Professor Emeritus Department of Africana Studies at Kent State University.
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