Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2024 at the end of a joyous, hopeful evening in Chicago

Millions of Americans tuned in to Kamala Harris’ presidential acceptance speech on Thursday night and heard the vice president tell a divided nation, “Here, in this land, anything is possible.” It was a rallying cry for a divided country.

The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee promised to build the middle class at home, defend American freedoms, stand strong with Ukraine and defend our NATO allies and Israel, and work to end the bloody war in Gaza. Harris came across as, and intended to be, a tough prosecutor and a defender of human rights.

She also warned of an opponent who would “unleash violent extremists” and deploy the military against American citizens. “Imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails,” Harris told the convention and millions of others watching via TV or livestream.

The convention crowd was jubilant, waving American flags and chanting, “USA, USA.” They were responding to one of the week’s themes: “We won’t go back,” a reminder of the chaos and confusion of the Trump presidency.

Harris borrowed a theme from Bill Clinton’s presidency, the promise of “hope,” as well as a slogan from John McCain’s campaign, “Country First.”

“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to put behind it the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past,” Harris said.

Seizing that opportunity will be “the defining goal of my presidency.”

The candidate portrayed herself as a person of the people and of the people, recalling her childhood in the Oakland, California, neighborhood populated by “firefighters, nurses and construction workers.” Of her mother, an immigrant from South Asia, Harris said, “She taught us never to complain about injustice, but to do something about it.”

Harris’ case was bolstered in a warm-up speech by Michigan’s popular governor, Gretchen Whitmer. “She lives a life like us,” Whitmer said of Harris. “She knows us. Donald Trump doesn’t know us. Do you think he’s ever been to a grocery store?”

(Harris is said to be an excellent cook.)

The vice president has built a strong resume. She has served as a district attorney in San Francisco, attorney general of California, a U.S. senator and in 2021 became the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States.

Recently, she has saved the Democratic Party from despair (in some quarters at least) and from the fear of defeat by Trump and the ultra MAGA movement.

Forty years ago, after the party convention in “Babylon by the Bay,” Republicans were more than happy to condemn the “San Francisco Democrats.”

The party led by Reagan portrayed the Democrats as decadent, soft on crime, championing a decadent homosexual lifestyle, and weak when it came to foreign policy.

However, Democratic voters in the Bay Area faced a tough challenge tonight.

Harris said she got into law after discovering a classmate was being sexually abused by a stepfather. She talked about prosecuting transnational gangs and winning a $20 billion settlement from banks for exploiting homeowners during the Great Recession. She said, “In our justice system, an injury to one is an injury to all of us.”

She took aim at Trump, claiming he would give billionaires even more tax breaks while ignoring the needs of the middle class.

She criticized the Republican nominee for pressuring Republican members of Congress to block bipartisan Senate-authored border legislation. “As president, I will bring back the border bill that he killed, and I will sign it,” Harris said.

The Democratic Party has been rejuvenated since President Biden decided a month ago to step down and not seek a second term. Biden was not in Chicago to hear Harris’ acceptance speech; instead, he is vacationing in Southern California. He was mentioned in Harris’ speech. Other speakers have paid passing tribute to him over the past three days after he was the centerpiece of Monday night’s programming.

Harris is proud of what she has already achieved in her life.

Every day in court, I stood proudly before a judge and said five words: Kamala Harris for the people.”

She would make her mark later in life as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tirelessly questioning Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his successor William Barr, and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

She is a staunch defender of reproductive rights and has visited college campuses in recent months to condemn the U.S. Supreme Court decision that Roe vs. WadeShe took on her opponent as the person responsible for taking away the right to choose, noting, “Donald Trump handpicked members of the Supreme Court who took away reproductive freedom.” (Trump has openly bragged about this.)

Harris had limited foreign policy experience before becoming vice president; she has gained much more experience in the past three years. With thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marching through the streets of Chicago, she vowed to work to ensure that Israel would never again have to endure “the horrors that a terrorist organization called Hamas unleashed on October 7th.” She noted that the primary victims were young people. Harris balanced her stance, however, saying, “What has happened in Gaza over the last 10 months is devastating.” She vowed to continue working toward a ceasefire.

On what both foreign and domestic policy will look like under a Harris administration, she said: “America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possibility.”

The acceptance speech was more inspirational than specific.

But other speakers filled in an agenda that had already been announced.

Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was seriously injured by a hitman during a rally with constituents in Tucson, spoke about gun safety legislation.

“He (the killer) shot 19 people. He killed six. Horrible day. I almost died, but I fought for my life and I survived.” Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a hunter, also addressed the issue in his acceptance speech Wednesday night. Harris and Walz support universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida), the first Gen Z member of Congress, delivered a fiery speech about the need for progress to clean up our air, water and soil.

Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) said of his Senate bid, “I will beat Ted Cruz in November.” He described the Republican incumbent as a ruthless bully.

The convention and Harris’ speech were intended to attract independent and open-minded Republican votes in what is expected to be a close race in November. Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who was drawn into politics by Ronald Reagan, spoke at the convention just before Harris. He will vote for her in November.

“The Republican Party is no longer conservative,” Kinzinger said.

“Donald Trump has strangled the soul of the Republican Party.”

What should I do?

“Vote for our core values ​​and vote for Kamala Harris.”

Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2024 at the end of a joyous, hopeful night in Chicago is a dispatch from NPI’s Cascadia Advocate, the magazine of the Northwest Progressive Institute. Published continuously since March 2004, NPI’s Cascadia Advocate offers thoughtful commentary and analysis on regional, national, and world affairs. Keep The Cascadia Advocate going by making a donation to support NPI’s research and advocacy here.