We are not going back

She se puede

On October 18, 1968, in Mexico City, a slim 22 year old Jamaican man took nineteen speedy strides down the runway, leapt six feet in the air, somehow managed to stay afloat for an eternity, and landed an incomprehensible 29 feet and two and half inches away in the sand pit, breaking the world long jump record. Bob Beamon didn't just break the world record. He shattered it.

Six seconds. That is all it took for Beamon to take a leap into history. Last night, it took just forty two scintillating minutes for another half-Jamaican to make her own leap into history as the first woman of color to accept the Democratic nomination for the President of the United States.

I’ve seen all the convention acceptance speeches, starting with George HW Bush’s and Bill Clinton’s in 1992. This may have been the best ever such speech. Masterfully written and perfectly delivered, Kamala Harris silenced any doubts as to whether she is worthy of the highest office in the land. A single speech rarely wins an election. But this one just may have. Maybe, just maybe, a sliver of Republicans and Independents watched it and decided that it will not be difficult for them to vote for her.

The Democratic faithful were already with her even before last night. But the election is going to be won on the margins and Harris made a strong pitch to those voters who stand on the other side, disillusioned with Donald Trump. Trump now faces an urgent imperative, to stop a similarly powerful performance by Harris at their debate on September 10.

Last night, Harris, the underdog, eloquently painted a poignant story of her unlikely path to the White House. She evoked her mother, her best friend in high school, her teachers and family to remind us of our own unlikely journeys to success and purpose. America, the land of immigrants, understands daunting unlikelihoods and astonishing possibilities better than any other nation on earth.

Harris, the prosecutor, prosecuted her case. It was not that she just made a case for herself, but she delivered a closing argument on the unfitness of Donald Trump to be given power again. “He is an unserious man, and electing him has serious consequences.” There was a defensive dimension as well. As the potential first woman Commander in Chief, she allayed fears about being able to handle national security and law and order. “As Commander in Chief, I will ensure that America has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.” Side note: I am a huge fan of and a fanatical believer in words. Our choice of words reveals who we are. Her choice of “lethal” to describe our forces was genius, immediately conferring on her a muscular and masculine halo to address any concerns anyone may have about a woman being in charge of the armed forces.

Then there was Harris, the storyteller, providing reassurance. This may have been the most compelling dimension of her speech, not policy or politics. A woman, who some in the heartland may find strange and exotic, a daughter of a mixed-race marriage.who grew up in a liberal town (Oakland) in a liberal state (California), Harris told her story in a way to make herself approachable and accessible. It is one of the most difficult things to do in life, to introduce yourself to strangers and have them like you.

There were paeans to her mother, who, like all mothers, deserves every bit of the praise she got and more for raising two fine daughters. “Mommy told us to never lose our cool.” “Don't just whine. Do something.” She described her “beautiful neighborhood in the flats with firemen and nurses and construction workers.” She spoke about her patriotism. “Fellow Americans, I love America with all my heart.” Everyone needs to be told that they are loved. Even America.

Harris knows that her prosecution of Trump rests largely on the strength of her own story and character. If you’re on weak ground, you can’t point fingers. This is why many have failed to take Trump down. This is partly why victory eluded Hillary Clinton in 2016. Last night, Harris established her qualifications to not only govern, but to prosecute Trump.

It is rare to see politicians who are adept at both offense and defense. Bill Clinton was one such. Barack Obama was another. Joe Biden was not. Neither is Trump. Last night, we witnessed the birth of that rarest of rare phenomenon in American politics: a woman who is so superior in talent and skills to all the men who came before her that we may have no choice but to give her the job. As a black man, Barack Obama had to show that he was two- or three- or ten-fold better than the white men, in order to be elected. Kamala Harris may be a notch higher than even Barack.

Here are the closing comments from her speech:

“We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world.And on behalf of our children, and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for the country we love. To fight for the ideals we cherish.

And to uphold the responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth. The privilege and pride of being an American.

And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”

Many did not believe Harris had it in her to rise to the moment. Perhaps, even she wondered. As the adage goes, “Cometh the hour, cometh the woman.”

It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s most undoubtedly a new race. And we, sure as hell, are not going back.

God bless America. God bless us all wherever we may be on this beautiful planet. Have a great weekend!