5 Must-Know Facts About America’s Future Vice President Kamala Harris!
Joe Biden’s running mate for the US Presidential Elections 2020, Kamala Harris is still not adequately familiar to the world. Here is your introduction to the Democrat Party’s vice presidential candidate.
Candidates running for the White House must be well introduced before voters. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden already have their fair share of the White House limelight and so does the current vice president Mike Pence. This leaves only one candidate with a lack of proper introduction. So here is all the must-know information about the Democrat vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
From Gun Laws To Abortion, Where Kamala Harris Stands On Key Issues
Senator Harris is the first black woman on the ticket of one of the two major national parties. She was elected as the California Senator in 2016 and also serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on the Budget. The 55 years old former attorney was selected by Joe Biden as his running mate on 11th Aug. If elected, Harris will be the first woman of color to serve as the vice president of the United States of America.
Before being selected as Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris ran for the presidential nomination of the Democrat Party in 2019. However, she retracted her nomination on Dec 3, 2019, stating the reason that she lacked sufficient finances for a presidential run.
Harris’ Background
Born in Oakland, California, Harris is of Indian origin. Her mother Shyamala Harris was an Indian-American biomedical scientist and father Donald Harris was a Jamaican-American economist and professor at Stanford University. She graduated from Howard University in 1981 with a degree in political science and economics and later did pursued a law degree from Hastings College of Law (1989).
Harris has also authored two books – “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”, and a children’s book, “Superheroes Are Everywhere”.
What you should know about America’s future Vice President Kamala Harris’ Political Career — Your Election Analysis Is Incomplete Without Knowing These 5 Things About Kamala Harris:
Harris was the first woman of color to be elected as the district attorney of San Francisco where she served from 2004 to 2010. Later she served as the Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017, where she was again the first woman of color in the position.
In 2013, Harris refused to prosecute Steve Mnuchin’s OneWest Bank for foreclosure violations. Steve Mnuchin is currently serving as the Secretary of Treasury in Donald Trump’s cabinet. Before OneWest Bank, Sen Harris won prosecution for California homeowners worth $25 billion who were hit by the foreclosure crisis.
Watch: Kamala Harris grills Trump Officials in Senate
One of the highlights of Biden’s running mate’s political experience as a Senator was her focused interrogation during Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Sen. Harris’ take on Key Issues
Democrat vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris often projects herself as a candidate who appeals to both moderates and progressives, with more weightage to the latter. Her policies and visions are largely focused on historically oppressed groups like people of color, women and low-income Americans.
Is Kamala a really progressive Democrat? Or is she carving a new moderate lane for herself simultaneously?
Universal Healthcare
Sen. Harris has had a very tottering take on healthcare. She was the co-sponsor for the All bill proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders initially. Sanders’ bill aimed at eliminating private health insurers entirely.
However, Harris withdrew support for Sen Sanders’ All bill and made it clear that ‘she is confused about her take on healthcare’. Making her own separate way among the progressive Democrats, Harris later carved out a new Medical for all act in 2019, where she opposed Sander’s proposal of a complete overhaul of the health insurance system. Through her bill, she planned to expand healthcare access but not eliminate the private insurers. She proposed to cut down the burden of payment on the middle class without increasing the taxes.
This was during 2019. Today, as the running mate of Joe Biden, Harris supports his healthcare plan which aims at lowering the cost by providing the option of public healthcare for the citizens of the US.
Harris has had a tottering take on healthcare, first siding with Sanders, then floating her own proposal, before finally endorsing Biden’s vision.
Racism, Law & Order and Policing
Harris’ take on racism and policing are very clear. When George Floyd was killed, she actively participated in protests in D.C. When Jacob Blake was shot, she went to meet him and his family in Wisconsin. She is a staunch supporter of increasing economic and educational investment on the people of color.
Harris calls for a ban on no-knock warrants, chokeholds and carotid holds, supported by Joe Biden. Both Biden and Harris recognize the need to take stern measures to maintain databases and track the activities of police. They also wish to end cash bails and private jails.
As part of Police reform, Harris calls for a ban on no-knock warrants, chokeholds and carotid holds, supported by Joe Biden.
Gun Laws
In September, Kamala Harris told the crowd in Philadelphia, “Before somebody can buy a lethal weapon, you might want to know if they’ve been found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others. You just might want to know. These are the things about background checks, you just might want to know certain things before you give somebody something that can kill other human beings.”
She has been actively vocal about executive actions to counter gun laws which includes a ban on assault weapons and universal background checks orchestrated by people who sell more than five guns a year.
Racism, violent policing and gun law reforms will not be spared if Harris and Biden enter the White House.
Abortion Rights
With regards to abortion rights, Harris is pro-choice. After the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she has openly raised concerns about President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, who conservative jurist who is anti-abortion.
During a speech in North Carolina, she said, “There is no other issue that so disrespects and dishonors the work of Justice Ginsburg’s life, then undoing the seminal decision in the court’s history that made it clear — a woman has a right to make decisions about her own body.”
Pro-choice, Harris has openly raised concerns about Trump’s nomination of a conservative and pro-life jurist to replace the Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Is Kamala Harris a progressive?
Sen. Harris defines herself as a progressive leader but also appeals to the moderates, as she herself says. Like Joe Biden, she also stands Centre-Left on the political spectrum and has carved out her own space in contrast to the highly progressive Democrats, which is often conflicting.
Like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris also stands Centre-Left on the political spectrum.
Watch: Why Black progressive women feel conflicted about Kamala Harris
