Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden announced his pick for Vice President, Senator Kamala Harris. The decision broke overnight on August 11th, and immediately created a division amongst democrat voters. One camp of people felt elated that a woman of color was finally going to be on the ballot. The other camp remembered her run in the democratic presidential primaries which revealed her contribution to mass incarceration, unjust police policies, and former anti-legalization stance of marijuana.
Kamala's own presidential campaign makes her a good choice and a controversial choice.
She became known during her own campaign, her face now recognizable and familiar. She won the hearts of many but lost the hearts of others. Nonetheless, she was historic as a woman of color. Her speeches which gave us some hope then, have shown to give us hope again. Having Kamala Harris on the ballot attracts more voters who are women and people of color. These voters are especially needed as Biden's political record has not gotten much favor from these groups.
Kamala makes Biden a stronger candidate, whether you like either of them or not.
The difference between Democratic and Republican voters is the lack of unity amongst democrats. In a time where another Trump administration could lead to thousands or millions losing their lives, democrats would need to vote for the party, not just for who they want. Kamala would be the person to tell Biden when he's not factoring other perspectives. Her pick as Vice President has already shown Biden to be open-minded and accepting. Kamala shows us that Biden is willing to be criticized and to fix his mistakes, since she was the one who brought attention to his previous stances on busing.
Though there are a lot of democrat voters who do not feel strongly about either Kamala or Biden, the two combined show a hopeful future. Especially a future without Trump. If democrats want to win this election, they need to unite over their party, and not feel swayed by the individual policies of these two candidates.
