Kamala Harris' Speech Ripped the Barn Doors Off Their Hinges

She is more than Democracy's treatment. She is the cure

Kamala Harris capped off a near-perfect week at the DNC last night with the best nomination acceptance speech we have seen in at least 12 years (maybe 16). I saw someone ask in our comments yesterday whether any of what was planned for this week was put in place under Biden, and I don't know the answer to that. But I doubt it: I think Harris and her team pieced this convention together over the course of three weeks. I suspect that some of the major speakers were already in place — the Clintons and Obamas will speak at every convention as long as they are able — but neither Pink nor John Legend were going to perform for Biden. Adam Kinzinger and all those Republicans were not going to speak on behalf of Joe Biden. Lil Jon sure as hell wasn't going to make an appearance during roll call.

The Harris campaign not only put that convention together but also generated the excitement and enthusiasm necessary to book many of those speakers, to attract Mindy Kaling and Kerry Washington and Oprah freakin’ Winfrey. I'm not upset that neither Taylor Swift nor Beyoncé made an appearance, either, because they would have stolen thunder and focus from what was a phenomenal speech.

In fact, unlike the rest of the week when we talked about the highlights of each night, this morning, we're going to focus on the highlights of that speech. Pink was great, it was cool to see The Chicks, Kinzinger made a strong case for Republicans to vote for Harris, Ruben Gallego illustrated why he's running away with the Senate race in Arizona, Maya Harris helped to set the stage for her sister, and Roy Cooper and Mark Kelly were … fine (I'm so glad that Harris chose Walz as her running mate).

But the night was all about that speech, and that speech was a fucking barn burner. It was a serious speech that told us the story about who she is, warned us of the real dangers of her opponent, and made the case for why she would be a great President. The whole thing about "looking Presidential" is subjective, but holy shit, when she talked about Israel and Gaza, and the threat posed by Iran, she looked positively Presidential.

When she spoke about Donald Trump — an "unserious man" who could cause "serious" damage to our democracy — she laid out the threat in stark and concrete terms. It wasn't just about Project 2025 and a national abortion ban. She said he would jail his critics, that he would turn America's military against America's protestors, and that he would free the January 6th extremists. If you haven't seen this yet — the DNC video that directly lays out Trump's role in the insurrection — it is powerful. And insane. It is a heady reminder of who Trump plans to pardon. If Harris loses, not only will Trump never be accountable and the rioters whose actions led to the deaths of nine people pardoned, but history will whitewash that day, rewrite it as a peaceful protest that got a little out of hand.

"Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails," Harris said, reminding us that the Supreme Court gave him immunity to do whatever he wants during his potential Presidency, "and how he would use the immense powers of the Presidency of the United States … to serve the only client he has ever had: himself."

(I’ve been wondering a lot the last couple of weeks if the Supreme Court would have ruled the same way if they thought Kamala Harris would be President).

Trump's only client — himself — is also a fundamentally weak man who would resort to strongman, autocratic tactics to keep the country from revolting against his unpopular policies. And without those guardrails, he would be a disaster on foreign policy. "Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself," Harris said. "As president, I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the United States belongs."

While Harris didn't reach across the aisle exactly (there is no one on the other side of that aisle willing to accept her hand), she did try to make those less familiar with her — she's only been in the national spotlight now for a little over a month — comfortable with her as the President of the United States. "I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans," she said, a not-so-subtle reminder that Donald Trump was a President only to those who supported him. "You can always trust me to put country before party and self. To hold sacred America's fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power."

This morning on MSNBC, Mika Brzezinski said something unexpectedly profound about how Tim Walz represents "the fabric of America" and Harris represents "the promise of America." What a powerful ticket that is. While that speech from a joyful warrior was heavy on the warrior, her speech also offered us an opportunity to move beyond the political misery of the last eight years.

"Our nation with this election has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."

Our nation has been sick for a very long time now. The rot of politics is inescapable. We can feel it in our bones. Even our happiest moments, it seems, often feel tempered by the sour national mood after four years of Trump, Covid, the Supreme Court taking a machete to our Constitution, and this election up until 33 days ago. This joy is infectious, and I don't want it to end.

I voted for Joe Biden four years ago because I wanted the bleeding to stop. For the better part of four years, he did that, but Donald Trump kept picking at the scabs. I'm voting for Kamala Harris not just to stop the bleeding or reduce the fever; I'm voting for her because she will finally heal this nation, and we are desperate for a healthy democracy again. Kamala Harris is not the treatment. She is the cure.