Kamala Harris’ Presidential Announcement Receives Mix Reviews And We Want To Know Why
It was the announcement heard around the world. After much speculation, Kamala Harris confirmed that she would be entering the crowded democratic field for president.
The junior U.S. Senator from California has been a high-profile figure since she ascended the political spotlight two years ago. Her grilling of Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein over the role he played in firing FBI Director James Comey, the fierce “cross-examination” of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, and her instrumental role in passing the Justice for Lynching Act in the Senate, have all been firm notches in her resume for progressives.
But she isn’t the first African American woman to vie for the presidency. That distinction goes to Rep. Shirley Chisholm, who also announced her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This should have been a simple announcement — like that of Julian Castro, Elizabeth Warren, or Kirsten Gillibrand — however, Harris’s was swirled in controversy from the start.
Folks are asking for a lot before the full roll-out is even complete. From her blackness to her marriage to a white man, the queries gauging her propensity to lead are endless.
Sure, any candidate would expect pushback from their political opposition, but Harris is even receiving criticism from members of her own party and the black community.
I wonder as to where all this hostility is coming from? Is it because she is a black woman? Are we upholding the stigma that the black woman is the most disrespected woman in America? I know that when I look at a candidate, I am looking at their professional record.
For Senator Harris, she had a tumultuous time in her role as Attorney General where she was highly criticized for working to strengthen California’s prison system, a move that primarily affected the black community.
No one is perfect and this may be campaign strategy, but Senator Harris faced this criticism out the gate within her announcement remarks by stating, “But the bottom line is the buck stops with me, and I take full responsibility for what my office (Attorney General) did.”
By facing her critics, she sets the stage to navigate the campaign field a little better but is it enough? I am not sure for as with anything a woman of color faces, she must outperform and be a step ahead.
Let’s talk about it. Do you think Kamala Harris is a good candidate for president?
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Images via Kamala Harris’ Facebook page
