With Joe Biden’s spectacular collapse during the Presidential debate, the top brass of the Democratic Party took the decision to move swiftly to replace him with Kamala Harris. 

It is a move which might yet work out vindicating the likes of Obama, Pelosi and Schumer

Kamala Harris has not been battle-tested at the national electoral stage. She did not fare well during the 2020 primaries and exited swiftly.  She has been a loyal amendable Vice-President with some holding the view she could have done a better job as the Border Czar.

Kamala Harris is a safe pair of hands. America will not descend into chaos under the presidency. That in itself is her unique selling point-continuity and decency.

Americans are not, even at this stage, familiar with her and it is here that she should have done a better job of portraying her life story.

She is solidly middle-class. Her parents are educated accomplished immigrants who came to America and added value. Her mother came from India and became a research scientist, her father an eminent economist from Jamaica.

Kamala Harris is bi-racial and epitomises what America will become in the future- people from different ethnicities merging and prospering. 

She hails from an accomplished family. Her sister is a lawyer, her niece an author. Kamala Harris embodies the American dream, but she has been reticent to push that narrative. Why? 

If you were her parents , you would be extremely proud of what she has accomplished as she may yet become the first female President of the United States.

It is a patent lie that her father Professor Harris is some rabid Communist who has shaped his daughter to propagate that political doctrine.

Candace Owens and right-wing commentators who hold to this view are wrong and are talking rubbish. Why do I say that? 

I know her father. He is erudite, a man of discernment and practicality. He is humane and believes in people making the most of their gifts and potential. He is a nation-builder.

With about four months to go to the election, Kamala Harris didn’t have too much time to introduce herself to the American people. She waited far too long to engage with the media and should have done so from jump street.

Trump is a known, entity-she is not. That makes her the underdog, the unknown vying for the highest office in the land.

Her advisers probably thought it best to shield her, to ensure she was well scripted and that her image was well choreographed.

This makes her come off as synthetic, inauthentic, unrelatable. Many of these political consultants are too dependable on data.

People are seeking a connection with their political leaders. They want assurances that their lives will be secure and not thrown into turbulence.

Kamala Harris can be trusted with that. She will not take America on a kamikaze ride. She will see to it that the America that all recognise will remain. She will not take the country on an ideological departure that discombobulates its citizens.

She must ensure that voters get that message.

Many say, she has no personality, that she comes across as wooden, even feckless. It is true she is not a gifted orator in the vein of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. As a candidate, she is chicken soup, not foie gras.

But at this juncture in history and up against Donald Trump, she doesn’t have to reach for political pyrotechnics. 

She has to be steady, reliable and sane. To be frank, that is her natural disposition.

At this time it is a strength that can see her enter the White House. 

She must make the case that she is diametrically different both in policies and personality from Trump.

Kamala Harris is not predisposed to the excesses one gets with Trump. She doesn’t rift, she is very measured in her utterances. It can be annoying but what one can miss here, is that can be extremely effective against an opponent like Trump. She doesn’t leave any openings.

One would like to see her be more fulsome on issues. It is not enough to paint a portraiture of Trump as an odious individual given to vulgarity and expect to win the presidency.

Americans have not turned away from Donald Trump despite his shenanigans and that should be apparent to Kamala Harris. She cannot rely on that playbook. It will not yield her the result she needs.

Many find Trump’s human failings are endearing and the MAGA faction is drawn to him. He vanquished moderate Republicans during the primaries who in many ways (DeSantis, Haley, Pence, Scott, Christie) are not too far off Harris’ brand of politics. She must find a way to avoid their fate.

Harris is an experienced state official who has dedicated her life to public service. Trump may argue that he has held the highest office in the land and the country benefited under his stewardship, but he is dedicated to profiteering; that’s his inclination. He is transactional.

Harris on the other hand can point to a career as San Francisco district attorney, California Attorney General and US Senator – a life dedicated to public service.

She has shied away from addressing her racial and ethnic identity. There is nothing wrong in doing so and it will not be injurious to her candidacy to claim both her Indian and black heritage. 

Trump said she came out as Indian then said she was black. That is not the case. She needs to grab this by the scruff of the neck and declare she is proud of both sides of her heritage- her father is black Jamaican and her mother Indian.

Going forward, America will consist of more bi-racial people, there will be more people of colour, so deal with it.

Black women have embraced Harris but many black men have been hesitant. Many say she cannot expect to automatically get their vote because of racial identity politics. Some say she is vague on her policies, that she is not empathetic.

There are those who point to her saying she will not be a President just for black people and that has not gone down well. They voted for Obama and he did practically nothing for them and they will not be fooled twice.

She has to take note of this and address it. She cannot afford to cede the black male vote to Trump. That would be a real kick in the teeth if she loses.

Harris recently went to a black barber shop to talk with black men about issues. Bad move and she should have known better – a woman in a barber shop openly talking with the brothas, how authentic has that ever been?

No doubt that was advice given by some political consultant hack, who doesn’t understand the black community.

It is late in the day, but fulsome discussions needed to take place and black men needed to be won over, instead, they have been neglected.

Perhaps Harris is banking on black women to come out for her. It is not unusual to hear black women say today that you can’t depend or rely on black men.

Kamala Harris has not rolled out her map and plotted the course for how the economy will be placed on an upward trajectory and the well-being of Americans will be improved. Her plan to help entrepreneurs and small business owners is commendable but she needs to be more expansive here. What role will state development banks and funding entities play here? What will tax incentives look like? How can these small businesses be incentivised to service big America corporations?

She may not be inclined to do so but she should seek her father’s help with her national economic plan. He would lend some valuable insights.

Trump has talked about cutting federal income tax. What is her answer to that?

The world is now in turbulent times and the risk of nuclear warfare is now very real. There are now major conflicts both in Europe and the Middle East. What does Kamala Harris’ foreign policy look like? How does she intend to bring an end to the war in Ukraine and stop Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon?

Platitudes and inane answers won’t do. World leaders will be watching her closely to see whether she is made of the right stuff to be leader of the free world.

Does she have what it takes to handle strong men like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping?

The woke agenda has seen to it that America is a land of confusion. People, particularly children are made to feel ashamed that they were born white and that their ancestors benefited from slavery. There is a gender fluidity that has everyone scratching their heads. DEI is the order of the day both culturally and in Corporate America.

You are watching a movie about tenth-century Norway and you see a bunch of black guys with horned helmets running around. Really?

Today, it’s not about whether you are qualified for the job but more about whether you tick the right boxes.

They said people of colour have been marginalised, now white men are being marginalised because of their race. This can lead to a flashpoint and cause resentment on an unprecedented scale if allowed to go unchecked.

Can Kamala Harris see the writing on the wall here?

She will be held up as the poster child for DEI but can she indignantly throw that cape down on the floor and stand forward to proclaim all Americans be treated fairly and with dignity.

Kamala Harris is still to make the case as to what she will do if elected President. She has only days to do so.

She has made abortion a gender issue which has alienated men. Observe how skilfully Michelle Obama made it an issue that should concern men as well and that the safety of the women they love and check for could be in jeopardy. There is a salutary lesson right there, yet Michelle Obama says she has no taste for politics.

One of the best things Kamala Harris has said is that she is prepared to work with those across the aisle and have Republicans in her Cabinet. In these divisive times that would go a long way to reduce tensions and simmering resentments.

It buys into the out-of-many-one ethos and makes it a living truth. This could very well be the abiding part of her legacy and speaks to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals”.

It would not be incredulous to have Mitt Romney as Secretary of State and find a senior position for Liz Cheney. This is something Trump could not even fathom, but it would go some way in healing the country, taking the acrimony down a notch or two. 

Trump has said that the enemy is within and that America is now the garbage can for the  world. Harris must vociferously refute that in no uncertain terms. She must make the case that America’s best days lie ahead.

The Vice-President declared: “If elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected I will walk in with a to-do list of priorities on what I will get done for the American people.” 

We all need to take a good long hard look at that list.