The voice was calm, the atmosphere solemn, the crowd impressive. A week before the presidential election, Kamala Harris gave her final speech, on Tuesday, October 29, in the heart of the capital, to ask Americans to “write the next chapter” of national history. Behind him were the flickering lights of the White House. In front of him, tens of thousands of people and the majestic obelisk of the Washington Monument.
It was from an identical platform on this Ellipse lawn that Donald Trump broadcast lies about election fraud to his followers on January 6, 2021, calling on them to demonstrate at the Capitol. In itself, the place chosen, on Tuesday, was a message that expressed how dramatic was at stake in the upcoming elections.
“Donald Trump spent a decade dividing the American people and convincing us to be afraid of each other. Kamala Harris pointed out. That’s what he is, but, America, I’m here tonight to tell you that’s not who we are. » The balance of the speech itself was revealing. A key issue of the left’s mobilization, abortion, was discussed, but very briefly. The hateful projects and speeches of “little tyrant” Donald Trump was denounced, but Kamala Harris did not lock herself into a restrictive role of public accuser, which would have prolonged the confusion of anathemas that tires the general public.
Weighting commitments
The vice president attempted to present a patriotic ode to America and make a promise: that of a more peaceful public debate. “Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t think people who disagree with me are enemies. He wants to put them in prison. I will invite you to my table. » A nod to the Republicans who participated with him in the campaign, such as former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney. But Joe Biden also promised in 2020, in case of victory, a national reconciliation that never came.
Despite a tightly controlled televised debate against Donald Trump on September 10, Kamala Harris appears to waver between several incarnations: “joyful warrior” and optimist, the defender of reproductive rights, the dark oracle of a new Trumpist era. This speech at the Ellipse represented a successful synthesis, intended above all for undecided voters, moderate conservatives and those with a tested conscience. Kamala Harris tried to give them guarantees of balance, deliberately contrasting with the tone of Donald Trump, two days earlier, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Kamala Harris described her rival as a man “unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed by resentment and in search of unlimited power”.
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