When Joe Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, you could feel a palpable shift in the collective breath of Americans. It was almost a collective sigh of relief and, based on the speed with which millions have organized in support of Harris, I daresay that there is a feeling of true hope in the air.
Though for the talking heads, intelligentsia, chronically online, and left-leaning folks, it wasn’t long before the conversation turned to “why are people feeling hope?” After all, in the several weeks since the announcement, Harris hasn’t sat down with the media, hasn’t announced her specific plans or policies, hasn’t released a plan to stop the genocide in Gaza, and as far as we know, may offer us nothing substantially different than her boss. Yet that hasn’t stopped people from packing her rallies, fundraising in droves, organizing across all identities and communities, and registering in record numbers to vote.
While the most cynical among us have every right to withhold their support in this moment until they feel Harris will offer them something that is worth their vote—other than not being that other guy—the reality is that for millions of Americans, they lost hope eight years ago when Trump was elected. Many of today’s socially and politically active people who are prolific on social media were newly awakened to the truly complex and morally questionable state of our country when Trump ascended to the presidency and we were bombarded on an almost daily basis with the absurd, the macabre, and the deranged.
Even Biden’s win in 2020 didn’t stop us from living under the heavy shadow of Trump and his white nationalist views. After all, this is a man who threatened our democracy on January 6 with his attempted coup and threatened a hallmark of American society: the orderly transfer of power. If that wasn’t enough, the man had the unmitigated gall and delusion to try again, which is why we were looking at a 2020 rematch this year until Biden bowed out.
The psychic weight of our nation’s dysfunction and direction has weighed heavily on millions. Especially knowing that prior to Biden bowing out, the odds were still favorable that a second Trump term was likely and knowing that if Trump returned, he would be emboldened to enact his white nationalist fantasy plans that are currently on display for all to see in Project 2025 and its offspring, Agenda 47, which is Trump’s game plan if he becomes president, and something that would open the doors to all the horrors of Project 2025.
Two old white men—representing a version of America that is not reality for many—vying to lead our nation in tumultuous times, was frankly depressing.
Harris, despite her baggage and history, represents hope. Her choice of Tim Walz as a running mate represents seeing an America that is representative of the country many of us live in.
While a leader needs more than hope and vibes to effectively govern—or to even win an election—as someone who has spent the last 16 years leading small organizations, I know that hope and good vibes are an important part of leadership. People must feel a sense of hope and, for too many of us, the last eight years have been without hope. We barely survived Trump’s first term, only to spend Biden’s term navigating infectious disease, skyrocketing inflation, and the sense that despite the media reports, this country is going backwards. We also did that with the specter of Trump still hanging over our heads.
I recently joined with a group of Black Mainers who are organizing for Harris, and on one of the organizing calls, we were joined by the National Deputy Director of Black Engagement for Harris (formerly for Biden) who explained that Harris has had no lead time. Pretty much when we found out Biden was dropping out, she did too. As a result, she and her various teams are working hard and fast to craft her policies.
Personally, I know when I took over my organization a decade ago, I needed time to figure out the direction that I would be taking the organization, and it took me close to a year to figure that out. Clearly, Harris doesn’t have a year but if she truly wasn’t expecting to be running for POTUS, it makes sense to me that she needs more than a few news cycles to figure things out, while still carrying on her duties as vice president.
I realize especially as it relates to Gaza, answers and decisions are wanted now, but I have been around long enough to say that I prefer my leaders thoughtful and that they take a little time so they don’t end up walking things back. With the Democratic National Convention only days away, all the politico types I know personally fully expect her policies and platform to be released at that time. Again, we live 24/7 lives with the expectation of answers now but sometimes a little time is a good thing.
In the meantime, selling us on hope isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was recently catching up with a loved one who has been dealing with depression for many months—having never really experienced that state of mind before—and they said that the announcement of Harris running has bolstered their mood quite a bit. And to see younger people who seem like they listen or are at least aware of what the masses think is encouraging. While I can’t say my own moods or temperament have been impacted by the state of the country since 2016, that’s not the truth for many.
Sometimes we need something to believe in. We need to dream and feel that all is not lost and right now, the Harris/Walz team is making us believe that we aren’t as doomed as we probably are. I don’t know, even if we are ultimately screwed in the coming years, I would rather march to my end feeling some sense of joy and that we might actually forge a course of healing and growth rather than spend my time steeped in misery. Then again, I am a glass-is-half-full kinda gal. So I lift that glass in a toast to hope.
We have no idea where the next 80-something days will take us, but if people can feel hope, a good vibe, and maybe even momentary joy as we grapple with the fact that this country and world needs a lot of work and that the people of Gaza need a permanent ceasefire and we work toward creating something better for all of us, I think it’s worth grabbing that hope.
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Image by JOHN TOWNER via Unsplash
