Kamala Harris Defines Herself — But Not Too Much

The election is a “fight for America’s future,” Kamala Harris said in her speech to the Democratic National Convention tonight. She painted a picture of what a second Trump presidency might look like: chaotic and dangerous. Donald Trump would take the country back, whereas she would take the country forward. “I will be a president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people,” she said.

How she’ll fight, well, that’ll be worked out after Election Day. Harris did mention some specifics in her speech: she’ll push through the recently derailed bipartisan immigration bill, for instance. For the most part, though, Harris pointed to large goals like ending the housing shortage or affirmed general commitments, like supporting NATO.

According to multiple campaign advisers and Democratic officials, this campaign is for laying out a vision, for convincing voters Harris is on their side, and for getting to 270 electoral votes. In 2019, I worked briefly for Harris’s primary campaign before becoming a journalist, and I remember how wonky the environment felt. Over the four days I spent among the Democrats in Chicago this week, I didn’t hear the words “white paper” or “study” one time.