What Kamala Harris Was Really Saying in Her Convention Speech

What ultimately separates standout politicians from the rest is an ability to connect with the American people. It sounds obvious, but it’s a far more challenging task than it seems. Kamala Harris proved in her acceptance speech Thursday night that she understood the assignment.

She’s already a unique presidential nominee, a biracial woman with a blended family. She’s faced attacks on her identity from Donald Trump and his allies.

What Harris did in her acceptance speech was to tell her story and make clear she’s squarely within the American mainstream. What she told the public was essentially, I am not different from you; I come from the same roots as you do; my life is like yours.

In fact, her speech was cut from the same cloth as three very different past nominees who recounted the importance of family and overcoming adversity — all of whom went on to win the presidency.

In 1988, George H. W. Bush downplayed his life of privilege this way: “The war was over, and we wanted to get out and make it on our own. And those were exciting days. We lived in a little shotgun house, one room for the three of us. Worked in the oil business, then started my own. In time we had six children. Moved from the shotgun to a duplex apartment to a house. And lived the dream — high school football on Friday night, Little League, neighborhood barbecue.”