Revolution

For 50 years, we’ve been witnessing a revolution, as one half of the human race has entered the public sphere: business, government, the military, education, sports, diplomacy, the law, medicine, you name it. Because this massive social transformation has unfolded slowly, it’s felt more like an evolution. Except for those moments when suddenly it does not.

This summer, we’re living through one of those moments, as Kamala Harris unexpectedly grabs center stage. The outpouring of support, the sheer exuberance of women rushing to organize, volunteer, and donate– and the alacrity with which men have joined them– reflect more than mere relief at having a dazzling candidate who seems to be doing everything right, from choosing a stellar running mate to staging massive but flawlessly produced rallies to making a splash on TikTok with buoyant dance clips and hilarious memes.

It reflects a shift in perspective that is especially remarkable given that Harris was widely viewed as “even more unpopular than Biden” until the moment he stepped aside. And little wonder. The mainstream media gave Harris little real coverage during her vice presidency, while providing an ample forum for her critics.

After July 21, when Joe Biden asked the delegates he’d won to transfer their votes to Harris, pundits yearning for the chaos of an open convention dismissed her as a lightweight and continued to obsessively cover her opponent. As a result, the public had little chance to get to know her.

Yet it took about 24 hours from the moment Harris jumped into the race for women to kick off the organizing. First, Black Women for Harris held a massive fund-raiser on Zoom, quickly followed by White Women for Harris. Then Black Men, White Dudes, Young Voters, Seniors, Gays, Students, Republicans, Evangelicals, Latter-Day Saints, Swifties, Cat Lovers, Lawyers, and so on. We haven’t quite reached the stage of Professional Golfers for Harris but anything seems possible.

Women also began volunteering at unprecedented levels, harnessing chops honed in recent years fighting gun violence, battling school boards intent on banning books, and protecting access to abortion.

Right now, the media is primarily attributing Harris’s popularity to being in “the honeymoon” phase of her candidacy. This is nonsense.

The phrase, as used in political discourse, traditionally refers to an initial period when the press gives a new candidate a break. Yet the press has been critiquing her with the zest formerly reserved for President Biden. Her growing poll numbers and ability to draw a crowd are due to her popularity among voters, who, for the first time in the modern era, seem to be ignoring what the press tells them they should feel. Nor has Harris herself tried to placate the media by heeding their insistent demands that she sit down for interviews with them rather than engaging directly with those whom she seeks to lead and who will be casting their votes in November.

This refusal to accede to demands that don’t align with how she believes she should campaign is one of the most revolutionary aspects of Harris’s candidacy. It showcases her savvy and toughness, even as she radiates warmth, spontaneity, and joy from the stage and in one-on-ones as she travels the country.

Although successful female politicians (like successful women leaders in every sphere) are typically tough, they’re usually reluctant to appear so for fear of stirring dislike. Think of Hillary Clinton pretending not to notice as her opponent literally stalked her on the debate stage in 2016. Her effort to appear indifferent to what 73 million viewers were watching in real time made her opponent look as if he owned her, and raised doubts about her ability to navigate tough situations. Despite having done so superbly as Secretary of State.

In her biography, Clinton said she regretted not calling out her stalker, but admitted that, like women before and after her, she feared being seen as “too aggressive.”

This very charge had been continually lobbed at her since she first appeared on the national scene in 1991. As a result, even when running for the world’s most powerful job, she felt compelled to mask her outrage at being publicly harassed.

It’s impossible to imagine Harris allowing her opponent to physically intimidate or bully her without calling him out on the spot. This fearlessness, also evident in her refusal to placate reporters seeking to mediate or interpret her message, is part of what draws women to Harris. Particularly in our post-MeToo era.

As a joyful warrior– but a warrior nonetheless– Harris embodies how far women have come over the last 50 years. Her “bring it on” zest captures the moment when the revolution has shifted into high gear. Above all, she demonstrates, to paraphrase the popular chant at her rallies, that when women fight, we win.

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