Although Harris had criticized Joe Biden severely during the run-up to the presidential nomination, in which she partook, Biden had teased her to “go easy on him” in a display of professional camaraderie despite their differences. Biden has underlined Harris’ strong principled attitude towards various issues, her unflinching commitment to her principles (despite them being under scrutiny from many in the Bernie Sanders camp). Biden has also stressed on his close relationship with Harris, their superb working chemistry and the impact Harris’s bottoms-up politics has had on the Democratic presidential nominee.

Their complementarity is evident in Kamala Harris’s tweet on Biden: “Joe Biden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he’ll build an America that lives up to our ideals. I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.” Biden had earlier called her “a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.”

“Back when Kamala was Attorney General, she worked closely with Beau. I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse. I was proud then, and I’m proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign,” Biden said in a second tweet.

“You make a lot of important decisions as president. But the first one is who you select to be your Vice President,” Biden e-mailed his supporters. “I’ve decided Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Donald Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021.” “These aren’t normal times,” Biden added. “I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person.”

If elected, Harris would break several glass ceilings. She would be the first woman, the second African-American, and the first South Asian in one of the nation’s top two political offices. Harris represents the new generation of Democrats who have steeled themselves through struggles and active participation in the civil rights movement, as also the movement for labour rights and Medicare for all. She combines in herself all shades of immigrant experience and politics, what has in fact made America a great nation. Harris’ father is from Jamaica, a black African-American, while her mother is an Indian from a Tamil-Brahmin family of Chennai, who was also a participant in the civil rights movement while in US as a student. Harris is married to a white Jew. Her multi-racial credentials notwithstanding, Harris considers herself a black American, always eager to highlight her strong Indian roots.

That way, she is in the best position to sway the votes of both African Americans as also South Asian Americans in the swing states, which matter enormously in case of closely fought elections. Harris has another advantage. She is not a whole hog supporter of the Bernie Sanders group and is not considered a pure leftie. However, at the same time, she has excellent relations with Sanders and supports most of Bernie's programmes. Already Sanders has congratulated her and mentioned how her VP nomination would help radicalise the issues in the hotly awaited Presidential elections of November 2020.

In the Democratic Party, a bitter battle is going on in the elections for primaries in the states for the final nomination of the candidates. In many crucial states, the progressives belonging to the Sanders camp have already defeated the long-time establishment candidates and are pitching to enter the elections in November as official candidates. There are tensions between the present Democratic establishment and the Sanders-led Democratic Socialists over the selection of candidates in the states.

In the selection of Harris as the Vice-Presidential nominee, there seems to be a total understanding among the three factions of the Democratic Party — the centrists led by former President Barack Obama, the labour/trade union leaders and the Sanders-led progressives. Further, the US Communist Party too has given total support to the Biden-Kamala duo and asked all its supporters to work for the success of the Democratic Party nominees for beating Trump at the polls. However, there are some sections of left who think that the Biden-Kamala duo cannot get rid of the Wall Street influence. For them, the US Communist leaders have said that defeating Trump and his coterie is the foremost task at the poll and the other issues can be dealt with later through the course of intensive movements based on workers right and other ground-level issues.

Thus, there is a wide area of agreement between the anti-right forces in US polity in favour of the Democratic Party nominees and this process will be stepped up once the campaign picks up, mostly in the virtual manner over the next eighty days. Expectedly, Trump has come out in sharply racist terms against Kamala Harris and has used abusive language. This proves he has got nervous. He is also estimating the impact which her selection will have on the African Americans who, in many states, voted for the Republican Party in the 2016 elections.

As the US left sees it, America is going through a mature politicisation phase this election year. Apart from the staggering Black Lives Matter movement, the appeal of Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden neutralised many white Americans from the Republican camp. More and more white Americans came out in the recent days castigating the uber-racist attitude of the President Trump. The movement for a minimum USD 15 per hour wages in US industries has gained momentum, while the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the imperative of Medicare for All. These developments have strengthened the position of the Democrats in the election campaign and Biden also has seen the light and sided with the Sanders programme.

Kamala Harris is only 55 while Biden will be 78 if he takes over the new presidency in January 2021.Biden is not in the best of health and he himself calls him a “transitional president” who will pave the way for a new generation of Democrats. That way, once Biden wins, Kamala will not only have the opportunity to act as a proactive Vice President but also be prepared for presidency in 2024. That will be a great moment in the US history if that happens. (IPA Service)