Kamala Harris tells Desus and Mero how she'll leave sneaker prints all over Trump's racist legacy
Aux Features Clips
The Kid Mero introduced Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as “only the future Vice President of America, y’all,” with customary brash confidence. Not that Kamala Harris needs a hype man as a rule, but, for a country weary, battered, and anxious about the gradual realization that our always in-progress democracy totters precariously on GOP cowardice in the face of a racist dimwit, the gesture was refreshing. And, indeed, Harris wasted no time in laying out 19-minutes of progressive policy targeted at first undoing, then redressing, four years of Donald Trump’s misrule that seem to have set back American society a half-century or more.
“Donald Trump has got to go,” expressed Harris matter-of-factly, before enumerating just some of the reasons why. (She only had those 19 minutes, after all.) You know, like the recently revealed early-pandemic recordings of Trump explaining in great deal to author Bob Woodward that he knew full well the looming crisis posed by the airborne and lethal COVID-19 virus at the same time he (with access to 24-7 personal testing) pandered to manly-ignorant ding-dongs everywhere with rhetoric like—as Harris summed up Trump’s murderous misinformation—“If you’re soft you wear a mask, if you’re tough, you don’t.” Mero, shaking his head, reminded Harris he and fellow New Yorker Desus have long tried to warn people about this “real estate grifter from Queens,” even before his naked narcissism started actually killing folks.
But that’s just (one of the) most recent Trump targets Kamala was ready to attack, as she lambasted Trump and “his boy” Attorney General Bill Barr for attempting to destroy the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court as we speak. (During a pandemic, because ordinary villainy just isn’t enough for this administration.) Noting that the pandemic has struck “Black and brown people” with disproportionate force, and that those same people are more likely to suffer from what insurance companies greedily label disqualifying “pre-existing conditions,” Harris typically wasn’t shy in portraying this pushback against affordable health care as just another of Trump and the GOP’s traditional racism when it comes to setting literally every policy agenda.
You know, like the economy, with Harris talking up the Biden/Harris plan to address the “racial wealth gap” in the form of student loan forgiveness, post-high school education free tuition, entrepreneurial loans from community banks in traditionally underserved poor communities, raising the minimum wage to a livable one, and fostering affordable home ownership in the Black and Latino community, which Harris pointed out is “one of the greatest sources of wealth for any family.”
Or criminal justice reform, where, as Desus pointed out, the GOP plan seems to be nothing but “more racism,” asking Harris bluntly, “What are we gonna do about the cops?” Former prosecutor Harris went all-in on sweeping police reform, with everything on the table including a national standard for use of force, a national database of officer misconduct (which will actually follow fired cops from job to job), banning choke holds, abolishing the racist War On Drugs relic of mandatory minimums, complete decriminalization of pot and the expunging of all pot-related criminal records, and—hitting on her former gig—“pattern and practice” investigations of both police departments and prosecutors’ offices for evidence of racial bias.
For Harris (like her hosts, the child of first-generation immigrants) the candidate’s enthusiasm was necessarily tempered by hard-learned lessons about what it means to be not-white in the self-proclaimed land of opportunity. Explaining that her Indian mother taught her to “challenge people’s expectations about who can do what,” the if-we’re-fortunate future first female Vice President said she’s all too aware that her job as the first person through a lot of doors in her career has been about “widen[ing] the opening” for the next people in line. Sharing Desus and Mero’s sorrow over the recent death of actor and friend Chadwick Boseman, Harris held her fellow Howard University alum up as “walking dignity,” and called him another inspiration to her as someone who “understood what he represented and the responsibility he had.”
On her way out to continue stomping all over Trump and his various Republican cronies in very photogenic ways on the campaign trail and Senate hearing rooms, Harris happily kicked up her leg to show noted kicks aficionado Desus Nice that, yes, she was wearing a pair of low-top Chuck Taylor All Stars, as is her preferred way. Pooh-poohing along with Desus (broadcasting, as ever, from his gloriously organized sneaker closet) the idea of “ladylike” female candidate footwear, Harris reaffirmed her love for Chucks, teasing that, in addition to her standard styles, she has owned some pink satin and gold Chucks over the years. No word if either will make an appearance on what we can only collectively pray will be a victorious, country-salvaging Election Night, but, regardless of the color, look for Kamala Harris’ sneaker prints all up on homophobic accomplice Mike Pence’s ass at the first Vice Presidential debate on October 7.
Election Day is coming up fast, so don’t screw around. Check vote.org for all your necessary registration and other voting information or, as Harris suggested, text 30330.
48 Comments
Kamala “chose not to prosecute Steve Mnuchin for his part in the foreclosure crisis” Harris won’t do a goddamn thing to Trump. Vote for Biden/Harris if you’re in a swing state and you feel so compelled, but let’s not let these politicians write their own history when reality tells a very different story.
great point, there’s definitely nothing else at stake here like say the Supreme Court. How dare politicians change over time!!
She didn’t change just because you hope she did, that’s not how this works. And there sure is a lot at stake here, so why delude ourselves into thinking she’s going to do something she’s not? Voting for Biden is to get Trump out of office, period. It’s not to stop climate change, it’s not to get universal healthcare, it’s not to solve our police violence problem, it’s not to get us out of our oil wars, it’s not for any of that shit and we don’t need to lie about who these cynical politicians are. It won’t help anyone. It’s literally only about getting rid of the fascist fuck in office, and if we deceive ourselves and others, it will just lead to further alienation from this whole fucked-up process.
They haven’t changed over time. After the protests against police brutality started to ramp up their official position on it was “we see you, we hear you, and we support funding the police more even though you demand less funding for police.”
Have you ever thought that she learned her lesson and won’t make it again. Mary Trump said her uncle has to lose by many millions of votes nationwide. Fuck off with this comment you made here.
What indication do you have that she learned her lesson? Thoughts and prayers?
And yeah, Trump has to lose by a shit ton because of the idiotic electoral system we’re stuck with. Wish Dems had put up a decent candidate and VP, would’ve made it a lot easier to sell to folks but oh well!
Biden was the best choice for this particular election because he’s the most middle of the road of the candidates on the primary platform. Trump is so resoundingly awful that he took away any real choice we had for a candidate—-as you said, the main goal is to avoid “Dumpster Fire 2.0″ for the next 4 years.Blame Trump for that, not Biden or even the Dems (who admittedly did some shady stuff to Bernie in 2016).Everybody else, some of which would have been more ‘enthusiastically followed’ (see: Bernie) would have been too polarizing to secure the crucial majority of independents/undecideds.Look at what the Trump Campaign has done to Biden——tried to paint HIM as a commie, and a vote for Biden is a vote for ‘far left socialism’.Think about that. Joe Biden a COMMIE.Bernie would have gotten eviscerated.
So you’re saying because they’re saying Biden is a commie (and Trump’s base buys it) they shouldn’t have run Bernie because they’d paint him as a commie too? What sense does this make? The takeaway should be that they’ll do that regardless. It means nothing.
Trump’s base buys ‘Biden’s a commie’ because they buy anything that the Orange Chosen One sells them. People who aren’t drunk on the Kool-Aid can see that no, Biden is not a commie. His record doesn’t support the assertion, and neither do his stated positions.
‘Bernie’s a commie’ is a whole lot harder to refute to the satisfaction of any voter who isn’t inclined to vote for Trump, but isn’t sold on Sanders.And like it or not, the primary showed that despite having the enthusiasm, Bernie’s base didn’t have the numbers. He wouldn’t sweep in on a wave of newly-recruited voters, he’d mobilize the shit out of anyone who voted Trump in 2016 but might have cooled on him in the interim.
It means that if they were able to go after Biden (of all people) for being a ‘far leftist puppet’, what do you think they would have done to Bernie?
Well, if I were to hazard a guess I’d say they’d attack him as somebody on the far left.
No, they’d literally call him commie over and over, which the Trump campaign has (so far) yet to do to Biden.Plus, unlike Biden, if they label Bernie “far left” there would be some substance to the attacks.
Well, this conversation started with you saying they’re calling Biden a commie, or painting him as a commie. Now you’ve said they haven’t done that. Maybe work this stuff out before you post.
“Well, this conversation started with you saying they’re calling Biden a commie, or painting him as a commie.”Yes, they’ve tried, but with little substance behind it. It can be laughably discarded.Bernie, OTOH is significantly farther left wing on policy than Biden to begin with. He also has a documented history of making favorable comments about the former Soviet Union and Fidel’s Cuba. However out of context those quotes may be taken, it gives weight to the accusations hurled from Trump. Biden has no such hangup.
“ Now you’ve said they haven’t done that. Maybe work this stuff out before you post.”I never said they succeeded at anything, just that they were trying to. Its the standard GOP hit job on Dem challengers—-call them far left wing communists.Perhaps you should read next time before coming up with snarky comments.
lol. “Fuck off with this comment where you point out Harris’s inconsistencies.”
You’re a child.
Vote for Biden/Harris.
FTFY
Cool, go phone bank
If it helps people keep their call center jobs in this economy, I share your enthusiasm.
what? no, i’m saying make calls for your candidate. it’s this thing people do when they want their candidate to win and want to convince people to vote for them, rather than self-sucking about who they’re voting for on the internet.
I’m Australian. Trump is bad for the world. Vote better.
You can still phonebank for him if you feel this strongly! Totally legal to do it. I did it for Labour in the UK. No more excuses, get on those phones.
Yup. I’ll be voting Biden mostly out of concern for the future of SCOTUS and to curb creeping fascism, but aside from that I won’t hold my breath about anything else.Biden won’t prosecute Trump and I’ve got a bridge to sell anyone who thinks otherwise.
You arrogant little shit
Go make calls for your shitty candidate instead of getting mad online
All y’all who are planning protest votes need to stop sniping at Harris and start pushing for ranked choice voting.
I’m not planning a protest vote. How about instead of preemptively getting mad at people on the internet you get on the phones for your candidate?
Already volunteering for the election, thanks! Glad to hear that you’re not planning a protest vote. As I said, support for ranked choice voting will do more to support non-traditional candidates than bernie-bro anger ever will. Here’s a helpful video on why simple “majority vote” elections inevitably lead to a two party system with fewer choices for voters.
And calling people “bernie bros” and insulting them is not a winning strategy, either. Good luck, keep trying to insult people into voting for your candidate and shielding them from any criticism for their records, hope it turns out!
LOL, anyone who would try to tank one of the most important elections in US history because I use the words “bernie bro” is so far round the bend they are never coming back. On the other hand, if they want to do something constructive, something that will actually create an electoral landscape where someone like Bernie is viable, then they need to through their weigh behind ranked choice voting. Otherwise, it’s just howling into the two-party wind.
Putting “your weight behind” something doesn’t do anything, lol. There’s no material impact of just saying “I support ranked choice voting.” I would know, I’ve been saying it for a very long time! If politics boils down to self-actualization through the positions and politicians someone supports, rather than a confrontation of structures of power to actually achieve your political goals, you’ll never get anything you want. And while my own position on voting for Biden is what it is, I am very sympathetic to people who consider it worthwhile to withhold their vote until they get some material concessions from Biden, especially since there are very few other viable roads to any positive change, any confrontation of power, now that Bernie’s campaign shit the bed.
There’s no leverage against Biden once he wins, and a pretty significant and well-founded fear is that if he wins and governs as a milquetoast right-winger who concedes to the right at every turn (as he has his entire career) while social structures continue to disintegrate and the world continues to burn, the fascist backlash from whatever horrible ghoul the Republicans run in 2024 will be impossible to beat and far more deadly than Trump, who is more incompetent than he is evil, which is saying something. So whatever your position is on voting, I would say at least understand that getting Trump out of office, while I consider it worthwhile, will not solve many problems. At best a bunch of “if Hillary won we’d be at brunch right now” people will completely check out of the political process and stop giving a shit about what Biden does in office.
November 2020 will be a rough month.
If only it was going to be just November. After Trump loses (and he will) this will be challenged every single day until January, and probably beyond.Plus, you have that pile of fetid human garbage Roger Stone out there suggesting Trump declare martial law if he loses.
https://www.businessinsider.com/stone-calls-for-trump-to-declare-martial-law-election-loss-2020-9
Yeah. I’m significantly less optimistic than you about the elections results (my comment applies whoever wins), but Stone’s exhortation is indeed one of the reasons why I expect Trump’s ousting not to go very smoothly.This election might fracture the USA to levels unseen since the 19th century. The losing side will be enraged like never before.
“The losing side will be enraged like never before.”Which is why I think by the time this is over, Trump will have ascended (or descended) past Dubya and Buchanan as the worst president ever. After he loses in November, and has nothing else to lose (the states are coming after his businesses once he leaves office), I’m nearly certain he’s going to try and cause a violent insurgency among his hardcore supporters.On the off chance he wins, I’m certain there will be massive protests from the anti-trump crowd, though they are far less likely to be toting AR-15s when they do it.But Trump is going to lose. The only way he can salvage a win here is if something truthful comes out about Biden being in the pocket of Putin and Xi and the Tara Reade story gets proven true. I thought he was going to lose before the epic screwup of the pandemic and response to protests. He’s done.
And all the awful pardons he’s going to churn out.
they need to keep reminding people of those comments he made about veterans. make sure the military remains disgusted with him.
he can’t stay in power if the military hates him. and the US military is well-versed in, uh, replacing heads of state… well, i mean, usually the US replaces democratically elected heads of state with fascists and dictators, but i’m sure the principle still applies the other way ‘round.
And this why an overwhelmingly resounding Biden win is necessary. Trump and his allies have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the elections. They’re clearly sore losers and will try to spin chaos. I want a huge victory to wipe off any doubt by any middling American citizen.
TBH, I don’t really see the Trump ‘resistance’ strategy being much different if he loses big or small—he’s going to try and challenge the results no matter what. Trump has already been sowing the seeds of challenging ALL mailed votes for months now.
2021 and beyond will be worse if fuckhead’s reelected.
And I assume you speak for the USA.I speak for the rest of the world (yes, hello, it’s me, the rest of the world’s designated representative). And I do believe that, in front of dangerous superpowers such as the USA, Russia or China (all powerful in slightly different ways but, for instance, all extremely impactful on this planet’s survivability), the whole of Earth’s population should be able to weight on the votes. It’s not feasible for technical and cultural reasons, but damn is it frustrating to be outside and to passively receive the worldwide shockwaves of these regimes’ caprices.Trump is murdering us all. In practice, countries that become covid hotspots are the weak links of our required global pandemic responses, and industrial powerhouses will now determine this globe’s climate. But beyond that, the USA are a cultural leader and an implicit reference even in countries that express anti-american sentiments (maybe especially in those, as this sentiment is usually a paradoxical reaction to the awareness of american influence). Which means that fascism in the USA is frighteningly enabling throughout the world. Just like ruthless autocrats are Trump’s model, Trump is a model for many of our worst political freaks. The USA are shifting the Overton window in many other countries. Whatever is “good enough” for the USA gets validated abroad.So, yeah. For all intents and purposes, in November you’ll elect alone the world’s leader for all of us. And we’ll watch. And if you elect him, 2021 and beyond won’t be worse for you only.
As a Canadian afraid that they may open up the border to American plague rats…I agree 100% with what you said. This election will have consequences that reach FAR beyond America’s borders.
I’m Australian and I approve this message.
Intro paragraph is well written & interesting, setting tone for remainder of informative blog post.‘… Not that Kamala Harris needs a hype man as a rule, but, for a country weary, battered, and anxious about the gradual realization that our always in-progress democracy totters precariously on GOP cowardice in the face of a racist dimwit, the gesture was refreshing.’Rest of the AVClub blog article/post is also well written. Good job on Your part.****Note: The new Kinja dashboard discussion feed thread format is very shitty & really sucks ie Followed Commenters are no longer identified nor are readers able to click said comments & hyper-jump to the related Kinja blog article & Web Site. Please revert back to previous format. Was much better. Over/Out. <— Personal Opinion.
keep washing them dnc balls you spineless worms, I’m sure the demented hair sniffer and this crooked cop asswipe will remember to thank you when they inevitably lose.
Just fucking kill me.
I love her and her practical (but stylish) shoes
are there really like, swing voters hanging out around here who are ripe to be swayed by something like this or is this just….?