Democratic Candidate Kamala Harris Speaks in Madison: Fighting to Realize the Promise of America (Part 2 of 2)
Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris enjoys the enthusiasm of the crowd before she gave her campaign speech.
by Jonathan Gramling
On September 20th, Vice-President Kamala Harris made her Madison debut as a candidate for U.S. President at the Alliant Energy Coliseum, filled with over 10,500 enthusiastic supporters. Harris has been to Madison before and spent part of her childhood here when her parents taught and did research at UW-Madison.
The enthusiasm of the crowd heightened by a danceable playlist that was played in between speakers and the rousing speeches of local elected officials such as Interim Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn and Senator Tammy Baldwin.
After contrasting her proposed tax cuts with those of former President Donald Trump’s, Harris emphasized that she would not let conservatives take the country back to before major civil rights legislation was won.
“Well, brother, we are not going back,” Harris said. “We are not going back. We are not going back. We will not go back. We will move forward. And just like Wisconsin’s state motto tells us: Forward is where we go. Because ours — ours is a fight for the future, and ours is a fight for freedom like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do. Freedom.”
Harris then zeroed in on the Supreme Court overturning Roe V. Wade and its impact. She placed the responsibility for overturning it on Trump.
“Remember how we got here,” Harris said. “Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did exactly as he intended. And now, in more than 20 states, we have Trump abortion bans, many with no exceptions even for rape and incest. It is immoral. And let us agree — let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.”
Trump has tried to deflect criticism by saying everyone wanted decisions about abortions to be decided by the states. Harris pointed out he was dead wrong.
“I have talked with folks who are here,” Harris said. “I have talked with women around our country and the people who love them. Women are being denied care during miscarriages, some only being treated once they develop sepsis. They didn’t want this. And we know that women have died because of Trump abortion bans. I was with a mother and the two sisters of a woman who died because of Trump abortion bans just last night. And her mother said the worst thing among the pain that she’s experiencing is when she heard and reflects on what she was told, that it was preventable.”
Harris then gave examples of the negative impact on women that the Supreme Court decision has had.
“When that decision came down just over two years ago, we predicted this would happen. And it’s preventable. You know, the young woman — she was a vibrant, 28-year-old young mother of a 6-year-old son. Her name: Amber Nicole Thurman, who I promised her mother I will say her name every time. And so, Amber was a medical assistant. She had just learned that she was accepted to nursing school. She had her whole future planned out, and — and her sisters and her mother were describing her to me, and they said, you know, she — she had such light and she had ambition and she had drive. And she was so proud that she had worked so hard, and she was finally gaining independence, that she found an apartment in a safe community. It had a little pool where her son could play. And she was so proud. She was so proud and so hopeful. And then she discovered she was pregnant, and she decided to have an abortion, but because of the Trump abortion ban in Georgia, she was forced to travel out of state to receive the health care that she needed.”
And the impact of ban in Georgia was the woman couldn’t receive the emergency care she needed because of the abortion ban.
“When she returned to Georgia, she needed additional care, so she went to a hospital in Georgia,” Harris related. “But under the Trump abortion ban, her doctors could have faced up to a decade in prison for providing Amber the care she needed. And so, she waited — for 20 excruciating hours, she waited as she deteriorated. And then she reached such a critical state that the doctors finally operated, and it was too late. And she died of sepsis. And recently, medical experts determined that Amber’s death was preventable.”
Harris asked the audience to reflect on this impact of the Supreme Court decision.
“Understand what a law like this means, what these kinds of laws mean under Trump abortion bans,” Harris urged. “It means doctors may have to wait until the patient is at death’s door before they take any action. Nobody wants that. What is he talking about? Nobody wants that. Are we saying we’re going to craft, now, public health policy so that doctors only kick in when you’re about to die? This is one example of what is happening around our country right now. And this is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect.”
When elected, Harris would work to overturn this decision.
“I will say to you, because of why we are here, we going to get Tammy reelected to the United States Senate,” Harris said. “And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”
Harris emphasized that the right to choose is not the only right under attack.
“Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on other hard-fought, hard-won fundamental rights and freedoms, like the freedom to vote; the freedom to be safe from gun violence; the freedom to join a union; the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride,” Harris said. “So, we know what we are up against. We are clear-eyed about what we are up against. And we remember that generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands.”
Harris reminded the audience of Trump’s autocratic tendencies that would be unleashed by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.
“This is not 2016 or 2020,” Harris said. “The stakes are even higher because, remember, two months ago, the United States Supreme Court basically told the former president that he will effectively be immune no matter what he does in the White House. Think about what that means. Before, at least, there was some threat of consequence, and now the court has made this decision. Think about that. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails — he who has vowed to be a dictator on day one; he who has called for, quote, the “termination” of the Constitution of the United States of America. And let us be very clear: Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States.”
While Republicans often try to say that they wear the mantle of patriotism alone, Harris emphasized that the Democratic cause is fighting for democracy.
“Wisconsin, it all comes down to this,” Harris reflected. “We are here together because we love our country. And we understand the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American. And I do believe that it is one of the highest forms of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America.”
As the election nears, Harris emphasized that the audience needed to vote and get active.
“Madison, Election Day is, yes, in 46 days, and early voting has already started in some states,” Harris informed the crowd. “Early voting in Wisconsin starts in just 32 days. And, in fact, many of you may have already received your mail-in ballots. Check this out. In-person early voting begins in Virginia and Minnesota today. And don’t we love Tim Walz? He’s so good. So, all that to say, the election is basically here. And we have work to do: to energize, to organize, and to mobilize and to remind everyone your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. And never let anyone take your power from you. So, Madison, today, I ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win.”