From Trump's 'Failures' To Biden's 'Values': Excerpts From Kamala Harris' VP Acceptance Speech
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Washington: Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris will blast incumbent Republican President Donald Trump as she takes the stage on Wednesday to deliver her acceptance speech as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in which she will urge Americans to unite under Joe Biden.
Biden, 77, is the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Harris, 55, is the first Indian-American to be selected for the second-highest elected office of the United States after that of the president.
She is also the first-ever Black and first-ever African American to be nominated as a vice-presidential candidate by a major political party.
Harris, in her acceptance speech, as per the excerpts released by the Biden campaign, will commit herself to the values that her Indian mother taught her. If elected in the November 3 presidential elections, Harris, whose father is from Jamaica, would be the first-ever women vice president of the United States.
"(I am) committed to the values she (my mother) taught me, to the word that teaches me to walk by faith, and not by sight, and to a vision passed on through generations of Americans-one that Joe Biden shares," Harris plans to say.
Harris will hit out at Trump over his leadership. "Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose," she will say, according to the excerpts.
"We are at an inflection point. The constant chaos leaves adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone. It's a lot," she will add.
"And here's the thing: We can do better and deserve so much more. We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together- Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indigenous - to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect Joe Biden," Harris will say, making a passionate plea to vote for her presidential running mate.
Harris, in her speech, will say that Biden shares the vision of "our nation as a beloved community-where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love".
"A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect," she plans to say, as per the excerpts .
"A country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges, and celebrate our triumphs. Together. Today, that country feels distant. Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods," Harris will say.
Harris's sister Maya Harris, niece Meena and step-daughter Ella Emhoff will make nominating speeches for her. But before that, the stage would be set by none other than her mentor and former US President Barack Obama.
Obama, in his speech, will make a strong case for the Biden-Harris ticket, describing them as the best bet for the country.
"Tonight, I am asking you to believe in Joe and Kamala's ability to lead this country out of dark times and build it back better. But here's the thing: no single American can fix this country alone," Obama will say, according to the excerpts of his speech released by the Biden campaign.
"Democracy was never meant to be transactional - you give me your vote; I make everything better. So I am also asking you to believe in your own ability - to embrace your own responsibility as citizens - to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure. Because that's what at stake right now. Our democracy," the excerpts of his speech read.
According to the excerpts, Obama alleges that Trump never took his job seriously.
"I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care," he plans to say.
"But he never did. He's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves," Obama will say, according to the excerpts.
"Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. And the consequences of that failure are severe: 170,000 Americans dead, millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before," the former president will say on the third day of the Democratic National Convention.
