theguardian--2020-11-08--'I'm proud of the city': the volunteers fighting voter suppression in Philadelphia

Joe Certaine arrived in the early morning chill Tuesday at a church .
There would be a long week of uncertainty ahead , much that hinged on his state , but Certaine didn ’ t know that yet .
For now , he and his “ brigade ” of trained volunteers were settling in to respond to acts of voter suppression on election day .
In the days leading up to the election , violent protests against the Philadelphia police shooting death of a Black man , Walter Wallace Jr , deployment of the national guard and repeated taunting by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The city ’ s district attorney had fired back at the President that if his “ goon squad ” tried to disrupt the vote , he “ would have something for you ” .
In that fraught atmosphere , thousands of election observers , from non-partisan groups like Common Cause and the city ’ s election commission , would roam the streets on Tuesday to try to keep voting from going off the rails , making it probably the most observed election in city history .
Certaine and his group would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greater St Matthew Baptist church , in a predominantly Black neighborhood in the northern part of the city .
This would be the 73-year-old ’ s “ last rodeo ” , as he put it , crowning a lifetime of activism in voting rights and politics .
From a childhood in foster homes in Philadelphia , Certaine had risen to become the managing director of the city , Philadelphia ’ s highest unelected office , its chief operating officer .
He was a campaign official for the former two-term Democratic governor of Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city ’ s first Black mayor elected , in 1983 .
Tuesday ’ s work was not out of the norm .
The day began with a few hitches .
Without keys to the church , Certaine had to wait in the cold for the church administrator to arrive .
The person getting the vans the night before had a problem with his credit card and wasn ’ t able to have them delivered .
The guy with the two-way radios hadn ’ t come through , either .
“ Murphy ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortly before 7am the administrator unlocked the door .
“ I ’ m off to a really good start.
” A few volunteers trickled in , including Rylanda Wilson , 73 , a retired employee at the city ’ s housing authority .
She brought some pillow cases she planned to knit into shirts for Haitian children for a relief organization if things got slow .
A few minutes after the polls opened at 7am , Jeff Garis , who works at a public policy thinktank , showed up .
Garis , 55 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades on numerous elections and political issues .
Today , he would be Certaine ’ s eyes online , tracking disturbances and helping direct volunteers to any reported incidents .
“ Do we have wifi ?
, ” asked Garis as he settled into a small desk .
Certaine swore .
He dialed the church administrator , who had since left the building , for the wifi password .
Her voice mailbox was full .
“ Other than Murphy ’ s law , ” he said .
“ We don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment.
” A call came in .
It was one of Certaine ’ s security people , reporting a middle-aged , white man in a cowboy hat talking to voters outside a polling station in a Black neighborhood .
“ I can step in and put out a fire where you need me , ” the voice on the line said .
“ Just find out who he is , ” Certaine said into his cellphone .
Another volunteer arrived , 44-year-old Josh Uretsky , who does data analysis for the Audubon Society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that morning that it felt good to be taking action on something that had been stressing him out .
She asked him : what if he had nothing to do today ?
He said he replied , “ Well , that would be great.
” Soon there were around 15 volunteers .
The group was equally split , Black and white .
They were educators , lawyers , retired city workers and entrepreneurs .
They hadn ’ t met before .
As the morning wore on , the phones remained quiet , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smoothly .
Across the country , that would mostly be the case .
The lull gave Certaine time to reminisce about past battles .
His first experience in voting rights activism came in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement , when he was hardly 20 years old .
He was in Neshoba county , Mississippi , helping register Black Americans who had never voted before .
It was not long after the murder there of three Black civil rights activists doing the same work .
The 1965 Voting Rights Act , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other ways of suppressing the Black vote , had not yet been passed .
One evening , he recalled in interviews , they noticed a pickup truck following them .
It forced them off the road .
At gunpoint , he said , several white men made them get out of their car and walk a half-mile into the woods , in the headlights of the pickup .
“ There wasn ’ t anything we could do , ” said Certaine .
“ They had the guns and we didn ’ t. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shotguns in the air , laughed and drove off .
Fear has remained a primary tool of voter suppression , Certaine said , amplified by disinformation .
He said even the perception of danger , fueled in part by the president ’ s own warnings to the city , could suppress votes .
Voter turnout in heavily Democratic Philadelphia would be critical for Democrats to overcome votes from the overwhelmingly Republican rural counties that make up much of the rest of the state .
Higher than expected turnout in those red counties fueled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , by less than one percentage point .
In the days before the election this year , Certaine fielded calls and emails from concerned residents , and he tried to calm them .
One passed an email to him warning about local members of the Ku Klux Klan showing up .
“ We must defend ourselves every damn day , ” the woman emailed Certaine .
He emailed her back with the voter hotline phone number and said his team had been preparing for this for months .
By early afternoon there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hotline to Certaine ’ s group .
The district attorney ’ s election taskforce by this time had reported a couple of dozen incidents around the city , involving some minor disturbances including members of the media inadvertently blocking voters from a polling station .
“ I ’ m really pleased that nothing is going on !
” Certaine shouted .
He got on the phone with his son and kibitzed about the Eagles , Philadelphia ’ s struggling football team .
Outside Certaine ’ s office , the volunteers sat in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had come here braced for political confrontation on the city streets .
Instead , as the day wore on , they turned their attention to other things : kids , real estate , home towns .
It was a collective exhale from the political moment – even if just for a few hours .
David Birnbaum , a 32-year-old white lawyer , discovered he had gone to the same high school as several others in the room .
Some kidded him about the bow-tie he was wearing , sporting the school ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me than my college or grad school , ” he joked back .
Sometimes there was politics .
“ OK , so I ’ m a Republican , ” Paul Breda , 58 , said to the group .
He lives in Wharton , New Jersey and works in the educational software business .
His confession silenced the room .
After a moment , Josephia Rouse , a 36-year-old family attorney from Baltimore , nodded her head .
He explained to everyone his political views and how he didn ’ t want all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brush .
Off to one side , Wilson silently worked on the shirts she was making from pillowcases for Haitian children .
She had managed to knit 30 of them .
“ I didn ’ t think I ’ d have all this time , ” she said .
It turned out all the missteps that morning didn ’ t matter , after all .
“ I ’ m just proud , ” Certaine told the group .
“ I ’ m proud of us , proud of the city .
”

Joe Certaine arrived in the early morning chill Tuesday at a church.
There would be a long week of uncertainty ahead, much that hinged on his state, but Certaine didn’t know that yet. For now, he and his “brigade” of trained volunteers were settling in to respond to acts of voter suppression on election day.
In the days leading up to the election, violent protests against the Philadelphia police shooting death of a Black man, Walter Wallace Jr, deployment of the national guard and repeated taunting by Donald Trump had the city on edge. The city’s district attorney had fired back at the President that if his “goon squad” tried to disrupt the vote, he “would have something for you”.
In that fraught atmosphere, thousands of election observers, from non-partisan groups like Common Cause and the city’s election commission, would roam the streets on Tuesday to try to keep voting from going off the rails, making it probably the most observed election in city history.
Certaine and his group would be among them, ready to roll at Greater St Matthew Baptist church, in a predominantly Black neighborhood in the northern part of the city. This would be the 73-year-old’s “last rodeo”, as he put it, crowning a lifetime of activism in voting rights and politics.
Joe Certaine at a training meeting with volunteers before the election. Photograph: Jeff Garis
From a childhood in foster homes in Philadelphia, Certaine had risen to become the managing director of the city, Philadelphia’s highest unelected office, its chief operating officer. He was a campaign official for the former two-term Democratic governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell. He helped get the city’s first Black mayor elected, in 1983.
Tuesday’s work was not out of the norm.
The day began with a few hitches. Without keys to the church, Certaine had to wait in the cold for the church administrator to arrive. The person getting the vans the night before had a problem with his credit card and wasn’t able to have them delivered. The guy with the two-way radios hadn’t come through, either.
“Murphy’s law,” said Certaine, as shortly before 7am the administrator unlocked the door. “I’m off to a really good start.”
A few volunteers trickled in, including Rylanda Wilson, 73, a retired employee at the city’s housing authority. She brought some pillow cases she planned to knit into shirts for Haitian children for a relief organization if things got slow.
A few minutes after the polls opened at 7am, Jeff Garis, who works at a public policy thinktank, showed up. Garis, 55, has worked with Certaine for two decades on numerous elections and political issues. Today, he would be Certaine’s eyes online, tracking disturbances and helping direct volunteers to any reported incidents.
“Do we have wifi?,” asked Garis as he settled into a small desk.
Certaine swore. He dialed the church administrator, who had since left the building, for the wifi password. Her voice mailbox was full. “Other than Murphy’s law,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going on at the moment.”
A call came in. It was one of Certaine’s security people, reporting a middle-aged, white man in a cowboy hat talking to voters outside a polling station in a Black neighborhood.
“I can step in and put out a fire where you need me,” the voice on the line said.
“Just find out who he is,” Certaine said into his cellphone.
Another volunteer arrived, 44-year-old Josh Uretsky, who does data analysis for the Audubon Society. He said he told his wife that morning that it felt good to be taking action on something that had been stressing him out. She asked him: what if he had nothing to do today? He said he replied, “Well, that would be great.”
Soon there were around 15 volunteers. The group was equally split, Black and white. They were educators, lawyers, retired city workers and entrepreneurs. They hadn’t met before.
As the morning wore on, the phones remained quiet, a sign that so far voting was going smoothly. Across the country, that would mostly be the case.
The lull gave Certaine time to reminisce about past battles.
Joe Certaine at the church with Kevin Harden Jr, a Philadelphia lawyer, at right. Photograph: Jeff Garis
His first experience in voting rights activism came in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement, when he was hardly 20 years old. He was in Neshoba county, Mississippi, helping register Black Americans who had never voted before. It was not long after the murder there of three Black civil rights activists doing the same work. The 1965 Voting Rights Act, which abolished literacy tests, poll taxes and other ways of suppressing the Black vote, had not yet been passed.
One evening, he recalled in interviews, they noticed a pickup truck following them. It forced them off the road. At gunpoint, he said, several white men made them get out of their car and walk a half-mile into the woods, in the headlights of the pickup. “There wasn’t anything we could do,” said Certaine. “They had the guns and we didn’t.”
Eventually the white men fired their shotguns in the air, laughed and drove off.
Fear has remained a primary tool of voter suppression, Certaine said, amplified by disinformation. He said even the perception of danger, fueled in part by the president’s own warnings to the city, could suppress votes.
Voter turnout in heavily Democratic Philadelphia would be critical for Democrats to overcome votes from the overwhelmingly Republican rural counties that make up much of the rest of the state. Higher than expected turnout in those red counties fueled Donald Trump’s surprise victory in 2016, by less than one percentage point.
In the days before the election this year, Certaine fielded calls and emails from concerned residents, and he tried to calm them. One passed an email to him warning about local members of the Ku Klux Klan showing up. “We must defend ourselves every damn day,” the woman emailed Certaine.
He emailed her back with the voter hotline phone number and said his team had been preparing for this for months.
By early afternoon there still had been no calls from that hotline to Certaine’s group.
The district attorney’s election taskforce by this time had reported a couple of dozen incidents around the city, involving some minor disturbances including members of the media inadvertently blocking voters from a polling station.
“I’m really pleased that nothing is going on!” Certaine shouted. He got on the phone with his son and kibitzed about the Eagles, Philadelphia’s struggling football team.
Outside Certaine’s office, the volunteers sat in a circle, talking about everything.
Election buttons for Joe Certaine article Photograph: Jeff Garis
They had come here braced for political confrontation on the city streets. Instead, as the day wore on, they turned their attention to other things: kids, real estate, home towns. It was a collective exhale from the political moment – even if just for a few hours.
David Birnbaum, a 32-year-old white lawyer, discovered he had gone to the same high school as several others in the room. Some kidded him about the bow-tie he was wearing, sporting the school’s colors. “It means more to me than my college or grad school,” he joked back.
Sometimes there was politics.
“OK, so I’m a Republican,” Paul Breda, 58, said to the group. He lives in Wharton, New Jersey and works in the educational software business. His confession silenced the room. After a moment, Josephia Rouse, a 36-year-old family attorney from Baltimore, nodded her head.
“OK, OK,” she said, encouragingly.
He explained to everyone his political views and how he didn’t want all Republicans to be painted with the same brush.
Off to one side, Wilson silently worked on the shirts she was making from pillowcases for Haitian children. She had managed to knit 30 of them. “I didn’t think I’d have all this time,” she said.
It turned out all the missteps that morning didn’t matter, after all. “I’m just proud,” Certaine told the group. “I’m proud of us, proud of the city.”


theguardian--2020-11-08--The meaning of Kamala Harris: the woman who will break new ground as vice-president

Kamala Harris has spent her life crashing through glass ceilings and accumulating “ firsts ” .
She was the first female district attorney of San Francisco , the first female attorney general of California , the first Indian American in the US Senate , the first Indian American candidate of a major party to run for vice-president .
Soon she will become the first female vice-president .
If Joe Biden only serves one term , as expected , there is a chance that in 2024 she could become the first black female president .
The problem with phrases like “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they confine the California senator to the sort of boxes she has always tried to avoid .
“ When I first ran for office that was one of the things that I struggled with , which is that you are forced through that process to define yourself in a way that you fit neatly into the compartment that other people have created , ” she told the Washington Post last year .
“ I am who I am … You might need to figure it out , but I ’ m fine with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her identity – she simply calls herself a “ proud American ” .
As with Barack Obama , there are those who have doubted Harris ’ s Americanness .
The morning after Harris was named as Biden ’ s running mate , racist “ birther ” conspiracy theories , amplified by Donald Trump , began to circulate .
Newsweek published an op-ed questioning whether Harris was “ constitutionally ineligible ” to become president because her parents , who met at graduate school in Berkeley , were immigrants .
Her mother , a breast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Her father , an economist , is black and was born in Jamaica .
Harris , meanwhile , was born in Oakland , California .
Which , to be very clear , means the 56-year-old is a natural-born US citizen and eligible to run for president .
• None Left : Kamala Harris with her mother , Shyamala Gopalan Harris , a breast cancer researcher .
Right : At her mother ’ s lab in Berkeley , California .
• None Above : Harris , right , with Gwen Whitfield at an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year at Howard University in Washington .
Photograph : AP Pawan Dhingra , a professor of American studies at Amherst College , notes that Harris ’ s biracial heritage “ represents a history of Asian Americans that is often overlooked ” .
The dominant narrative around Asian Americans , Dhingra says , has to do with their “ abilities to approximate whiteness in regards to their education levels and incomes ” .
The “ model minority myth ” has often pitted Asian Americans against black Americans .
Harris , however , “ offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , Dhingra believes .
Her biography is one of interracial solidarity and activism : Harris ’ s progressive parents were active in the protests of the 1960s and 70s , and the senator has frequently talked about growing up with a “ stroller ’ s-eye view of the civil rights movement ” .
She is , Dhingra notes , “ a powerful symbol and voice for progressive Asian Americans ” .
Canada has also laid claim to Harris : she lived in Montreal between the ages of 12 and 17 because her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Harris ’ s parents divorced when she was seven , and her mother raised the children . )
To begin with , Harris found it hard to find her feet – not least because the first school she went to was Francophone .
Her go-to phrase was “ Quoi ?
Quoi ?
Quoi ?
” , which means “ What ?
What ?
What ?
” but to French speakers also sounds like quacking .
“ I used to joke that I felt like a duck , ” she wrote in her memoir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had thrown herself into an all-female dance troupe called Midnight Magic and , when not dancing , was spearheading demonstrations .
Aged 13 , she mobilised the neighbourhood children to protest against rules that stopped them playing on the lawn in front of their apartment building .
The protest was a success .
Later , when the Canadian version of prom rolled around , Harris was part of a group who decided to go without a date so that people who had not been asked out would not feel left out .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to Howard University , a historically black university in Washington DC .
From there she went to the University of California ’ s Hastings college of the law .
At both places , the Washington Post notes , “ Harris was more careerist than activist , winning competitive internships and joining academic societies ” .
But is Harris a careerist or an activist ?
Is she pragmatic or progressive ?
These are questions that have been debated for years .
• None Kamala Harris , the then San Francisco district attorney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for California attorney general , the top law enforcement officer in the nation ’ s most populous state .
Photograph : Ben Margot/AP “ Kamala is a cop ” , a reference to Harris ’ s record as a prosecutor , was a meme throughout her campaign : in an age in which police brutality is top of the mind , her 13-year career in law enforcement has been a point of contention .
During her time as San Francisco district attorney , for example , she boasted about raising the overall felony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 67 % in 2006 , the highest in a decade .
Her tough-on-truancy laws led to parents of habitually truant schoolchildren going to jail .
As California ’ s attorney general from 2011 to 2017 , her office argued against releasing eligible non-violent inmates early because “ prisons would lose an important labour pool ” .
After the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri , she rejected calls from civil rights groups to investigate deadly police shootings in San Francisco .
She has since spoken out against police brutality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not stopped the right from calling her a radical socialist , however .
In one interview with Fox Business , Trump called her “ the most liberal person in the US Senate ” .
To say Harris has any sort of agenda might be a stretch .
One of the key criticisms of her has been a lack of consistency .
In 2004 , for example , she said she gave her word to the people of San Francisco that she opposed the death penalty .
In 2014 , after a federal judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Harris appealed against the decision .
During her campaign she could not seem to make up her mind whether she was courting the left or the moderates : she initially backed Bernie Sanders ’ Medicare For All plan , for example , then backpedalled and introduced her own , more centrist healthcare plan .
• None Above : Democratic presidential candidate Senator Harris speaking to people protesting for a higher minimum wage outside a McDonald ’ s in Las Vegas in 2019 .
Photograph : John Locher/AP • None Below : Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing ‘ Kamala ’ T-shirt ) , attending 2019 ’ s Pride parade in San Francisco soon after the debate where she challenged Joe Biden ’ s record of opposing bussing to desegregate schools .
Photograph : David Paul Morris/Getty Images Mary Kay Henry , who heads the influential Service Employees International Union , takes issue with the idea that Harris is inconsistent .
As attorney general in California , Harris “ was consistently a champion of what workers were demanding ” , she says .
“ She stood with many of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last financial crisis and [ legislation she championed ] helped avoid tens of thousands of home foreclosures.
” Harris has also introduced bills to give domestic workers labour rights and advocated for a $ 15 minimum wage .
“ Her whole life ’ s work has been fighting to ensure America is a place where freedom is for everyone regardless of gender , income , or race , ” Henry says .
Harris ’ s past is a mixed bag , then .
What about the future ?
Will Harris veer to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centre ?
Again , it is likely to be a mixed bag .
She is to the right of the Democratic party on Israel , for example , but to the left when it comes to the climate crisis .
Harris supports the “ green new deal ” and has vowed to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass it ; she has also said she would get the Department of Justice to hold oil and gas companies accountable .
It is also likely Harris will catalyse more discussion about systemic racism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will do to actually try to dismantle it .
She has , for example , drawn attention to the way that people of colour are disproportionately dying from Covid-19 and announced legislation to support bias and anti-racism training for workers involved in the Covid-19 response .
While that ’ s important , anti-bias training is a largely symbolic response to a systemic issue .
Also unclear is how much she will reform immigration policies .
Her first priority is to “ roll back Trump ’ s anti-immigrant agenda ” and she says she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is yet to be fleshed out .
Immigration is not the only part of Trump ’ s record she plans to take on .
Harris has said her administration ’ s Department of Justice “ would have no choice ” but to pursue criminal obstruction of justice charges against Trump for his apparent collusion with Russia as outlined in the Mueller report .
This should make the former president feel very nervous indeed ; Harris is a formidable opponent and , as her 2018 grilling of Brett Kavanaugh clearly shows , unafraid to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Above : Harris meeting attorneys , refugees and visa holders detained in Los Angeles during Trump ’ s travel ban in 2017 .
Photograph : Sarah Reingewirtz/Rex • None Below : Biden and Harris talking after the Democratic presidential debate in Houston in September 2019 .
Photograph : Mike Blake/Reuters In all this , she will be able to count on the support of her family .
Her husband , Douglas Emhoff , is a corporate lawyer who took a leave of absence to support her on the campaign trail .
The pair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2014 .
Harris is “ dear friends ” with Emhoff ’ s ex-wife , who also helped Harris ’ s presidential bid , and close to his children , who affectionately call her “ Momala ” .
“ We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost too functional , ” Harris wrote in her memoir .
Whatever happens next , Harris ’ s vice-presidency will make history .
She will be the first black American and the first Asian American to hold the country ’ s second highest office .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is after four years of Trump .

Kamala Harris has spent her life crashing through glass ceilings and accumulating “firsts”. She was the first female district attorney of San Francisco, the first female attorney general of California, the first Indian American in the US Senate, the first Indian American candidate of a major party to run for vice-president. Soon she will become the first female vice-president. If Joe Biden only serves one term, as expected, there is a chance that in 2024 she could become the first black female president.
The problem with phrases like “first black female president” is that they confine the California senator to the sort of boxes she has always tried to avoid. “When I first ran for office that was one of the things that I struggled with, which is that you are forced through that process to define yourself in a way that you fit neatly into the compartment that other people have created,” she told the Washington Post last year. “I am who I am … You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it.” She does not agonise over her identity – she simply calls herself a “proud American”.
As with Barack Obama, there are those who have doubted Harris’s Americanness. The morning after Harris was named as Biden’s running mate, racist “birther” conspiracy theories, amplified by Donald Trump, began to circulate. Newsweek published an op-ed questioning whether Harris was “constitutionally ineligible” to become president because her parents, who met at graduate school in Berkeley, were immigrants. Her mother, a breast cancer researcher, was born in India. Her father, an economist, is black and was born in Jamaica. Harris, meanwhile, was born in Oakland, California. Which, to be very clear, means the 56-year-old is a natural-born US citizen and eligible to run for president.
Left: Kamala Harris with her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a breast cancer researcher.
Right: At her mother’s lab in Berkeley, California.
Above: Harris, right, with Gwen Whitfield at an anti-apartheid protest in 1982 during her freshman year at Howard University in Washington. Photograph: AP
Pawan Dhingra, a professor of American studies at Amherst College, notes that Harris’s biracial heritage “represents a history of Asian Americans that is often overlooked”. The dominant narrative around Asian Americans, Dhingra says, has to do with their “abilities to approximate whiteness in regards to their education levels and incomes”. The “model minority myth” has often pitted Asian Americans against black Americans. Harris, however, “offers a different trajectory to understand Asian Americans”, Dhingra believes. Her biography is one of interracial solidarity and activism: Harris’s progressive parents were active in the protests of the 1960s and 70s, and the senator has frequently talked about growing up with a “stroller’s-eye view of the civil rights movement”. She is, Dhingra notes, “a powerful symbol and voice for progressive Asian Americans”.
Canada has also laid claim to Harris: she lived in Montreal between the ages of 12 and 17 because her mother got a job there. (Harris’s parents divorced when she was seven, and her mother raised the children.) To begin with, Harris found it hard to find her feet – not least because the first school she went to was Francophone. Her go-to phrase was “Quoi? Quoi? Quoi?”, which means “What? What? What?” but to French speakers also sounds like quacking. “I used to joke that I felt like a duck,” she wrote in her memoir.
Is Harris a careerist or an activist? Is she pragmatic or progressive? These are questions that have been debated for years.
Before long, however, Harris had thrown herself into an all-female dance troupe called Midnight Magic and, when not dancing, was spearheading demonstrations. Aged 13, she mobilised the neighbourhood children to protest against rules that stopped them playing on the lawn in front of their apartment building. The protest was a success. Later, when the Canadian version of prom rolled around, Harris was part of a group who decided to go without a date so that people who had not been asked out would not feel left out.
After finishing high school in Canada, Harris went to Howard University, a historically black university in Washington DC. From there she went to the University of California’s Hastings college of the law. At both places, the Washington Post notes, “Harris was more careerist than activist, winning competitive internships and joining academic societies”.
But is Harris a careerist or an activist? Is she pragmatic or progressive? These are questions that have been debated for years.
Kamala Harris, the then San Francisco district attorney, signing election papers in 2008 to run for California attorney general, the top law enforcement officer in the nation’s most populous state. Photograph: Ben Margot/AP
“Kamala is a cop”, a reference to Harris’s record as a prosecutor, was a meme throughout her campaign: in an age in which police brutality is top of the mind, her 13-year career in law enforcement has been a point of contention. During her time as San Francisco district attorney, for example, she boasted about raising the overall felony conviction rate from 52% in 2003 to 67% in 2006, the highest in a decade. Her tough-on-truancy laws led to parents of habitually truant schoolchildren going to jail. As California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017, her office argued against releasing eligible non-violent inmates early because “prisons would lose an important labour pool”. After the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, she rejected calls from civil rights groups to investigate deadly police shootings in San Francisco. She has since spoken out against police brutality.
Harris’s law enforcement record has not stopped the right from calling her a radical socialist, however. In one interview with Fox Business, Trump called her “the most liberal person in the US Senate”.
To say Harris has any sort of agenda might be a stretch. One of the key criticisms of her has been a lack of consistency. In 2004, for example, she said she gave her word to the people of San Francisco that she opposed the death penalty. In 2014, after a federal judge ruled California’s death penalty unconstitutional, Harris appealed against the decision. During her campaign she could not seem to make up her mind whether she was courting the left or the moderates: she initially backed Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All plan, for example, then backpedalled and introduced her own, more centrist healthcare plan.
Above: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Harris speaking to people protesting for a higher minimum wage outside a McDonald’s in Las Vegas in 2019. Photograph: John Locher/AP
Below: Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff (wearing ‘Kamala’ T-shirt), attending 2019’s Pride parade in San Francisco soon after the debate where she challenged Joe Biden’s record of opposing bussing to desegregate schools. Photograph: David Paul Morris/Getty Images
Mary Kay Henry, who heads the influential Service Employees International Union, takes issue with the idea that Harris is inconsistent. As attorney general in California, Harris “was consistently a champion of what workers were demanding”, she says. “She stood with many of our members who were facing home foreclosures in the last financial crisis and [legislation she championed] helped avoid tens of thousands of home foreclosures.” Harris has also introduced bills to give domestic workers labour rights and advocated for a $15 minimum wage. “Her whole life’s work has been fighting to ensure America is a place where freedom is for everyone regardless of gender, income, or race,” Henry says.
04:50 Why Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate – video explainer
Harris’s past is a mixed bag, then. What about the future? Will Harris veer to the left or stay firmly in the centre? Again, it is likely to be a mixed bag. She is to the right of the Democratic party on Israel, for example, but to the left when it comes to the climate crisis. Harris supports the “green new deal” and has vowed to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass it; she has also said she would get the Department of Justice to hold oil and gas companies accountable. It is also likely Harris will catalyse more discussion about systemic racism, but it is unclear how much she will do to actually try to dismantle it. She has, for example, drawn attention to the way that people of colour are disproportionately dying from Covid-19 and announced legislation to support bias and anti-racism training for workers involved in the Covid-19 response. While that’s important, anti-bias training is a largely symbolic response to a systemic issue. Also unclear is how much she will reform immigration policies. Her first priority is to “roll back Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda” and she says she supports more comprehensive reform, but this is yet to be fleshed out.
Her first priority is to 'roll back Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda'
Immigration is not the only part of Trump’s record she plans to take on. Harris has said her administration’s Department of Justice “would have no choice” but to pursue criminal obstruction of justice charges against Trump for his apparent collusion with Russia as outlined in the Mueller report. This should make the former president feel very nervous indeed; Harris is a formidable opponent and, as her 2018 grilling of Brett Kavanaugh clearly shows, unafraid to take on powerful men.
Above: Harris meeting attorneys, refugees and visa holders detained in Los Angeles during Trump’s travel ban in 2017. Photograph: Sarah Reingewirtz/Rex
Below: Biden and Harris talking after the Democratic presidential debate in Houston in September 2019. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters
In all this, she will be able to count on the support of her family. Her husband, Douglas Emhoff, is a corporate lawyer who took a leave of absence to support her on the campaign trail. The pair met on a blind date and married in 2014. Harris is “dear friends” with Emhoff’s ex-wife, who also helped Harris’s presidential bid, and close to his children, who affectionately call her “Momala”. “We sometimes joke that our modern family is almost too functional,” Harris wrote in her memoir.
Whatever happens next, Harris’s vice-presidency will make history. She will be the first black American and the first Asian American to hold the country’s second highest office. It is hard to overstate how powerful that is after four years of Trump.


theguardian--2020-11-08--'Let us be the nation we know we can be': Biden speaks after defeating Trump - US election 2020 live

'Let us be the nation we know we can be': Biden speaks after defeating Trump - US election 2020 live updates

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticised the Democratic party for incompetence in a no-holds-barred , post-election interview with the New York Times , warning that if the Biden administration does not put progressives in top positions , the party would lose big in the 2022 midterm elections .
Signaling that the internal moratorium in place while the Democrats worked to defeat Donald Trump was over , the leftwing New York representative sharply rejected the notion advanced by some Democrats that progressive messaging around the Movement for Black Lives and the Green New Deal led to the party ’ s loss of congressional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The real problem , said Ocasio-Cortez , was that the party lacked “ core competencies ” to run campaigns .
“ There ’ s a reason Barack Obama built an entire national campaign apparatus outside of the Democratic National Committee , ” she told the Times ’ Astead Herndon .
“ And there ’ s a reason that when he didn ’ t activate or continue that , we lost House majorities .
Because the party – in and of itself – does not have the core competencies , and no amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Ocasio-Cortez and her closest allies in Congress – a four-woman group known as “ the squad ” who all won reelection last week – toed the party line while calling on grassroots activists to boost Biden and Democrats down-ticket .
The truce is over .
The failure of the party to operate an online strategy “ in a real way that exhibits competence ” , Ocasio-Cortez told the Times , made it hypocritical for the party to advance criticism of progressive messaging .
“ If I lost my election , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is moderates ’ fault .
This is because you didn ’ t let us have a floor vote on Medicare for all.
’ And they opened the hood on my campaign , and they found that I only spent $ 5,000 on TV ads the week before the election ?
” Ocasio-Cortez said .
“ They would laugh .
And that ’ s what they look like right now trying to blame the Movement for Black Lives for their loss.
” Read more of Tom McCarthy ’ s report here : Alexandria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Democratic party

9 Nov 2020 09.28 GMT Reuters have a quick snap here that the Kremlin has said it would wait for the official results of the US presidential election before commenting on its outcome, and that it had noted incumbent Donald Trump’s announcement of legal challenges related to the vote.
Vladimir Putin has remained silent on the issue since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the presidency on Saturday. Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow deemed it was better to wait for the official results before commenting.
Peskov added that Putin had repeatedly said he was ready to work with any US leader and that Russia hoped it could establish dialogue with the new administration and find a way to normalise relations.
9 Nov 2020 08.40 GMT Julian Borger After celebrating the winning of a Joe Biden presidency, Democrats are waking to the hangover of figuring out how to govern under the shadow of a runaway pandemic and the potential for gridlock imposed by the man who likes to call himself the Grim Reaper, the Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell. The imagined “blue wave” that was to bring Democratic control over the Senate did not materialize, but Biden’s party has not entirely given up hope. There will be two Senate run-off races in Georgia on 5 January, and if Democrats win both, that will scrape a 50-50 tie in the chamber, allowing Kamala Harris, as vice-president, to cast tie-breaking votes. McConnell was just reelected in Kentucky by 20 points. Photograph: Timothy D Easley/AP It is not impossible. Voter registration drives look to have succeeded in turning the state blue in the presidential election for the first time since 1992. But it will be an uphill task, and most Georgia observers expect the parties to emerge from the runoffs with one seat apiece, leaving the Senate split 51-49 in the Republicans’ favor. In that case, a Biden presidency would have to contend with the veteran senator from Kentucky who relishes the nickname of Grim Reaper for his lethal treatment of almost all Democratic legislation. He said in 2010 that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president”. McConnell failed in that task but made up for it by killing off mounds of Democratic legislation and Obama nominations for administrative positions. So despite winning more votes than anyone in US political history, Biden will have to share power with the head of a chamber in which Wyoming (population 586,107) has the same clout as California (nearly 40 million). “Mitch McConnell will force Joe Biden to negotiate every single cabinet secretary, every single district court judge, every single US attorney with him,” the Democratic senator Chris Murphy told Politico. “My guess is we’ll have a constitutional crisis pretty immediately.” Read the full piece here: Will Mitch McConnell strangle Joe Biden's legislative program at birth? Read more
Updated at 08.41 GMT
9 Nov 2020 07.24 GMT Donald Trump was a unique American president. He was the only one to be impeached, fail to win re-election AND lose the popular vote – TWICE. This Venn diagram captures Trump’s historic uniqueness:
The definitive Venn Diagram of troubled presidencies. pic.twitter.com/LehTdpjQsu — ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) November 9, 2020
9 Nov 2020 07.21 GMT This tedious repetition of the patently false accusation of voter fraud by the peculiar shirt-tucker Rudy Giuliani, who will say literally anything to sustain the next Trump grift which is coming as sure as the sunrise, bears mentioning only because of how long is his list of the states where they got beaten. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada – oh don’t forget Arizona, that was bad, and Maine, that district in Nebraska … The Biden selection by the Crooked Media is based on unlawful votes in PA, Mich, GA, Wisc, Nevada et al.
We will prove it all. — Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) November 9, 2020
Updated at 07.45 GMT
9 Nov 2020 06.41 GMT To the genre of the cathartic Trump sayonara, Tim Miller of the conservative anti-Trump Bulwark adds this prize: On the eve of the 2016 election, the one thing that I most looked forward to was the prospect of never having to consider Donald Trump again. Never having to waste another solitary brain particle on him. Alas it wasn’t to be then. It certainly hasn’t been the case during this week’s 50+ hour Steve Kornacki Big Board binge fest. Nor will it be going forward. We are not done with Donald Trump as a malignant force in American politics just because he was defeated in his re-election bid. He will still be in office for eleven critical weeks. Then we will have to contend with him for years to come. He may have broken something fundamental in our country that will take a generation to fix. I understand all that. But those impending threats shouldn’t minimize the enormity of what we accomplished in brushing him back. And it doesn’t make this next sentence any less sweet. Donald Trump: You’re Fucking Fired. Read the full piece here.
9 Nov 2020 06.28 GMT How is the national healing going? Some prominent Americans on the Biden side are preaching reconciliation: the first thing I did when the presidency was called is text and call my family members who do not agree and tell them I love them and am here for them. #FamilyFirst. Call your family today. Happy Sunday. ♥ — KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 8, 2020 If someone you love and care about voted the other way, today might be a good day to reach out. Not to talk politics, but to talk about things that will remind them (and yourself) why you love and care about them. — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 8, 2020 But judging by the replies to those tweets, many people do not see reconciliation as a possibility, and some accuse the tweeters of blindness to the threat Trump represented and the damage he has done.
9 Nov 2020 06.18 GMT Martin Farrer Financial markets around the world have received a marked boost in the wake of Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election, with Japanese shares hitting their highest level for nearly three decades and oil prices also climbing. Stock prices in Europe and New York were also expected to rise sharply on Monday after the president-elect pledged to try to bring unity to the US after four tumultuous years under the Trump administration. Good morning: It's risk on in Asia! Best so far in USD in 5 days:
Nikkei 225 +9.6%
Australia +9.1%
Singapore +8.6%
Indonesia +8.4% pic.twitter.com/ttQs9GgWlZ — Trinh (@Trinhnomics) November 9, 2020 The Nikkei index in Tokyo led the way with a rise of 2.3% as traders in Asia Pacific got the first chance to give their verdict on the Biden victory declared over the weekend. In China, the Shanghai Composite was also up more than 2%, Hong Kong shares rose 1.5% and the ASX200 in Sydney jumped 1.74%. Read further: Biden win boosts global stock markets as Japanese shares soar to 29-year high Read more


theguardian--2020-11-08--Kamala Harris: joy in south India at victory for 'daughter of our village'

Waking up to the news of Kamala Harris ’ election as US vice-president , people in her Indian grandfather ’ s home town set off firecrackers and offered prayers .
Groups gathered on Sunday at street corners in Thulasendrapuram , a village of 350 people , reading newspapers and chatting about Joe Biden and Harris ’ victory before moving to a temple .
A woman wrote in coloured powder outside her home : “ Congratulations Kamala Harris .
Pride of our village .
Vanakkam [ Greetings ] America.
” Most of them had gone to sleep by the time Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college votes , making Harris the first woman and the first person of south Asian descent to be elected vice-president .
“ For two or three days we kept our fingers crossed while the result was delayed , ” said village resident Kalidas Vamdayar .
“ Now it ’ s a joyful moment for us .
We are enjoying it.
” “ We will celebrate with firecrackers , distributing Indian sweets to people and praying in the temple , ” Vamdayar said .
“ We will request her to come here .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may come.
” Tamil Nadu ’ s food minister R Kamraj , led about 100 people at the Dharma Sastha temple for a 20-minute prayer during which the idol of Hindu deity Ayyanar , a form of Shiva , was washed with milk and decked with flowers by the priest .
He chanted hymns after lighting oil lamps , and the villagers bowed their heads in respect .
“ Kamala Harris is the daughter of our village , ” said Aulmozhi Sudhakar , a village councillor .
“ From children to senior citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day she will take the oath as the vice-president of the US.
” There were more singing , dancing and firecrackers throughout the day in the village , where cutouts and posters wishing Harris a “ grand success ” adorned walls .
People congregated in groups of 30 or 40 exchanging sweets , delicacies and snacks at different spots .
They seemed to be celebrating Diwali , the most popular Hindu festival of lights , a week ahead of time .
Young children carrying placards with photos of Harris ran around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visited the village with their supporters , meeting residents and visiting the temple .
Musicians played wind and string instruments with cymbals and drums .
J Sudhakar , who organised prayers on election day , expressed his wish that Harris will visit .
As Americans voted , about 50 residents , with folded hands , lined up in the temple that reverberated with the sound of ringing bells , and a Hindu priest gave them sweets and flowers as a religious offering .
Women in the village , which is 215 miles from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used bright colours to write “ We Wish Kamala Harris Wins ” on the ground , alongside a thumbs-up sign .
The lush green village is the home town of Harris ’ s maternal grandfather , who had moved to Chennai , the capital of Tamil Nadu state , decades ago .
Inside the temple where people have been holding special prayers , Harris ’ s name is sculpted into a stone that lists public donations made to the temple in 2014 , along with that of her grandfather , who gave money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also was born in India , before moving to the US at the age of 19 to study at the University of California .
She married a Jamaican man , and they named their daughter Kamala , Sanskrit for “ lotus flower ” .

Waking up to the news of Kamala Harris’ election as US vice-president, people in her Indian grandfather’s home town set off firecrackers and offered prayers.
Groups gathered on Sunday at street corners in Thulasendrapuram, a village of 350 people, reading newspapers and chatting about Joe Biden and Harris’ victory before moving to a temple.
A woman wrote in coloured powder outside her home: “Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village. Vanakkam [Greetings] America.”
Most of them had gone to sleep by the time Biden clinched the winning threshold of 270 electoral college votes, making Harris the first woman and the first person of south Asian descent to be elected vice-president.
“For two or three days we kept our fingers crossed while the result was delayed,” said village resident Kalidas Vamdayar. “Now it’s a joyful moment for us. We are enjoying it.”
“We will celebrate with firecrackers, distributing Indian sweets to people and praying in the temple,” Vamdayar said. “We will request her to come here. She would have heard our voice and she may come.”
Tamil Nadu’s food minister R Kamraj, led about 100 people at the Dharma Sastha temple for a 20-minute prayer during which the idol of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Shiva, was washed with milk and decked with flowers by the priest. He chanted hymns after lighting oil lamps, and the villagers bowed their heads in respect.
A resident in Painganadu, near Thulasendrapuram. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP
“Kamala Harris is the daughter of our village,” said Aulmozhi Sudhakar, a village councillor. “From children to senior citizens, each one of us is awaiting the day she will take the oath as the vice-president of the US.”
There were more singing, dancing and firecrackers throughout the day in the village, where cutouts and posters wishing Harris a “grand success” adorned walls.
People light firecrackers in Thulasendrapuram. Photograph: AFP/Getty
People congregated in groups of 30 or 40 exchanging sweets, delicacies and snacks at different spots. They seemed to be celebrating Diwali, the most popular Hindu festival of lights, a week ahead of time. Young children carrying placards with photos of Harris ran around the village.
Several politicians from nearby districts visited the village with their supporters, meeting residents and visiting the temple. Musicians played wind and string instruments with cymbals and drums.
J Sudhakar, who organised prayers on election day, expressed his wish that Harris will visit. As Americans voted, about 50 residents, with folded hands, lined up in the temple that reverberated with the sound of ringing bells, and a Hindu priest gave them sweets and flowers as a religious offering.
Women in the village, which is 215 miles from the southern coastal city of Chennai, used bright colours to write “We Wish Kamala Harris Wins” on the ground, alongside a thumbs-up sign. The lush green village is the home town of Harris’s maternal grandfather, who had moved to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, decades ago.
Inside the temple where people have been holding special prayers, Harris’s name is sculpted into a stone that lists public donations made to the temple in 2014, along with that of her grandfather, who gave money decades ago.
Sweets are distributed at Kamala Harris’s ancestral village. Photograph: AFP/Getty
Harris’ late mother also was born in India, before moving to the US at the age of 19 to study at the University of California. She married a Jamaican man, and they named their daughter Kamala, Sanskrit for “lotus flower”.


theguardian--2020-11-08--US posts fourth consecutive daily Covid record as Joe Biden prepares taskforce

As President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would name his own coronavirus taskforce on Monday , the US recorded its fourth consecutive record daily total of new Covid cases , close to 130,000 .
“ That plan will be built on a bedrock of science , ” Biden said , promising to “ spare no effort – or commitment – to turn this pandemic around.
” According to Johns Hopkins University , 127,399 cases were recorded across the US on Saturday , bringing the total recorded to nearly 9.9m .
More than 1,000 deaths were recorded , bring the national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Anthony Fauci ’ s recent warning of cases rising and staying above 100,000 a day , the seven-day average for cases was 103,973 .
Hospitalisations were also rising , at around 56,000 .
“ We ’ re in for a whole lot of hurt , ” Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease , told the Washington Post last week .
“ It ’ s not a good situation .
All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home indoors .
You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.
” Fauci , who has served six presidents since 1984 , and other respected public health experts have struggled to influence Donald Trump ’ s response to the crisis .
The president has followed advisers many say are unqualified , while insisting the US is “ rounding the turn ” and staging White House and campaign events at which mask-wearing and social-distancing are not enforced .
Cases have proliferated in the White House and around the president and are surging in states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffering particularly badly .
Delivering his victory speech in Wilmington , Delaware , on Saturday night , Biden outlined plans to announce a 12-member coronavirus taskforce on Monday .
“ Our work begins with getting Covid under control , ” Biden said .
“ We can not repair the economy , restore our vitality , or relish life ’ s most precious moments – hugging a grandchild , birthdays , weddings , graduations , all the moments that matter most to us – until we get this virus under control .
“ On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden-Harris Covid plan and convert it into an action blueprint that starts on 20 January 2021 .
“ That plan will be built on a bedrock of science .
It will be constructed out of compassion , empathy , and concern .
I will spare no effort – or commitment – to turn this pandemic around.
” Biden will take office facing an unprecedented challenge , in containing the pandemic and restoring damage done to the US economy .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 100,000 more Americans may have died by then .

As President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would name his own coronavirus taskforce on Monday, the US recorded its fourth consecutive record daily total of new Covid cases, close to 130,000.
“That plan will be built on a bedrock of science,” Biden said, promising to “spare no effort – or commitment – to turn this pandemic around.”
On Sunday, Biden’s campaign revealed that former US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy and former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr David Kessler would be co-chairs of the working group.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 127,399 cases were recorded across the US on Saturday, bringing the total recorded to nearly 9.9m. More than 1,000 deaths were recorded, bring the national toll close to 237,000.
Bearing out Dr Anthony Fauci’s recent warning of cases rising and staying above 100,000 a day, the seven-day average for cases was 103,973. Hospitalisations were also rising, at around 56,000.
“We’re in for a whole lot of hurt,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told the Washington Post last week. “It’s not a good situation. All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”
Fauci, who has served six presidents since 1984, and other respected public health experts have struggled to influence Donald Trump’s response to the crisis. The president has followed advisers many say are unqualified, while insisting the US is “rounding the turn” and staging White House and campaign events at which mask-wearing and social-distancing are not enforced.
Cases have proliferated in the White House and around the president – on Sunday the New York Times reported that as well as chief of staff Mark Meadows, five other White House aides and a campaign adviser had tested positive.
Cases are also surging in states across the US, many Republican-run states suffering particularly badly.
Delivering his victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night, Biden outlined plans to announce a 12-member coronavirus taskforce on Monday.
“Our work begins with getting Covid under control,” Biden said. “We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life’s most precious moments – hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us – until we get this virus under control.
“On Monday, I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden-Harris Covid plan and convert it into an action blueprint that starts on 20 January 2021.
“That plan will be built on a bedrock of science. It will be constructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern. I will spare no effort – or commitment – to turn this pandemic around.”
On Sunday, Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield told NBC’s Meet the Press that Murthy and Kessler would lead the task force, having been part of a group of experts and doctors that have briefed Biden throughout the campaign.
Murthy was surgeon general during Barack Obama’s second term. Kessler was FDA commissioner in the 1990s and is now board chair at the Centers for Science in the Public Interest.
Biden made Donald Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic a central focus of his campaign. He will take office facing an unprecedented challenge, in containing the pandemic and restoring damage done to the US economy. According to projections from the University of Washington, more than 100,000 more Americans may have died by then.


theguardian--2020-11-08--Trauma and triumph: the 10 moments that made Joe Biden

Joe Biden was born on 20 November 1942 , in Scranton , Pennsylvania .
He was the oldest of four children in a Catholic family ; his mother , Jean , had Irish roots .
The family ’ s economic fortunes were up and down , with Biden ’ s father , Joseph , later becoming a successful car-tyre salesman .
At school Biden was class president , although his grades were unremarkable .
His youth was dominated by a struggle to overcome a severe stutter .
A recent biography by Evan Osnos suggests that Biden never entirely shed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approach to life and politics .
In 1966 , he married a student from Syracuse University , Neilia Hunter .
Biden got a law degree and began practising in Wilmington .
He initially saw himself as a liberal Republican .
By 1969 , he won a seat on Delaware county council as a Democrat .
Becoming a senator – and losing his wife and daughter Biden rose swiftly in Delaware politics .
In 1972 , he scored an extraordinary victory in the state ’ s Senate election , defeating the incumbent Republican against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became the sixth youngest senator in US history , but personal tragedy overshadowed this triumph .
While he was away setting up his office in Washington , a truck drove into the family car , killing his wife , Neilia , and their baby daughter Naomi .
His sons Beau and Hunter were badly injured .
Biden was sworn in as senator from their hospital bedside .
The loss prompted Biden to think about quitting ; instead , he became a long-distance commuter , travelling from his home in Delaware to DC and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see his young sons .
It was a practice he continued for more than three decades , earning him the nickname Amtrak Joe .
In 1975 , Biden ’ s brother set up a blind date with a woman he ’ d known from university , Jill Tracy Jacobs .
The date went well ; two years later Biden married Jill , a teacher , in a Roman Catholic ceremony at a chapel in New York .
In 1981 , they had a daughter , Ashley .
Meanwhile , Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magazine identified him as a future American leader .
His main international interest was arms control , at a time when relations between the US and the Soviet Union were characterised by mutual mistrust .
Biden met with the Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko , and argued Washington should abide by treaties signed with Moscow limiting long-range ballistic nuclear missiles .
He also opposed the Reagan administration ’ s support for apartheid South Africa .
In summer 1987 , Biden announced a presidential bid , his first .
He was regarded as moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Senate ’ s judiciary committee .
At just 44 , Biden would have been the second-youngest president after John F Kennedy .
But his campaign for the Democratic nomination unravelled when he made a heartfelt speech about his family .
Biden had substantially borrowed a passage from the British Labour leader Neil Kinnock .
The gaffe sent journalists scurrying to dig up further embarrassing details .
They found plenty .
Biden , it turned out , had exaggerated his lacklustre academic credentials as well as his participation in the civil rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race , a victim of his own flaws and what he dubbed the “ exaggerated shadow ” of his past .
Biden was further criticised for his role in supreme court hearings .
Women ’ s groups accused him of mismanaging allegations of sexual harassment made by Anita Hill against judge Clarence Thomas .
Biden ’ s second presidential bid in 2007 fell apart more rapidly than his first .
This time it wasn ’ t plagiarism that undid him but a classic Joe gaffe .
He described his rival Barack Obama as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy – I mean that ’ s a storybook , man ” .
The comment sunk his ability to raise funds .
Biden found himself squeezed between Obama and Hillary Clinton .
He exited the contest after coming fifth in the Iowa caucus .
Biden ’ s tilt at the presidency followed a long stint on the Senate ’ s foreign relations committee , as chair and ranking minority member .
He supported Nato enlargement and its bombing of Kosovo .
In 2002 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He later admitted this was a “ mistake ” and said President Bush should “ level ” with the American people about the war ’ s cost .
After winning the Democratic nomination , Obama selected Biden to be his running mate .
This was a surprise .
Obama looked beyond Biden ’ s drawbacks : the condescension , his prolixity when it came to giving speeches , and his proclivity for gaffes .
Instead Obama identified what Biden might bring to the ticket : contacts on Capitol Hill and substantial political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with blue-collar voters and foreign policy experience .
In August 2008 , Biden was confirmed as the Democrats ’ choice for vice-president .
During the campaign the media spotlight was more on Sarah Palin , Biden ’ s erratic Republican party rival .
Biden campaigned in swing states and criticised the Republican candidate , John McCain , a longstanding friend .
After Obama ’ s victory Biden relinquished his Senate seat and – seemingly – his last opportunity to become president .
During Obama ’ s second presidential term there was speculation that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidency .
There was an issue : his age .
Had he stood and won , he would have been 74 at the time of inauguration – the oldest president ever .
The other factor was Biden ’ s son Beau , who was diagnosed with a brain tumour .
Beau ’ s death in May 2015 persuaded Biden not to run .
He acknowledged the loss of his son had drained him of “ emotional energy ” , adding : “ Nobody has a right … to seek that office unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 110 % of who they are.
” Biden ’ s frankness about grief and his ability to come back from dark places – not once but twice – would later turn out to be useful political assets .
His empathy was in contrast with the narcissism of Donald Trump , the 2016 election ’ s winner .
In a time of pandemic Biden ’ s emotional gifts would strike a chord with voters .
In 2019 , Biden launched his third bid to enter the White House .
His poll numbers were good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he flopped disastrously – trailing Bernie Sanders and Sanders ’ fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren .
By the time of the New Hampshire primary it seemed that Biden was sunk : he came fifth .
And then something nobody had anticipated happened : the most improbable comeback since Lazarus .
On the campaign trail Biden appealed to black voters .
In South Carolina , they forgave him his patchy record on race and came to the rescue .
He won the state overwhelmingly .
He then won 18 of the next 26 contests and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Klobuchar .
When Sanders dropped out in April Biden became the nominee .
The prospect of a restorationist Biden presidency became real .
Questions about his age hadn ’ t gone away , though .
Neither had Trump , a ruthless adversary and the man he had to beat .
In March 2020 , Biden announced he would pick a woman to be his running mate ; his choice was the Californian senator and former prosecutor Kamala Harris .
It was a bold decision .
She was the first woman of colour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 244-year history .
At a time of # MeToo and Black Lives Matter uprisings , Harris was also a symbolic rebuke to the white supremacists who cheered on Trump .
Biden would be 78 at the time of his inauguration .
It seemed unlikely he would want to serve a second term .
That meant Harris was ideally placed to become America ’ s first female president , should Biden win , and to exorcise the ghost of Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 defeat .
There was calculation here too : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women fed up with Trump and that of African American voters , especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin .
On the eve of last week ’ s election , the pundits were unanimous : Biden was going to win , and win big .
It didn ’ t quite turn out like that .
On election night , Trump won the swing state of Florida , held Texas and painted much of the US map red .
Democratic challengers in the House and Senate fell short .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and African-Americans .
And yet slowly and inexorably Biden votes began to pile up .
He won Michigan and Wisconsin .
And in swing states mail-in ballots gobbled up Trump ’ s early lead .
Trump responded in familiar fashion : with law suits and false claims that the Democrats were engaged in fraud .
Biden remained calm and confident .
By Friday , the race was effectively over , when Biden edged ahead in Pennsylvania and Georgia .
Late on Saturday morning , as a chunk of Philadelphia votes came in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Biden .
At the time Trump was out golfing .
The news triggered spontaneous street parties across the country , from DC , to New York , to San Francisco .
In a victory speech on Saturday , Biden offered an inclusive vision and promised to heal America .
“ Let this grim era of demonisation in America begin to end – here and now , ” he said .

Joe Biden was born on 20 November 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was the oldest of four children in a Catholic family; his mother, Jean, had Irish roots. The family’s economic fortunes were up and down, with Biden’s father, Joseph, later becoming a successful car-tyre salesman. At school Biden was class president, although his grades were unremarkable.
1 Childhood, stutter and early career
Biden aged 10 in 1952. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
His youth was dominated by a struggle to overcome a severe stutter. A recent biography by Evan Osnos suggests that Biden never entirely shed the insecurity, with the battle shaping his approach to life and politics. In 1966, he married a student from Syracuse University, Neilia Hunter. Biden got a law degree and began practising in Wilmington. He initially saw himself as a liberal Republican. By 1969, he won a seat on Delaware county council as a Democrat.
2 Becoming a senator – and losing his wife and daughter
Joe Biden is sworn in as a senator in a Wilmington hospital, with his son Beau Biden in the foreground. Photograph: AP
Biden rose swiftly in Delaware politics. In 1972, he scored an extraordinary victory in the state’s Senate election, defeating the incumbent Republican against the odds. Aged 30, he became the sixth youngest senator in US history, but personal tragedy overshadowed this triumph. While he was away setting up his office in Washington, a truck drove into the family car, killing his wife, Neilia, and their baby daughter Naomi. His sons Beau and Hunter were badly injured. Biden was sworn in as senator from their hospital bedside. The loss prompted Biden to think about quitting; instead, he became a long-distance commuter, travelling from his home in Delaware to DC and back again every day, in order to see his young sons. It was a practice he continued for more than three decades, earning him the nickname Amtrak Joe.
3 Marriage to Jill
In 1975, Biden’s brother set up a blind date with a woman he’d known from university, Jill Tracy Jacobs. The date went well; two years later Biden married Jill, a teacher, in a Roman Catholic ceremony at a chapel in New York. In 1981, they had a daughter, Ashley. Meanwhile, Biden’s senatorial career was taking off. Time magazine identified him as a future American leader. His main international interest was arms control, at a time when relations between the US and the Soviet Union were characterised by mutual mistrust. Biden met with the Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko, and argued Washington should abide by treaties signed with Moscow limiting long-range ballistic nuclear missiles. He also opposed the Reagan administration’s support for apartheid South Africa.
Biden with his sons Beau (left) and Hunter and his future wife Jill. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
4 First presidential bid
In summer 1987, Biden announced a presidential bid, his first. He was regarded as moderate, likable and high-profile, as chair of the Senate’s judiciary committee. At just 44, Biden would have been the second-youngest president after John F Kennedy. But his campaign for the Democratic nomination unravelled when he made a heartfelt speech about his family. Biden had substantially borrowed a passage from the British Labour leader Neil Kinnock. The gaffe sent journalists scurrying to dig up further embarrassing details. They found plenty. Biden, it turned out, had exaggerated his lacklustre academic credentials as well as his participation in the civil rights movement. He pulled out of the race, a victim of his own flaws and what he dubbed the “exaggerated shadow” of his past. Biden was further criticised for his role in supreme court hearings. Women’s groups accused him of mismanaging allegations of sexual harassment made by Anita Hill against judge Clarence Thomas.
Joe Biden announcing his bid for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. Photograph: Steve Liss/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
5 Second presidential bid
Biden’s second presidential bid in 2007 fell apart more rapidly than his first. This time it wasn’t plagiarism that undid him but a classic Joe gaffe. He described his rival Barack Obama as “the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy – I mean that’s a storybook, man”. The comment sunk his ability to raise funds. Biden found himself squeezed between Obama and Hillary Clinton. He exited the contest after coming fifth in the Iowa caucus. Biden’s tilt at the presidency followed a long stint on the Senate’s foreign relations committee, as chair and ranking minority member. He supported Nato enlargement and its bombing of Kosovo. In 2002, Biden backed the US-led invasion of Iraq. He later admitted this was a “mistake” and said President Bush should “level” with the American people about the war’s cost.
Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton before the start of a Democratic presidential primary debate in 2007 in South Carolina. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
6 Vice-presidency
After winning the Democratic nomination, Obama selected Biden to be his running mate. This was a surprise. Obama looked beyond Biden’s drawbacks: the condescension, his prolixity when it came to giving speeches, and his proclivity for gaffes. Instead Obama identified what Biden might bring to the ticket: contacts on Capitol Hill and substantial political nous, plus an ability to connect with blue-collar voters and foreign policy experience. In August 2008, Biden was confirmed as the Democrats’ choice for vice-president. During the campaign the media spotlight was more on Sarah Palin, Biden’s erratic Republican party rival. Biden campaigned in swing states and criticised the Republican candidate, John McCain, a longstanding friend. After Obama’s victory Biden relinquished his Senate seat and – seemingly – his last opportunity to become president.
7 Death of his son Beau
Biden and his family watch an honour guard carry his son Beau’s casket into church in Wilmington, Delaware in 2015. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP
During Obama’s second presidential term there was speculation that Biden would make a third bid for the presidency. There was an issue: his age. Had he stood and won, he would have been 74 at the time of inauguration – the oldest president ever. The other factor was Biden’s son Beau, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Beau’s death in May 2015 persuaded Biden not to run. He acknowledged the loss of his son had drained him of “emotional energy”, adding: “Nobody has a right … to seek that office unless they’re willing to give it 110% of who they are.” Biden’s frankness about grief and his ability to come back from dark places – not once but twice – would later turn out to be useful political assets. His empathy was in contrast with the narcissism of Donald Trump, the 2016 election’s winner. In a time of pandemic Biden’s emotional gifts would strike a chord with voters.
8
In 2019, Biden launched his third bid to enter the White House. His poll numbers were good. But in the first Iowa caucus he flopped disastrously – trailing Bernie Sanders and Sanders’ fellow progressive Elizabeth Warren. By the time of the New Hampshire primary it seemed that Biden was sunk: he came fifth. And then something nobody had anticipated happened: the most improbable comeback since Lazarus. On the campaign trail Biden appealed to black voters. In South Carolina, they forgave him his patchy record on race and came to the rescue. He won the state overwhelmingly. He then won 18 of the next 26 contests and endorsements from rival candidates Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. When Sanders dropped out in April Biden became the nominee. The prospect of a restorationist Biden presidency became real. Questions about his age hadn’t gone away, though. Neither had Trump, a ruthless adversary and the man he had to beat.
9 Picking Kamala Harris
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the final night of the 2020 Democratic national convention. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
In March 2020, Biden announced he would pick a woman to be his running mate; his choice was the Californian senator and former prosecutor Kamala Harris. It was a bold decision. She was the first woman of colour on a major party ticket in America’s 244-year history. At a time of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter uprisings, Harris was also a symbolic rebuke to the white supremacists who cheered on Trump. Biden would be 78 at the time of his inauguration. It seemed unlikely he would want to serve a second term. That meant Harris was ideally placed to become America’s first female president, should Biden win, and to exorcise the ghost of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat. There was calculation here too: that Harris could maximise the turnout of women fed up with Trump and that of African American voters, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
10 Victory
Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday after being declared the winner of the presidential election. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
On the eve of last week’s election, the pundits were unanimous: Biden was going to win, and win big. It didn’t quite turn out like that. On election night, Trump won the swing state of Florida, held Texas and painted much of the US map red. Democratic challengers in the House and Senate fell short. Trump even increased his vote share among Latinos and African-Americans. And yet slowly and inexorably Biden votes began to pile up. He won Michigan and Wisconsin. And in swing states mail-in ballots gobbled up Trump’s early lead. Trump responded in familiar fashion: with law suits and false claims that the Democrats were engaged in fraud. Biden remained calm and confident. By Friday, the race was effectively over, when Biden edged ahead in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Late on Saturday morning, as a chunk of Philadelphia votes came in, CNN and other networks called the race for Biden. At the time Trump was out golfing. The news triggered spontaneous street parties across the country, from DC, to New York, to San Francisco. In a victory speech on Saturday, Biden offered an inclusive vision and promised to heal America. “Let this grim era of demonisation in America begin to end – here and now,” he said.


theguardian--2020-11-08--The relief of Biden's win will be tempered by economic headwinds | Larry Elliott

In the end , for the Democrats it was a case of euphoria mingled with relief .
Relief that they had not managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory .
Relief that the president ’ s lies about electoral fraud failed to gain traction .
Relief that Donald Trump ’ s days in the White House are now numbered .
But really , it should not even have been close .
There may have been worse presidents than the one Joe Biden has defeated but off hand it is hard to name one .
A disastrous last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first occupant of the White House since the second world war to preside over a net loss of jobs .
When Herbert Hoover did that during the Great Depression he won only six states in the 1932 election and secured less than 40 % of the vote .
And Hoover merely presided over an economic catastrophe : Trump has seen the economy shrink and more than 230,000 Americans die of Covid-19 .
Yet Biden just about squeaked home and the Republicans held on to the Senate .
There was no blue wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Before Biden , the last politician to oust an elected US president was Bill Clinton , who defeated George Bush senior in 1992 with a bit of help from the third-party candidate Ross Perot .
What followed was the long boom of the 1990s during which unemployment came down , the stock market soared , US tech companies were at the forefront of the digital revolution and a budget deficit was turned into a surplus .
Biden faces a much stiffer challenge .
When Clinton became president , the US economy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the early 1990s and China ’ s assimilation into the global economy represented an influx of cheap imports rather than a threat to America ’ s supremacy .
Briefly , it was a unipolar world back then .
But where there were tailwinds for Clinton there are now headwinds for Biden .
The recovery in the US is slowing as people change their behaviour in response to Covid-19 infection rates that are reaching new peaks daily .
The impact of the stimulus package that boosted consumer spending in the spring and summer has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nothing about Trump ’ s record suggests he will lift a finger to help Biden between now and his inauguration early next year .
Nor will Biden be able to rely on a helpful Congress when he does take office .
Rather , Republicans will use the size of the US budget deficit – 15 % of national output this year – as an excuse for blocking the new president ’ s spending plans .
The lack of a blue wave will have consequences .
The likely gridlock in Congress means more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will fall on the Federal Reserve .
In many ways , the most important economic actor in the years ahead will not be the president but the chairman of the US central bank , Jerome Powell .
Wall Street is expecting the Fed to ramp up its quantitative easing programme next month , buying more financial assets so that it can pump money into the economy .
But Powell himself has recognised that there is a need for monetary action ( the stuff the Federal Reserve is responsible for ) to be accompanied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy ) .
Monetary policy is no answer to America ’ s need to renew its infrastructure or to make its welfare system more generous .
To the extent that it does make a difference , QE works by pushing up asset prices and creating a feel good factor so it tends to be better for Wall Street than for the struggling communities in the less well-off states .
One thing the 2020 elections have shown is that the US contains millions of angry , discontented people who were unconvinced by Biden and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term despite his record .
What ’ s more , the chastening thought for the Democrats is that had it not been for Covid-19 Trump would have won because his economic record in his first three years – while not as spectacular as he claimed – was pretty solid .
The economy grew steadily , the unemployment rate was at a 50 year low and had come down for all ethnic groups , real incomes were growing and the stock market reached record levels .
The political calculation for the Republicans will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible for Biden and our solid core support means we will win in 2024 .
Biden is unlikely to buy the argument that he would have won bigger had he been more radical .
The president-elect is no climate-change denier but nor is he a massive fan of the sort of green new deal championed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
Biden ’ s will be a safety-first presidency , with one eye always on the states that the Democrats will need again in four years time : Michigan , Wisconsin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely to be a dramatic shift on trade policy or in the US stance on China .
America is a different country from the one it was in the 1990s , when Clinton supported both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the creation of the World Trade Organization .
Biden will not be as openly protectionist or as hostile to China as Trump has been but his underlying approach will be similar : an America-first procurement policy , reform of the WTO , a hard line with Beijing on state-subsidised industries and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Clinton fully embraced globalisation , but that was before its hollowing-out impact on small-town America became evident and before China started to flex its muscles .
Many voters liked Trump ’ s economic nationalism .
Biden will have noted that .

In the end, for the Democrats it was a case of euphoria mingled with relief. Relief that they had not managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Relief that the president’s lies about electoral fraud failed to gain traction. Relief that Donald Trump’s days in the White House are now numbered.
But really, it should not even have been close. There may have been worse presidents than the one Joe Biden has defeated but off hand it is hard to name one. A disastrous last year means Trump is on course to be the first occupant of the White House since the second world war to preside over a net loss of jobs. When Herbert Hoover did that during the Great Depression he won only six states in the 1932 election and secured less than 40% of the vote.
And Hoover merely presided over an economic catastrophe: Trump has seen the economy shrink and more than 230,000 Americans die of Covid-19. Yet Biden just about squeaked home and the Republicans held on to the Senate. There was no blue wave, although there ought to have been.
Before Biden, the last politician to oust an elected US president was Bill Clinton, who defeated George Bush senior in 1992 with a bit of help from the third-party candidate Ross Perot. What followed was the long boom of the 1990s during which unemployment came down, the stock market soared, US tech companies were at the forefront of the digital revolution and a budget deficit was turned into a surplus.
Biden faces a much stiffer challenge. When Clinton became president, the US economy was recovering from the relatively mild recession of the early 1990s and China’s assimilation into the global economy represented an influx of cheap imports rather than a threat to America’s supremacy. Briefly, it was a unipolar world back then.
But where there were tailwinds for Clinton there are now headwinds for Biden. The recovery in the US is slowing as people change their behaviour in response to Covid-19 infection rates that are reaching new peaks daily. The impact of the stimulus package that boosted consumer spending in the spring and summer has faded and another boost is badly needed.
Nothing about Trump’s record suggests he will lift a finger to help Biden between now and his inauguration early next year. Nor will Biden be able to rely on a helpful Congress when he does take office. Rather, Republicans will use the size of the US budget deficit – 15% of national output this year – as an excuse for blocking the new president’s spending plans. The lack of a blue wave will have consequences.
The likely gridlock in Congress means more of the onus for stimulating the economy will fall on the Federal Reserve. In many ways, the most important economic actor in the years ahead will not be the president but the chairman of the US central bank, Jerome Powell.
Wall Street is expecting the Fed to ramp up its quantitative easing programme next month, buying more financial assets so that it can pump money into the economy. But Powell himself has recognised that there is a need for monetary action (the stuff the Federal Reserve is responsible for) to be accompanied by fiscal action (tax and spending policy).
Monetary policy is no answer to America’s need to renew its infrastructure or to make its welfare system more generous. To the extent that it does make a difference, QE works by pushing up asset prices and creating a feel good factor so it tends to be better for Wall Street than for the struggling communities in the less well-off states.
One thing the 2020 elections have shown is that the US contains millions of angry, discontented people who were unconvinced by Biden and were prepared to give Trump a second term despite his record.
What’s more, the chastening thought for the Democrats is that had it not been for Covid-19 Trump would have won because his economic record in his first three years – while not as spectacular as he claimed – was pretty solid. The economy grew steadily, the unemployment rate was at a 50 year low and had come down for all ethnic groups, real incomes were growing and the stock market reached record levels. The political calculation for the Republicans will be simple: make life as difficult as possible for Biden and our solid core support means we will win in 2024.
Biden is unlikely to buy the argument that he would have won bigger had he been more radical. The president-elect is no climate-change denier but nor is he a massive fan of the sort of green new deal championed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Biden’s will be a safety-first presidency, with one eye always on the states that the Democrats will need again in four years time: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.
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It also means there is unlikely to be a dramatic shift on trade policy or in the US stance on China. America is a different country from the one it was in the 1990s, when Clinton supported both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the creation of the World Trade Organization.
Biden will not be as openly protectionist or as hostile to China as Trump has been but his underlying approach will be similar: an America-first procurement policy, reform of the WTO, a hard line with Beijing on state-subsidised industries and the theft of American intellectual property rights.
Clinton fully embraced globalisation, but that was before its hollowing-out impact on small-town America became evident and before China started to flex its muscles. Many voters liked Trump’s economic nationalism. Biden will have noted that.