Detail

With Leland Marmon

02 November 2024

Local Vote 2024. WASHINGTON — In an event billed as the Democratic candidate’s “closing argument,” Vice President Kamala Harris drew a large crowd at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, one week before the 2024 presidential election.

A sea of ​​colorful dots covered every patch of grass around the Washington Monument as people crowded together and raced to take in the view. Crowds of spectators and protesters roamed the streets, many clinging to jumbotrons, others broadcasting their grievances through megaphones and signs; Among them was a silent angel of death ready for Halloween. There is an air of excitement inside the Ellipse with chants and slogans, almost everyone wearing red white and blue LED wristbands.

Originally expected to be 30,000 people, it grew to an impressive audience of around 75,000. About 40,000 are inside the Ellipse, the rest are in the overflow. The event attracted supporters from the DMV (DC, MD, VA) and beyond; this was fueled by the excitement of a potential black female presidential candidate and encouraged by the support of Democratic leaders and public figures.

Numerous speakers opened for Kamala, consisting of average Americans with important and touching stories to tell. Issues ranged from the human cost of insulin, family planning, support for entrepreneurs and small businesses, as well as supporting our veterans.

“These are the policies of a leader, a leader who cares about making our lives better. “He is someone who is committed to listening to the people he serves,” said Ryan Wilson, a small business owner from Atlanta. “Taking good ideas wherever they come from and developing common-sense solutions that focus on getting things done.”

Speakers included a woolly Republican family from Virginia, Bob and Christina Lang, who vowed to vote for Kamala this election. “Never in a million years did I think I would stand on a stage like this and support a Democrat becoming president, but enough is enough!” declared Christina. Her husband followed suit, ending his speech with a serious call to action: “My message to millions of undecided voters, many of them Republicans, is that it’s time to turn the page on Donald Trump!”

Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage to loud cheers. “One week from today,” he began, his voice speaking to the thousands of people who had come to support him, “you will have a chance to make a decision that will directly affect your life, the life of your family, and the future of this country we love. It will probably be the most important vote you have ever cast.” He framed the upcoming election not just as a choice between candidates, but also as “a choice for every American about whether we have a country rooted in freedom or a country ruled by chaos and division.”

It was no coincidence that this rally was held in the same area where Trump incited the January 6 march and subsequent riots at the Capitol.

“So tonight, I’m going to talk to everybody about the choice and the stakes in this election. Look, we all know who Donald Trump is. He’s the one who stood in this very spot about four years ago and sent an armed mob into the United States. Harris told the State House, “He wanted him to reverse the will of the people in a free and fair election that he knew he lost.” “As a result of this attack, Americans died. 140 law enforcement officers were injured. And as Donald Trump sat in the White House and watched the violence unfold on television, he was told by staff that the mob wanted to kill his vice president. Donald Trump responded with two words: ‘So what?'”

While discussing her policy stance, Harris also touched on Trump’s openly negative and chaotic responses to the American people. “This is not a presidential candidate thinking about how to make his life better. This person is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with complaints, and pursuing uncontrolled power. “For a decade, Donald Trump has tried to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other.”

“It’s time to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. “It is time to turn the page on drama and conflict, fear and division,” he said. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America.”

His message culminated in the realization that this election does not begin and end with policies, but is a struggle over the country’s identity.

“We are a nation of immigrants,” Harris reminded the audience, to thunderous applause. “I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hard-working people.”

He continued with his comments about veterans, reminding viewers of how Trump has treated them in the past. “Donald Trump has shown his disrespect for our nation’s heroes. … I will always honor, never disparage, the service and sacrifice of our service members and their families, and uphold our sacred obligation to care for them.”

Throughout his speech, he emphasized what it means to be ‘presidential’ and vowed to represent the American people on the world stage and in the federal government. Be it women’s rights, inflation, immigration, the cost of care, housing or what it means to be a politician represented by a democratic vote.

“If you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that can stand in my way.” Harris said.