© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
After US President Joe Biden delivered a sub-optimal performance in the first presidential debate on June 27, some have called for his replacement as the Democratic candidate in the November elections. While the likelihood of Biden stepping aside is low at present, one potential candidate is already creating online buzz — some real, some as an internet meme.
Vice-President Kamala Harris, largely by virtue of her official role as next-in-line, has topped several lists of prospective candidates against Donald Trump. Posts about her candidature have also been shared online with coconut emojis, referencing a viral clip from a speech she gave earlier.
Harris said in 2023, “My mother used to — she would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” She laughed and then expanded on its meaning, saying, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
Harris has long been the subject of memes and jokes for her sometimes clunky speeches and actions. That is not to say that her work, like on immigration issues, has not been assessed from a more serious and critical lens. But with frustration over Biden, some Democrats are turning to her partly as a serious contender and for catharsis over the current political situation.
The “coconuts” come from a speech where Harris says one of her oft-repeated phrases: “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” She has used it to make the point that no individual exists independently. They are shaped by where they come from, larger socio-economic forces, and other factors.
A Vox article notes that while the message seems simple enough, “It was her delivery that turned it into a meme: in a joking voice, with exaggerated hand and arm gestures, and with a signature Kamala Harris laugh.”
Some users also seized the opportunity to bring up another Harris quote: “What one can be, unburdened by what has been”. In 2020, she became the first woman VP of the United States, and the first from South Asian and Black origins (her mother was Indian and her father was Jamaican). She posted on X: “When young children see someone who looks like them running for office, they see themselves and what they can be, unburdened by what has been.”
This quote simply says new opportunities and goals can be imagined and the baggage of history should not limit that ambition. Say, people from underrepresented communities aspire for goals like high-level positions in government. They should not feel burdened or daunted by the fact that they may be the first to achieve that goal.
To give a sense of how often she had used it, a Republican Party-linked X account shared a nearly four-minute-long compilation video of Harris saying it on multiple occasions.
But, as a social media user on X pointed out, the overall messaging gets slightly confusing. “How are you supposed to exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you AND be, unburdened by what has been at the same time? Waiting for her 3rd great revelation that synthesizes these two.”
But this virality is not in a vacuum. As the Vox article says, other memes on the VP over the years have come from how Harris, like many politicians, attempts rousing oratory but often fails. Coining phrases meant to resonate in public memory — think Obama’s “Yes, We Can” or Trump’s “Make America Great Again” — is not easy and there is a risk of sounding artificial or parody-like.
As of July 5, Democrat leaders have largely rallied behind Biden, but that decision has not been universally popular. Reuters quoted senior sources in the Biden campaign saying, “Harris is the top alternative to replace U.S. President Joe Biden if he decides not to continue his reelection campaign”.
At 59, Harris has a big advantage over Biden, 81, in terms of age — the biggest criticism against him at the moment. During the debate last month, he often fumbled and seemed to forget what he said at some points.
Other points in Harris’s favour include her being a prominent face of the administration and its policies, rather than a drastic change for voters of the Democratic Party. That she is already on the ticket alongside Biden, seeking re-election as VP, means she can immediately take over the Biden campaign’s funds.
Some recent opinion polls after the debate also show she is favoured over Biden in a match-up against Trump, although not by big margins. Reuters found that 81% per cent Democrats supported Harris as opposed to 78% for Biden.
However, her being associated with Biden would mean that Democrats and undecided voters who are critical of his policies will not have much newness to look forward to. The administration’s criticism of handling the Gaza war and the immigration challenges in the US would stick to her.
