Kamala Harris represents a diverse, free, inclusive and equal America

That encapsulation of racial progress glossed over some details (Chief Justice John Roberts would probably have sworn in Harris) and left out some possibilities.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could become the first African-American speaker of the House, and two African-American women could serve simultaneously in the US Senate, something that has never happened.

It’s a vision of America that millions of voters have had in mind for decades, working for — and against — its realization. This election is a referendum on that struggle, on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. And to their credit, Democrats stake their future on those ideals and aspirations.

Two tough versions of America were vividly exposed. One, last Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the echoes of nativism rang out loud.

Crowds cheered for bottom-of-the-barrel bigotry, images of watermelon-loving African-Americans, rock-throwing Muslims and penny-pinching Jews.

Puerto Rico, the home of American citizens, was trashed and Mexican men were labeled as baby makers. It was distilled Trumpism. It was shocking because while America gave birth to many of these stereotypes, there was a serious, if imperfect, attempt to dispel them. Not so in Trump’s version of America.

Two days later, another version of the US was shown in Washington on the Ellipse, with the White House as a backdrop. A crowd of 75,000 gathered to reclaim that land from an anti-Democrat mob that besieged the Capitol.

Children of all ethnicities stood on their parents’ shoulders, waving American flags to see a woman who looked like them. They gathered there to hear Harris, the daughter of immigrants, call on Americans to remember the activist patriots — at Selma, Seneca Falls, Stonewall — who marched, protested and pushed to make this country great. for everyone.

Her campaign is an extension of this struggle, a rejection of the other-distracting carnival of conspiracy theories, lies, sexism, racism and machismo.

“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. This is who he is,” Harris said. “But America, I’m here tonight to say that we are not who we are. That’s not who we are! That’s not who we are!” It was a declaration, a hope, a shouted prayer that most Americans would choose to take an expanded view of the nation.

(In focusing on diversity), the Democratic Party forces the country to live up to its core principles of equality and progress. It is an insistence on inclusion and representation that is not without risks.

In 1971, Patrick Buchanan wrote a memo titled “Dividing the Democrats” that recommended using racial progress as a motivator for Caucasian voters.

“There is nothing that can so much advance the president’s chances of re-election — not a trip to China, not four and a half hours of unemployment — as a realistic black presidential campaign,” Buchanan wrote.

Trump is so clearly against social progress, and his rise and current success should rightly be seen as a reaction to the election of President Barack Obama in 2008.

If Trump wins, many will point to the Harris campaign and argue that she focused too much on women, didn’t seem tough enough on immigration and crime, and wasn’t specific enough about her plans.

They will say she ignored men, especially working class men, and should have found time to hang out with podcaster Joe Rogan. They will advise the Democratic Party to do some research, move to the right, “not be so black”, “woke up” and focus so much on social progress – some of this second-guessing is already in progress. And they will be wrong.

Harris, who will spend election night at her alma mater, Howard University, represents the best of her party, the culmination of everything the party has strived, sometimes imperfectly, to be.

Her historic run has sparked millions of Americans nostalgic for the old order and the old ways. And her race has been energizing for millions of Americans who want fairness, equality and just plain decency.

This unwieldy, multiracial, multigenerational coalition of Americans persists in this vision of a better America despite the obvious risks and backlash. This is a good problem and a necessary fight. Win or lose, the Democratic Party must not give up this worthy fight. © Bloomberg