Obama-Harris: A Hope for Change vs. A Promise Kept
How the ascent of the former president and vice president reflect the political expectations of Black America during their times
By: Ian L. Courts, Esq.¹
It was 2008, the results of the presidential election were coming in on CNN; I was in the 8th grade and staying up late to watch the results. Excitement, fear, nervousness, and hope were competing for my anxiety’s airtime. I asked myself, could a Black man, this Black man, Barack Obama, become the first “Black” President? I hoped for the answer to that question to be yes, and once the results projected Barack Hussein Obama’s election to the Office of the President, I was ecstatic and could hardly hold in my excitement at school the next day. President Obama’s candidacy and election meant a lot to me, my family, and local community, finally some representation in the White House.
Fast forward to 2020, I had moved to a new city in July, had turned 25 earlier in May, and had just finished taking the bar exam in October because it was delayed due to lockdown measures from its original July date. I had matured and come into my own progressive-pragmatist beliefs. Though I valued the exaltation of former President Obama in 2008 and staunchly defended him from critique from my Leftist, Socialist, and Republican friends, I realized that his election did not fundamentally change America or lessen the racial tension in America. I wasn't particularly excited about President Biden being at the top of the ticket, though I was hoping he would win. I knew innately that America needed a change and a break from the Trump presidency's four tumultuous and long years. Once the results came in, and the few delays in counting — Biden and Harris were projected to be the winners of the election — I felt relieved, joyful, and deeply grateful for survival, finally a pause to the tumult and pervasive anxiety of the prior four years. Moreover, there was once again “Black” representation in the White House via the person of Kamala Harris.
Obama and Harris have a long political relationship, in 2008, Harris was one of the first major politicians to endorse Obama for president, and she even stumped for him in Iowa. Moreover, Obama considered her for U.S. Attorney General — a position she declined to run for U.S. Senate; and the U.S. Supreme Court. Also, Obama encouraged Biden to strongly consider Harris as his running mate. However, my celebration of Kamala Harris’s ascension was very different from my jubilee for Obama’s elevation. This discussion will share why Obama’s election and presidency was a different experience for me, and I assume other Black Americans, to Kamala Harris’s election on the Biden ticket. Additionally, I will describe how Kamala Harris’s role of Vice President comes with different expectations from those placed on President Obama.
President Obama: A Hope for Change
President Obama’s election in 2008 catapulted him from being a freshman United States Senator to the Leader of the Free World. Many in the Black community were awestruck by his ascension, and it served as a source of pride for the community. Former President George W. Bush had left the country in a rough place — economic recession, foreign war, and political malaise. President Obama appealed to people’s desire for change and hope. Obama entered office with a mandate to bring about change; however, in reality, change was slow and incremental, while the social divisions grew exponentially.
President Obama capitalized on the populist fervor of the time while advocating for a moderately progressive policy agenda. Obama’s tenure as President saw the passing of the Affordable Care Act, Corporate Stimulus bailout, the election of a Republican supermajority in the House and Senate, the rise and fall of the Tea Party movement, and a splintering of the progressive and moderate sides of the Democratic party. Most of these events were outside of Obama’s control, but many were birthed in response to his policies and even his mere existence in the Executive office. Obama’s presidency was deeply marred by partisan divide, but he stayed above the political fray. Obama was lauded by some in the Media as charming, attractive, youthful, intelligent, while in other Media spheres, he was viewed as divisive, dangerous, deceitful, and condescending. By the end of his presidency, it was clear that America enjoyed the image of a “Black” President but not the reality of a “Black” man as commander-in-chief. Obama struggled with his desire to be perceived as apolitical, and his partisan expectations that he would defend, lead and promote the Democratic party as its de facto leader.
Moreover, Obama clumsily maneuvered his way on racial issues; it was during his presidency that many young Black activists — many who were integral to his election and re-election, began to protest police brutality against young Black men, a rise in white nationalism resulting in the massacre in Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and the ultimate election of Trump who spouted racial animus and venom. Obama did not want America to feel as though he was only looking out for Black Americans, which resulted in his delay and hesitancy in decrying police misconduct, while in the same breath admonishing Black Americans to be more palatable to White audiences to avoid scrutiny and criticism. Black America nodded in agreement, though a few publicly rebuked Obama’s paternalistic tone toward the community; however, seeds were growing in the Black community that wanted more than representation; they wanted policy. Obama’s ascension was honored and revered, but the road for the next “Black” person in the Oval Office would require more than platitudes and speeches; it would require concrete action.
Vice President Harris: A Promise Kept
Biden’s commitment to selecting a woman for his running mate made waves among political pundits, while most voters were lukewarm at best to Biden’s promise. However, one group of voters, namely Black women, saw it as an opportunity for self-representation and to advance policy promises. Moreover, the social and political climate of 2020 forced race and race relations in the country to the forefront. Biden was forced to choose someone that would balance him out politically and symbolically, in came Kamala Harris. Harris was not the only Black woman considered for Biden’s running mate, but arguably she was the most qualified and thoroughly vetted. Harris was Biden’s promise kept to Black women and a commitment that policy concerning Black people would be at the forefront of his Democratic administration.
In the early stages of Biden’s administration, we see him making a pronounced effort to include Harris in every meeting and make her a governing partner. Moreover, Harris is being used as an emissary of the Administration to the Black community. Though not unique in function to the previous vice president’s before her, Harris's vice presidency is different because she is serving with an expectation that she would potentially be President one day soon. Biden is preparing Harris for the political heat, rewards, and risk of being commander-in-chief while also giving her space to grow into her own place as vice president and heir apparent to the leadership of the Democratic party.
Harris owes her ascension to Black women as President Obama did; however, she is expected to speak up, be present, and show up for Black issues directly and more forcibly than Obama was. Harris’s schedule consists of meeting with Black small business owners, the Congressional Black Caucus, Black political networks while also fulfilling the other obligations placed upon her by Biden, such as immigration and voting rights. Harris’s vice presidency is one of the first times Black policy is a required political and executive duty of the vice president. How Harris plays her part as Vice President and emissary to Black America will profoundly impact a potential future bid for the U.S. Presidency.
One thing is for sure, Harris’s ascension provides an opportunity for the hope for change emanated during Obama’s presidency, to become promises kept under Biden’s administration.
Obama and Harris share many apparent similarities while also having distinct differences. Obama’s ascension came in a time of hope for change, and he benefitted from being historic while also having glowing media support and political savvy. Harris’s elevation came as a promise kept to Black women, and though she is historic, her historicity comes with great adversity and responsibility. Through Obama and Harris, we can see the reflection of the social climate of America at the time of their individual ascensions and the shift in Black Americans’ expectations in their represented leaders.
[1]: About the Author: Ian Courts is a young millennial attorney with expertise and a passion in American and international law and politics. Ian received his BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2017, in 2020 he received his J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law, and in 2022 Ian received his LLM in International Criminal Law and Justice from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. Ian lives in Philadelphia where he is an appellate lawyer and the proud fur-dad of two American Cocker Spaniels.
