In a speech in front of the Frederick Douglass Building at her alma mater, Howard University, in which she vowed a “peaceful transfer of power,” she added, but while conceding the election, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and dignity of all people. The fight for the ideals of our nation, that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”© Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com via MSNBC
By Karen Rubin, News-Photos-Features.com, editor@news-photos-features.com
As she has done throughout this historic campaign for the presidency, Kamala Harris conceded the election to Trump with grace, dignity, commitment to her duty to the Constitution and peaceful transfer of power, in a manner that Trump never displayed, not during his presidency or his loss in 2020. But while conceding the election, she emphatically stated, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and dignity of all people. The fight for the ideals of our nation, that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”
There have been a series of finger pointing about her loss, yet, as she summed up what she stood for and fought for, it was clear she was the best candidate who offered the best platform to better the lives of Americans. Her loss was America’s loss of what could have been, to build on Biden’s transformative presidency toward building a more just America. For all.
As President Biden said of her, “Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans.... She will continue the fight with purpose, determination, and joy. She will continue to be a champion for all Americans. Above all, she will continue to be a leader our children will look up to for generations to come as she puts her stamp on America’s future.”
And while there are grumblings that Democrats should abandon their goal of progress for all in order to not be painted as the Trump MAGAs did, as Socialist, as Communist, while feigning upset at the correct characterization of Trump’s authoritarian platform as fascism, she reaffirmed that the fight should continue.
Harris ran the most perfect campaign possible – the outreach to press, the media campaign, social media, the all-important ground game with some 90,000 volunteers knocking on doors, with the coalitions she formed, from AOC to Liz Cheney, with the outpouring of support of Taylor Swift and Beyonce to Trump’s former generals, cabinet members, aides, diplomats.
No candidate has worked harder, been more eloquent or framed the message more perfectly. She did exactly as the “pundits” always claim a candidate should be: optimistic, offering a positive vision of the future, relating personally, passionately and authentically with voters, addressing their core, “kitchen table” issues. They wanted policy specifics, she gave them specifics of how she would address their economic concerns which they claimed was their biggest issue. Her opponent offered none. To say that double, triple standard was applied to Harris, a person of extraordinary character and accomplishment, is an understatement. “She had to be flawless; he could be lawless.”
It seemed mathematically impossible for her to succumb to the convicted felon, the adjudicated sex predator, given all the constituencies who would be directly, personally, and monumentally disparaged and harmed by Trump and his policies, especially his Project 2025 blueprint for destroying the federal government and democracy and the institutions built over 248 years. But his lies, his attacks, the disinformation, the billionaires who controlled media and the message and brainwashing and the propaganda that convinced people they were suffering were sufficient. It’s absolutely Orwellian.
And I wonder to what extent four-years I am wondering to what extent the past 4 year-campaign of voter suppression, Russian disinformation, voter purges and long lines in Democratic-leaning precincts particularly on college campuses, destruction of mail-in ballots/or fear of it and the Election day bomb threats at democratic-leaning polling places, might have impacted Democratic turnout/results just enough in the ”Blue Wall” swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that were critical to Harris’ win. It is curious that turnout was less than 2020 when all indications were that voters were more motivated to vote.
And I don’t want to hear recriminations of this remark Harris made on “The View” or that she didn’t spend three-hours in Austin to come as ordered by Rogan for his podcast, losing young men voters to Trump, or Biden’s use of a word “garbage” when Trump and Vance hurl despicable , demeaning, violent rhetoric at Harris (“Trash”) and Democrats (“vermin”), using lies to incite actual violence (“they’re eating their pets!) and promoting violence against anyone Trump deems an enemy (Liz Cheney, Nancy Pelosi, AdamSchiff). But somehow Trump and Vance get away with it, always get away with it, when anyone else would have been in prison by now and certainly rendered ineligible under the plain language of the 14th Amendment from ever holding federal office again, let alone the presidency.
I don’t want to hear that Democrats fail to “speak” to working class, to young men, to Hispanics, rural people, and are somehow focused on “the elites” whatever that means, when they are the ONLY party defending and standing up for the promise of America of equality, justice and fairness for all, who are addressing wages, jobs and affordable housing and bringing down the cost of drugs and healthcare – all of which Trump promises to REPEAL. It is Trump and the MAGA Republicans who are banning books, threatening to withhold funds for local police and public schools and making DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) policies ILLEGAL in government, business and civil society. How is this contrast not clear?
But Harris, so committed (as Hillary Clinton was), to standing up for “free and fair elections” against Trump’s constant refrain of a rigged election and his Big Lie of a stolen election and the first president in history to wage an insurrection to overturn a free and fair election and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, she would not, as Hillary did not, challenge the loss in those swing states, particularly Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Here is her speech, her voice breaking a bit, as many in the audience in front of the Frederick Douglass Building on the Howard University Campus wiped away tears: --Karen Rubin/editor@news-photos-features.com
My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright
As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting
To my beloved Doug and my family, love you so very much....President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family I know your service to our nation will continue, and to my extraordinary team, to the [90,000] volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and local election officials, I thank you, I thank you all
Look I am so proud of the race we ran, and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions. Bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future.
And we did it with the knowledge that we have so much more in common than what separates us.
I know folks are experiencing a range of emotions right now, I get it, but we must accept the results of this election,
Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him, and told him we will help him and transition, and we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.
A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.
At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or to a party but to the Constitution of the United States.
And loyalty to our conscience and to our God.
My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.
The fight for freedom, for opportunity , for fairness, and dignity of all people. The fight for the ideals of our nation, that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.
I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, their ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America can make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do
We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets form gun violence.
And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the Rule of Law, for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.
And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square, and we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect. By looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor. By always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve.
The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work, can be joyful work, and the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it
To the young people watching (love you, love you back) – it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it will be okay. On the campaign I often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes awhile. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.
The important thing is to never give up, never stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power.
And don’t you ever listen when someone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.
You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves.
This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged, for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build, together.
I started out as a prosecutor, throughout my career, saw people at some of worst times, people who suffered great harm and great pain, yet found within themselves the strength, the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand. To fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others.
So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge.
And I’ll close with this – there is an adage a historian called, a law of history – true of every society across the ages:
Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all. I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a billion brilliant stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth, and service.
And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all, may God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.
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