Kamala Harris: "Investing in the Potential and the Greatness”

Kamala Harris

Speeches reflect our values. During her February 9, 2024 speech in Washington DC, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to a group of community leaders about violence intervention. She sharply distinguished between leadership that destroys and leadership that uplifts. She asked us to refocus our values. Her values, her vision, led her to speak for a broader, more positive approach to policy. Harris said that reducing community violence meant not only “to reduce harm,” but also:

“…investing in the potential and the greatness.”

Looking forward to the good instead of looking back to the evil! That was a powerful thesis, for, after all, we often do tend to dwell on evil and wickedness, neglecting to look at the path forward to controlling community violence.

Directing her attention to one of the audience members, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Harris pointedly refuted the idea that a strong leader must be a harsh leader:

“And I’ll say that, you know, Governor, you and I have talked about this. I think there’s a certain perversion that has taken place over the last few years in our country that would suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know, which is that the true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up.”

I suspect that she was referring obliquely to Donald Trump. She had a point. In times of stress and trouble, populations often turn to a leader who is powerful, strong, or even intimidating. They often look for leaders who will suppress their enemies, real or imaginary. History bodes poorly for that approach. After all, no rational person could think that Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot made their nations secure or gave their citizens better lives. In the short run, the dictators crushed their opponents; in the long run, they protected no one.

Kamala Harris delivers February 9, 2024 speech

Harris said that, in contrast, a real leader seeks to learn about what people need. A real leader seeks to raise up everyone's life circumstances:

“That the characteristic of real leaders is the character that has some level of curiosity, concern, and care about the suffering of other people, and then takes it upon themselves, as part of their life’s work and mission, to uplift the condition of other people.”

Let us suppose, for example, that the United States expels desperate refugees or takes the right to vote away from minority individuals. Will that make our country stronger? No. Will taking away other peoples’ rights make anyone better off? Of course not. There is another route, Harris said: real leadership means to “inspire so many people.”

Continuing her speech, Harris endorsed the group's program to identify potential community violence. She suggested, instead, to find ways to prevent or deal with the problem, alleviate people's pain, and move forward to a safer society. Unlike many speakers, she rested her argument on values, not statistics, on vision, not anxiety. She advocated a new policy vision by shifting our values away from fear and threat, and toward hope.

Can there be a better use for the gift of speech, than to help the audience become better versions of themselves? Can we not invest “in the potential and the greatness?”

by William D. Harpine

Earlier Posts

Kamala Harris' Speech at West Point: Tradition and Innovation

Kamala Harris' College Speech: Voting is the Way

Kamala Harris Gave a Simple Message about Keeping Children Safe from Guns. Is It Enough?

Copyright © 2024, William D Harpine