Explaining Kamala’s (so called) rebound video

By Rick Campbell
Oregon writer,

On November 26, 2024, Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris released a video on X to her supporters. Many people think she sounds slightly buzzed, but I will leave that judgment to the viewer.

The telling statement is “Don’t let anyone take your power from you.” To me, this indicates that this highly educated woman has no understanding of political power, how it is acquired, and how it is used and lost.

There are two ways to gain political power. In monarchies and dictatorships, it is seized by force and intimidation. In the United States which is a representative republic, and in many other parliamentary democracies, political power is granted by the voters. That means that from time to time, political power passes from one party or coalition to another in an orderly and peaceful manner.

It is possible that if Harris were a better writer and speaker, she might have said, “Don’t let anyone take your energy or enthusiasm from you.” That is a clear statement, and perhaps that is what she meant. But in reality, the political power has passed. For the next two months, that power is implied, and then on inauguration, it will be come official. But already, people in the federal, state and local governments are responding to this reality.

In 2020, the Biden/Harris administration came to power, and began to exercise it. They had the power to control the borders, and chose to leave them open. They had the power to control spending, and chose to unleash inflationary excess spending. They had the power to protect the rights of young women in sports, and chose to ignore them.

On November 5th, a clear majority of American voters took their power away, because they did not agree with the way it was being wielded. So the statement “don’t let anyone take your power away” is ludicrous. The power the Biden/Harris administration was granted by the U.S. Constitution is gone. It has passed because it was not used wisely.

It was not usurped, it was not stolen, but was won by free and fair election. The power is now legally vested in the Presidency, the Senate and House of Representatives. So much for the “end of Democracy.” The 2024 election is a textbook example of how a representative republic is supposed to work. Of course, in two years and four years, the people will again have an opportunity to decide if the Trump/Vance administration has done a better job of using the powers granted to them.

It is revealing that Kamala Harris could not articulate her parting thoughts better. Yes, I understand that losing a political campaign is depressing. But when you have been given the gift of political power by the voters, you had better use it wisely or it will be taken away. Perhaps she will go off to teach government at an Ivy League college, which will allow her time to study the principles of American governance we hold dear.