Chicago, Aug 21 (PTI) Kamala Harris will be a great president who entire America will be proud of, her husband Douglas Emhoff has said, as he talked about her strong character and empathy as well as their personal life to make a strong pitch for her.
Emhoff, 59, introduced himself as the “first-second gentleman” to the cheering crowd at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.
Emhoff highlighted their family and how he met Harris on the second day of the four-day convention in Chicago.
He said that his wife rises to the occasion “wherever she’s needed” and has done that for their family.
“And now that the country needs her, she’s showing you what we already know. She is ready to lead,” Emhoff said.
Harris’ stepson, Cole Emhoff, introduced his father in a video message. Both Cole and Doug Emhoff’s participation highlights what Harris often describes as her “blended family.”
“Hello to my big, beautiful blended family up there. I love you so much,” he said at the beginning of his remarks.
He gave insight into Harris’s personal life and story.
“She brings both joy and toughness to this task. And she will be a great president who we will all be proud of,” Emhoff said.
“She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me to. She likes to see people do well but hates when they’re treated unfairly. She believes this work requires a basic curiosity and just how people are doing,” Emhoff said.
“Her empathy is her strength,” Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, said.
Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, earlier this month formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first Indian-American to be nominated as a presidential candidate of a major political party.
Harris also became the first-ever woman of colour to be on the top of a presidential ticket of a major American political party. She is also the first ever Indian-American to be nominated as presidential candidate of either the Republican or the Democratic party.
Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was Indian and her father, Donald Jasper Harris, is Jamaican.
She will take on former president Donald Trump in the November 5 election.
If elected, Harris would break one of the highest glass ceilings left for women in the United States — that of occupying the country’s top office.
Emhoff revealed that his first meeting with Harris was a blind date.
“In 2013, I walked into a contentious client meeting. We worked through the issue and, by the end of the meeting, the now happy client offered to set me up on a blind date–which is how I ended up with Kamala Harris’s phone number,” he said.
“For generations, people have debated when to call the person you’re being set up with, and never in history has anyone suggested 8:30 am. And yet, that’s when I dialled,” he said. “I got Kamala’s voicemail, and I just started rambling.”
“Kamala saved that voicemail, and she makes me listen to it on every anniversary.”
He recalled how she connected him more deeply to his Jewish faith.
Emhoff said Harris “finds joy in pursuing justice” and wants to see people succeed and do well.
“She believes this work requires a basic curiosity in just how people are doing. Her empathy is her strength,” Emhoff told the convention crowd.
Emhoff said that Harris comes to synagogue with him on holidays and he goes to church with her on other occasions.
“Over the past decade, Kamala has connected me more deeply to my faith, even though it is not the same as hers,” he said.
“Kamala has fought against antisemitism and all forms of hate her whole career. She is the one who encouraged me, as the second gentleman, to take up that fight, which is so personal to me,” Emhoff said.
“Those of you who belong to blended families know that they can be complicated. But as soon as our kids started calling her “Momala” I knew we’d be OK,” he said.
“Kamala is a joyful warrior. It’s doing for her country what she has always done for the people she loves. Her passion will benefit all of us when she’s our president. Here’s the thing about joyful warriors: they’re still warriors. And Kamala is as tough as it comes. Just ask the criminals, the global gangsters, and the witnesses before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She never runs from a fight,” Emhoff said.
The Second Gentleman said Harris knows the best way to deal with a coward is to take him head.
“Kamala Harris can smell weakness. Kamala doesn’t tolerate any B..S… You’ve all seen the look. You know what I’m talking about. It’s not just a meme. It reflects her true belief in honest and direct leadership. It’s also why she won’t be distracted by the nonsense. Kamala knows that in order to win, we cannot lose focus. America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family’s future. I trusted Kamala with our family’s future. It was the best decision I ever made,” he said.
“This Thursday will be our tenth wedding anniversary, which means I’m about to hear the most embarrassing voicemail of my life once again. But that’s not all Ill be hearing. That same night, I’ll be hearing my wife, Kamala Harris, accept your nomination for president of the United States,” Emhoff said.
Harris fought against antisemitism and all forms of hate her whole career,” he said.
“She’s the one who encouraged me, as second gentleman, to take up that fight, which is so personal to me,” Emhoff said.
