Harris offers patriotism, rejects Trump's 'chaos'

Donald Trump's Sunday night event at Madison Square Garden quickly became a scandal for many reasons, most notably the racist and misogynistic rhetoric of the former president's allies. But the Republican nominee's own comments at the convention weren't exactly innocuous.

As we have discussed, Trump, among other things, denounced Americans with whom he disagrees as “the enemy from within,” while calling the media “the enemy of the people”—a phrase that brought to mind, among other things, Joseph Stalin . The Republican nominee also lied uncontrollably, calling the United States an “occupied” country, spreading well-known grievances and conspiracy theories, and presenting voters with a vision that reflected his radicalism.

As Election Day 2024 approached, this was touted by his own campaign as Trump's final message to American voters – who saw a candidate presenting a dark and ugly platform. The New York Times described it as a “final carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism.” A CNN report added that the Republican's anti-immigrant rhetoric comes with “the most blatant demagoguery by a major figure in a Western country since World War II.”

Two days later, Vice President Kamala Harris stood at the Ellipse, just a block south of the White House, on the spot where her Republican opponent staged a violent mob to attack his own nation's Capitol nearly four years ago. The Democrat's final message could hardly have been different than what voters heard 48 hours earlier. NBC News reported:

One of the things I noticed was the gap in patriotism. Trump's final message is rooted in a fundamentally dystopian vision: The United States, the Republican has begun to say in recent days, is a “dustbin.” Our nation is a “failing nation” and a “nation in decline,” he declared. When he was told earlier this month that America was a great country, he loudly and publicly stated that he disagreed.

With that in mind, Harris stood at the Ellipse and told the country, “Nearly 250 years ago, America was born when we snatched freedom from a petty tyrant.” For generations, Americans have preserved that freedom. I expanded it. In doing so, we have proven to the world that a government of, by and for the people is strong and can endure. … They didn't fight, didn't sacrifice, and gave their lives just to see us give up our basic freedoms, just to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant.

“The United States of America is not a vessel for the plans of would-be dictators. The United States of America is the greatest idea ever conceived by humanity.”