Kamala Harris: Rewriting the American Dream
At the heart of Kamala Harris’ speech to the DNC there was a glaring conflict. A conflict between her comment that “opportunity is not available to everyone” and her statement that “in America, anything is possible.” One of these has to be right – or is there a “both” scenario?
The first statement acknowledges that now systemic barriers exist, limiting access to opportunities; the playing field is not level, not everyone has the same chances to succeed.
On the other hand, the assertion that “anything is possible” in America reflects the ideal of the American Dream, where anyone can achieve success with hard work and determination. This phrase implies a belief in equal opportunity and the potential for upward mobility regardless of background.
The conflict arises because these two statements touch on different aspects of the American experience: one highlights the real and existing inequalities, while the other expresses an aspirational vision of what America strives to be. Reconciling these two ideas would involve recognizing the gap between the ideal and the reality, while working towards making the ideal more accessible to everyone.
The mediator in this conflict, the One able to deliver the “both” scenario? Enter The Lawyer: arguing to the impartial authority of the American Dream the individual case and the rights of the less fortunate. Across the speech there is a fascinating emphasis on her experience as “public prosecutor” ( in this instance there is an equality intriguing double meaning in the term). Culminating in her memorable line “I’ve only had one client: the people.”
A very clear positioning that she is a protector (as she protected her girlhood friend Wanda) as the one to be relied upon.
But there is more going on here.
This is a very different American dream Kamala Harris propounds.
Reframing the American Dream
Harris’s focus on justice also subtly reframes the American Dream. Instead of being a purely individual pursuit of success, it becomes a collective endeavor where society must ensure that the conditions for success are fair and equitable. This reframing shifts the emphasis from personal responsibility to shared responsibility, where both individuals and institutions play a role in creating opportunities.
Kamala Harris’s emphasis on justice does suggest that the power of the American Dream alone is no longer enough to deliver opportunity for all. The dream, now needs other powers that will protect, that will dismantle systemic barriers and create a society which aspires to the ideal of “anything is possible” – but that is very different to a society which believes this to be true about itself: the Dream.
