Saturday, August 24, 2024

Why Kamala Harris’ DNC nomination reminds me of the Soviet Union

Why Kamala Harris’ DNC nomination reminds me of the Soviet Union


Last week at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Vice President Kamala Harris officially became the Democratic nominee for US president. 

The symbolic and celebratory event — which included a live concert and dance party with rapper Lil Jon — was the culmination of a carefully choreographed, by-the-powers-that-be process unprecedented in American politics.  

President Joe Biden was removed from the race, dubiously replaced by Harris to run against GOP nominee Donald Trump. 

In an unusual virtual roll call, Harris secured 99% of the participating delegates’ votes — along with hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign funding that donors had contributed to the Biden campaign.   

The lack of transparency around Kamala Harris’ nomination as Democratic candidate for president reminds the writer, an immigrant from the former USSR, of Soviet-style machinations. Ministry of Defense of Russia/Ne

As an immigrant from Soviet Russia, Harris’ nomination is giving me flashbacks to the totalitarian country I left behind. 

Back in the USSR, we had no real elections — and ordinary people had no real say in who would govern “Mother Russia.” 

State rulers would appear out of nowhere and geriatric General secretaries — such as Nikita Khrushchev or Leonid Brezhnev —  simply hand picked their successors. 

There were no election campaigns, no party platforms, and no debates.


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