Pearls and Irritations

On the liberal Left, we consider ourselves above judging people by their appearance. We don’t presume to know what a person will or won’t do because they are Black or a woman. But as we learned from the Obama presidency, where we all hoped he would bring the global war on terror to a close, he expanded it – and his successors have done nothing to change course.

The sudden spate of pro-Harris memes flooding our news feeds and minds since Biden left the presidential race have been professional and unrelenting. Equally remarkable has been the thoughtless sharing of those memes by self-declared anti-war advocates on the liberal Left. Kamala Harris has been nominated, endorsed and promoted to the position of Democratic candidate for US presidency without having placed a single policy anywhere on her website. Just a bio, fundraising solicitations and merch. She is indeed an historic candidate. Historic in the shocking lack of scrutiny she’s been subject to.

A recent meme likens Harris’s leadership to that of Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist. Parks fought for what was right. Harris’s support of forever wars is wrong. Surely Parks did not sit so Harris could continue the genocide in Palestine or nuclear brinkmanship in Ukraine? The conflation of the two images and individuals is premature at best.

But the liberal Left argues vehemently, as though their lives (or at least their very identity) depended on it, that she must be elected. A key argument has essentially focused on the fact that she is a Black woman. If only being Black, as well as female, bestowed moral insight and fortitude! Consider Condoleezza Rice, who was at the helm during the great US/Iraq WMD debacle. Being a woman of any colour does not automatically bestow enlightenment and courage. Think Margaret Thatcher, who ushered in the neoliberalism that we all suffer from today.

There are also numerous examples of women from the progressive side of politics who have pursued US hegemony with little regard for morality. Hillary Clinton, a well-loved Democrat, famously sanctioned the state murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the words, “We came, we saw, he died.” More recently, Angela Merkel was caught lying about her commitment to an international bipartisan agreement in the Minsk II accords when she admitted that it was indeed a tactic to buy time to arm Ukraine.

While it’s always hopeful to see a woman in leadership, we must judge them on their track record, not their demographics or personality. Judging people by the colour of their skin or gender is abhorrent. On this we, on the Left, presumably all agree.

But judgment by personality is precisely where we’re led when our political ideas are curated online, without further reading. Our Liberal tendencies of equity and diversity can so easily be manipulated, opening us up to being intensely propagandised. When asked to defend the promotion of Harris through their sharing of pro-Harris memes, friends suggest Harris has become a supporter of the Palestinians.

While politically astute in perhaps distancing herself from Biden and his abhorrent views on Israel, continuing to advocate for “Israel’s right to defend itself” and the need to “defeat Hamas” are the catchcries of the Israel/US genocide – they are not the words of a friend of the Palestinians.

Some would argue that Obama was an intentional focus on colour, a PR exercise by the establishment following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the US’s tarnished reputation both domestically and internationally. Promoted as the hope for a peaceful future and hailed as the first Black president, he promised much, only to become one of the worst perpetrators of what are now known as the Forever Wars.

Following the invasion of Gaza and the US’s complete loss of a moral compass, Harris appears to be following that same PR strategy. Despite an appalling track record while holding high office, as outlined by Caleb Maupin in his 2020 book, Kamala Harris and the Future of America, Harris is hailed as the voice of sanity, reason, and tolerance for diversity.

If nothing else, all this reminds us of one thing: the need to critically assess potential leaders beyond superficial attributes such as skin colour or gender. Despite the subtle (and often not-so-subtle) stream of constant messaging from the media, track records and political associations need to be examined. From here we can discern the long-time political allegiances that are likely to play out in any presidency. Based on her track record, it does not seem likely that Harris will be the one to turn the monolith that is the American empire around. If anything, her allegiances suggest that they, with her help, will steer the ship down. Yet, we will be encouraged to believe that she, complete in her Super Woman suit, has arrived just in time to save us.

“Since it was impossible to change the politics of the system, it became necessary to change the type – or stereotype – of the person in charge of carrying out the policy.” – Fidel Castro, in Obama and the Empire, 2012.

As Castro insightfully noted in his reflection on the Obama presidency, it is crucial to recognise that merely changing the face of leadership does not inherently translate to meaningful change in policy or morality. While diverse representation is essential, we cannot betray our Liberal values by judging a book by its cover, or by reference to “stereotype”.

Instead of focusing our attention on the “liberal,” it may be time to shine a light on the “Hawk” part of Harris. If not, our support for a liberal may well encourage us to be more forgiving than we would otherwise be, potentially opening the door to even greater atrocities.

So yes. Let’s share. Let’s share the memes and the facts. But not just the convenient ones that cast her in an angelic “liberal” light. We don’t need to propagandise ourselves. Shilling for Harris before genuinely scrutinising her track record belies the value of critical thinking that defines the liberal Left. The messaging seems to be driving us to focus on the “liberal” aspects of Harris. At this time in history, it is more important than ever to think critically and focus on the “Hawk”.

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