General
Kamala Harris on Center Stage
Readers discuss “White Dudes,” her laugh, her previous positions and a columnist’s mixed emotions.
To the Editor:
Re “Liberal ‘White Dudes’ Are Rallying for Harris” (news article, July 31):
Wait, are we really allowed to smile?
It has seemed so long since the sun shined on the Democratic Party. Even when the Dems won it felt as if we were on the defensive.
But now, with the weight of President Biden’s candidacy off our shoulders, we are almost giddy. And for the first time in forever it seems as if we control the narrative. No longer merely responding to Donald Trump’s taunts, but letting go with a zinger or two of our own. No longer just wringing our hands and holding our heads, but throwing punches and taking selfies.
We know this is too good to last and that political cycles have exceedingly short shelf lives (remember the ear-bandaged Republican convention).
But it does feel awfully nice to be, dare I say it, almost happy with the way things are going. Please don’t pinch me and tell me it is but a dream.
Robert S. Nussbaum
Fort Lee, N.J.
To the Editor:
Re “Harris’s Words From 4 Years Ago May Haunt Her” (front page, July 30):
I ask, Why should they? Public policy is bewilderingly, often dauntingly complex. As events unfold, thoughtful public officials evolve. As they speak with and listen to others, they often rethink their positions, change their minds, as do most of us in our lives.
Regardless, no politician or official can be a perfect fit for every voter. Those who want a candidate to be a clone of themselves are unrealistic and self-defeating.
