What My Keyhole View of Black Twitter Had to Say About the Kamala Harris Decision

Most simply, the reaction to Joe Biden selecting Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate was clearly positive. 

Some folks were very positive, as they had been all along, especially local activist Erica Mauter, who has done more to make me supportive of Harris than anyone, and Ebony Murphy. They mostly retweeted the approval of others, though, so I am not quoting them here. Here's a sampling that excludes overt Democratic operatives, as far as I know:

Elie Mystal: I know a lot of (white) people on my lefty feed have their reservations about Harris, but I'd like to point out that a lot of (nonwhite) people on my lefty feed are excited to vote for her... in a way people are not *EXCITED* to vote for the actual nominee.

Jemele Hill: I don’t know who needs to hear this, but let black women have this moment. And realize, people have demanded that black women support people who are waaaaaaay more problematic. So yes, we expect y’all to keep that same energy.

Zerlina Maxwell: I realized this morning that today is the first time I’ve felt joy deep down in any organic way since November 9, 2016. And especially the last few years personally have been so hard I’m just so relieved to be able to be genuinely happy about something. Representation matters!

Ibram X. Kendi: The Democrats now have a presidential ticket that reflects the American people better than the GOP ticket and every presidential ticket in US history. It’s not everything. It’s not the crushing of racism + sexism. It’s not the freeing of Black womanhood. But it can be the start.

Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones: There're gonna be 10K Kamala Harris VP think pieces. I won't be writing one, but I'll say this: Not only are Black women the Democratic Party's most loyal base,BW are the most loyal to our fellow Americans, to community. BW vote for the common good at highest rates of all groups.

Jamira Burley: Let’s remember that a woman isn’t being selected for Biden’s VP because of her gender but because she overqualified and really should be President.

NK Jemison: Tolerable.

Nnedi Okorafor: Ok, that’ll do. #BidenHarris2020

Sherrilyn Ifill: Historic. First African American VP nominee of a major political party. #KamalaHarris

Heather McGhee: Congratulations to Kamala Harris! History is calling—in so many ways. The Democrats now have a ticket, and we all have work to do to win real, structural change.

Touré: It’s truly breathtaking to see a Black woman ascend so high. I’m emotional. #Kamala

The negative responses were from folks whom I would identify as being from the farthest left:

Crystal Fleming: Biden picked Kamala as VP to appeal to racist “law and order” Democrats — which is the very same reason that Obama picked Biden. The fact that Black and white politicians can appease racist voters tells you much of what you need to know about neoliberalism and white supremacy.

Tressie McMillan Cottom: I honestly wish I felt like everyone else does right now. I could use it. It sucks big time that I don’t.

(I need to follow more Black prison and police abolitionists... I guess I wait for them to be retweeted and right now the most prominent people have their accounts locked so I can't see if they've tweeted on this topic.)

Then there were the nuanced comments, which I really appreciate:

Blair LM Kelley @profblmkelley: I think we are in a survival moment. Literal survival. No one will have a chance to make it if we don't move past this moment. This isn't some revolution, but perhaps it can help us live to fight on a little longer. That's important too. I hope that this low, low moment can cause us to think differently about the things so many people in the middle have taken for granted. Because if this moment isn't a reason to think again about universal healthcare, a living wage, and access to education, I don't know what is. So I am happy to see someone that graduated from an HBCU have a possible seat at the table. Will that change everything? Nope. But it could help us survive and fight again for more. We who believe in freedom...

Cacje @CJ_Hende: Multiple aspects of my identity are reacting to this news and i am not balanced at all

@Lordeandcompany (who was replying to writer Kiese Laymon, who had a great tweet akin to this one, which he has since deleted): Do I feel a tinge if excitement imagining her crushing Pence in debates? Yes, a historically heavy and petty thing to imagine. (Sounds oxymoronic) Do I feel the ongoing hurt and fear from empire, even with a black woman leading? Absolutely. The point: black feeling has no bottom.

Roxane Gay: You can spend the next 3 months debating Harris’s blackness OR you could spend that time discussing her policy stances, where she needs to be pushed left, what she has to account for from her time as a prosecutor, and what the best version of her vice presidency might look like.

brittany packnett cunningham: Some folks love this choice. Some folks hate this choice. That was inevitable, regardless of said choice. Still, a choice has been made and *all of us* are responsible to keep pressing for the policy we need, the wins we need, and free the right to vote for everybody, everyday.

Also, lots of people tweeted a link to this Guardian article, called Why Black progressive women feel torn about Kamala Harris.

In closing, I really appreciated University of Pennsylvania Professor Anthea Butler's take this morning:

So I didn't say a lot on here about Kamala Harris yesterday, but I am going to say a couple of things now. And yes, I have been asked to comment and write but for now, radio silence in those formats (and you'll understand why later).

I am happy with Kamala as VP choice. I don't care about the representational politics that please folks. I know there is a lot to critique, but damn it, I need someone who can go after Trump and the Republicans with gusto.

I'm tired of weak ass Dems. I want a tough race. We are fighting against a party that does not give one happy damn about 160k people dying, and that think 600 extra in unemployment dollars is keeping people from wanting to work. They want kids in school and football games in a pandemic.

I want a fighter. I want someone who can dissect with a smile on her face these craven, evil people who don't give a damn about anyone who is not white. I want Kamala Harris to invoke KALI for the rest of this election cycle and bring them to their knees.

Last thing. I had a talk with a dear friend of mine who is a priest who is down for the people. White, male, academic. He still thought we could do that reach across the aisle BS. Folks, that day is over. We must make sure the Republican party is in tatters after the election.

The republican party on every local state and national level must be defeated. It is not a party anymore, it is an ideology that has merged with the poisonous element of Trumpism and conspiracy theories like Q. Left to continue to fester, the party will kill Democracy and America.

America is not only fighting the coronavirus. It is fighting a virus of racism, selfishness, and craven gain that is destroying our nation. That virus is Trumpism. Time to bring that virus of evil, stupid, asinine racism and self aggrandizement to heel.

Biden/Harris 2020. This is not an election to sit around focusing in on hypotheticals, holding back your vote, any of that shit. VOTE. And then be prepared like Belorussians to get out in the streets. Because we may very well have to.