The REAL Story of Kamala Harris

INTRO (0s)

• Kamala Harris is a significant figure in American politics, and her story provides insight into her beliefs and how she would govern if elected as President (15s).
• Harris was born in 1964 in Oakland, California, to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father who both immigrated to the United States for education (1m0s).
• Her parents divorced in 1972, and Harris was raised primarily by her single mother, who had a significant influence on her life (1m27s).
• Harris's childhood coincided with the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and she was actively involved in efforts to desegregate schools by riding buses to integrate communities (2m36s).
• As a high school student, Harris's mother moved to Montreal for a job, and Harris was not excited about moving to Canada as a teenager (3m22s).
• Harris attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she studied political science and economics, and was involved in student leadership, debate teams, and campus protests (3m34s).
• During her time in Washington, Harris interned at government institutions, including the Federal Trade Commission, and worked at the National Archives and the U.S. Mint (4m0s).
• Harris's life has been marked by a significant paradox, as she has been influenced by radicalism and has criticized the government while also working within government institutions (4m31s).
• Harris returned to California to attend law school in the mid-1980s, where she interned at the Alameda County District Attorney's office and first experienced the power of being a prosecutor (5m13s).
• Harris has spoken about the importance of taking action when seeing injustice, citing an experience where she convinced a judge to release a wrongly accused woman (5m23s).

CHILDHOOD (5m51s)

• Kamala Harris's life and career will be examined to understand the picture her actions, decisions, and words paint about her (6m8s).
• The term "prosecutor" will be defined as it is often associated with Kamala Harris; a prosecutor is a government lawyer responsible for presenting evidence and cases against individuals or companies accused of crimes (6m17s).
• Prosecutors are often seen as hawkish, strictly enforcing laws and contributing to the US habit of imprisoning millions for non-violent crimes (6m32s).
• After graduating from law school, Kamala Harris became a prosecutor in California, starting in Alameda County, then San Francisco, and eventually the entire state (6m45s).
• Harris, an activist-turned-politician/lawyer, played the role of a tough-on-crime prosecutor, striving to convict offenders and maintain the status quo of the US justice system (7m1s).
• Harris claims to be a progressive prosecutor, which seems contradictory to some people, as they question whether she is soft or tough on crime (7m15s).
• In the US, progressive individuals tend to advocate for reforming the justice system, which they see as too harsh, imprisoning too many people, especially brown and black men, for non-violent crimes (7m34s).
• Prosecutors are often viewed as responsible for locking people up, so it's essential to evaluate Harris's actions and decisions to determine which ones represent the progressive side and which ones represent the traditional prosecutor side (7m49s).
• Early intervention programs can help make space in prisons for violent offenders, which will be discussed later (8m12s).

CAREER (8m15s)

• Kamala Harris's approach as a progressive prosecutor involves holding serious offenders accountable while prioritizing crime prevention, focusing on stopping crimes before they occur, and relying heavily on data to inform her decisions (8m16s).
• Harris analyzed crime statistics and found that nationwide, recidivism rates ranged from 70% to over 90%, indicating a need for a more effective approach to crime prevention (8m39s).
• Harris aimed to change the way the justice system operates by using data analysis to make it more fair and rational, and to understand why people commit crimes (9m2s).
• She established a public database to track crime statistics, including truancy rates among elementary school students, arrest data, and police practices (9m16s).
• Harris's data-driven approach led her to conclude that many murder victims were high school dropouts, prompting her to ask questions about the root causes of crime (9m40s).
• Harris's approach to crime prevention was not without controversy, as she proposed prosecuting parents of truant children, which she did in some cases (9m52s).
• Harris also took a progressive stance on other issues, opposing the death penalty and fighting against big banks during the 2008 housing crisis, securing a $1.8 billion settlement for California homeowners (10m20s).
• She also won a $1 billion settlement for victims of a predatory for-profit university, Corinthian College (10m37s).
• One of Harris's most notable moments as Attorney General was when she instructed county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the ongoing debate over Proposition 8 (10m52s).

PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR (11m25s)

• As the first African American district attorney in San Francisco, Kamala Harris actively prosecuted violent criminals, initially focusing on the death penalty (11m31s).
• In 2014, as Attorney General, she appealed a ruling that could have ended the death penalty in California, fighting to maintain capital punishment in the state (11m38s).
• Her office supported the governor's fight against releasing prisoners despite the Supreme Court's ruling that California's overcrowded prisons were unconstitutional and constituted cruel and unusual punishment (11m46s).
• Harris resisted or opposed some criminal justice reforms over the years, and her office prosecuted nearly 2,000 people for marijuana-related crimes (12m5s).
• Her office also defended cash bail, which critics argue is an unfair punishment for low-income defendants (12m10s).
• Harris's career has been marked by a mix of progressive and tough-on-crime policies, with critics and supporters debating the extent of her progressiveness or hawkishness in the system (12m37s).
• Despite criticism, Harris is considered one of California's most innovative district attorneys, having implemented some progressive reforms while maintaining tough-on-crime policies (12m52s).
• Throughout her career, Harris has sought to balance her genuine progressive values and ideals with pragmatism, working within the system to make changes, which sometimes means maintaining the status quo (13m18s).

THE SENATE AND RUN FOR PRESIDENT (13m45s)

• Kamala Harris won the election in 2016 to become the next senator of California, amidst a nation, especially the progressive community, reeling from Donald Trump's election (15m31s).
• Harris, a former prosecutor, utilized her experience to grill Trump's cabinet officials and nominees when they entered the Senate, showcasing her skills as a professional legal fighter (15m51s).
• In 2019, Harris announced her candidacy for President of the United States, taking a hard-left stance on policies during her campaign, but ultimately failed to gain traction and dropped out of the race (16m21s).
• After dropping out of the presidential race, Harris was approached by the Democratic nominee to join the campaign as a running mate, which she accepted (16m46s).
• As the vice-presidential candidate, Harris's experience as a prosecutor continued to define her reputation, particularly during debates, where she showcased her skills in questioning and speaking (16m56s).
• Harris and Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, with Harris becoming the first female vice president, stating that she would not be the last woman to hold the office (17m12s).

VP HARRIS (17m16s)

• Kamala Harris's role as Vice President under Joe Biden did not provide much insight into her character, partly because she was not the one in charge and partly because her tasks, such as addressing the root causes of immigration from Central America to the US-Mexico border, were difficult to accomplish in a short period (17m29s).
• Harris's task was to use US power to solve poverty, systemic corruption, and gang violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, so people would not try to come to the US (17m56s).
• A Vice President cannot make progress on these issues, especially in just a few years, and the ambitious language in her five-pillar plan seems unoriginal and ineffective (18m40s).
• The American people, including the author, misunderstood Harris's actual task, thinking she was in charge of the border and responsible for solving the border crisis (18m56s).
• Harris is not the "border czar" and should not be held responsible for the border crisis, but her vague answers to basic questions in her first media appearance contributed to the misconception (19m32s).
• Despite the misconception, the number of immigrants at the US border has decreased significantly, especially from the three countries Harris was tasked with, and Harris could have promoted this as a success (19m49s).
• Harris's efforts to meet with leaders and bring more business to Central America to create jobs and solve the root problems were sincere and well-intentioned, but it is unfair to evaluate her based on these indicators (20m10s).
• Vice Presidents cannot solve deeply ingrained systemic problems in other countries in just a few years, and it is unrealistic to expect Harris to have done so (20m22s).
• Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate, and after a poor debate performance, Biden decided to drop out of the White House campaign and fully supported and endorsed Harris (20m43s).
• As a result, Harris became the Democratic presidential candidate, and Biden faced the fact that his age and declining mental acuity would lead to his failure, and Donald Trump would become the next President (21m4s).
• Harris's personal and professional past does not clearly indicate how she would govern as President, partly because she has changed her views throughout her career based on the system and the situation (21m32s).
• Harris does not have a clear record of her views, making it difficult to determine how she would lead the country (21m40s).
• Kamala Harris' primary criticism is her inconsistent record, but her character appears to be consistent, as does her life experience, leading to the belief that her values have not changed (22m2s).
• The 2020 US presidential election was unusual, with Harris' opponent being a performer and professional marketer who campaigned on his personality rather than policy suggestions (22m11s).
• Kamala Harris was born to immigrant parents who came to the US seeking education and opportunities, and she rose to her current position through hard work and perseverance without any major scandals or character-damaging incidents (22m31s).
• The only controversy found was her past relationship with the Mayor of San Francisco, which may or may not have helped her secure a job or position, but it was a consensual relationship without any cheating (22m48s).
• Considering Harris' personal character is reasonable, especially when thinking about the country's most powerful people and leaders, who are guided by their personal experiences (23m8s).
• Harris' life experiences enable her to connect with many ordinary Americans, which is something that many current leaders seem to lack (23m13s).
• Although it is uncertain how Harris would govern as president, her record suggests that she has a sense of morality, ethics, and values, which is an important consideration (23m26s).
• Voter turnout in the US is low, with only half of eligible voters between 18 and 29 years old actually casting their ballots, which distorts the country's democracy (23m46s).

WHAT NEXT? (24m2s)

• The creator recently finished recording a video about Kamala Harris and had previously recorded a video about Donald Trump, noticing a stark contrast between the two due to their vastly different lives and experiences (24m3s).
• Donald Trump's life has been marred by controversy and scandals, making for a more sensational and attention-grabbing narrative, while Kamala Harris' life has been more mundane, having spent her years working as a prosecutor doing unglamorous work (24m22s).
• The creator hopes that the video about Kamala Harris will be helpful to those trying to understand her and make a decision about who to vote for, despite any biases or perspectives that may have been presented (24m52s).
• The creator emphasizes the importance of making a decision, following one's intuition, and voting, as it is crucial to let one's voice be heard (25m6s).
• The music used in the video was custom-made by composer Tom Fox, who has made the entire catalog available on the Chromatic music channel, and can be licensed for use (25m17s).
• The creator also promotes another channel called Search Party, run by Sam Ellis, which covers geopolitics and sports, suggesting that viewers who enjoy the current channel will also like Search Party (25m32s).