Forget Kamala Vs Trump. For some Indians the real fight-to-the-finish is between Kamala and Usha. Will half-Indian, half-Jamaican Kamala Harris, brought up in California by her single south Indian mother, be the next President of the United States? Or will Usha Vance, brought up in a genteel San Diego suburb by middle-class Indian parents, be the wife of the next vice president – who might be well-positioned to be a future President?
Definitely the Indian chattering classes are divided on this one. Should they throw in their lot with Kamala who could be firmly ensconced in the Oval Office before the year is out? Or should they settle for Usha, who’s the power behind the throne of a man who may soon be the US vice president – and a potential future President.
One thing is definite – the far-right is already losing it over Kamala and Usha, especially Trump supporters. Stew Peters, a conspiracy theorist, raged online: “There’s an obvious Indian coup taking place in the US right before our eyes.” White nationalist Nick Fuentes said in a broadcast: “What kind of man marries somebody that isn’t a Christian? What kind of man marries somebody named Usha? Clearly, he doesn’t value his racial identity, his heritage. Clearly, he doesn’t value his religion. He doesn’t marry a woman that professes Jesus Christ? What does that say about him?” Another white activist, Jaden McNeil, viciously threw in a photo of Vance and Usha with their newborn child, saying, “I’m sure this guy is going to be great on immigration.” There have already been several nasty attacks on Vance’s family.
Usha (or Usha garu as she might be called in Andhra Pradesh) clearly the new star on the scene who grabbed media attention the moment she stepped onto the stage at the Republican Convention to introduce her husband to the assembled crowd. It was immediately evident she was in a very different league from the other Republican wives who were dressed and made-up to the nines. Here was a candidate’s wife who had the confidence to tear up the rulebook and play it in her own low-key way with minimal make-up and an outfit that didn’t appear to be from a designer.
Instantly, the networks and publications turned the spotlight on Usha and asked the very same question – in the very same words. “Who is Usha Vance,” asked NBC News. The same question, “Who is Usha Vance,” was repeated by CBS News, the BBC, The Guardian and even the Associated Press.
The answer obviously was Vance’s wife but also a topflight lawyer who has just resigned from a leading law firm that touts itself as “radically progressive” and who also clerked for US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Impeccable blue-chip qualifications.
Usha’s different in other ways, too, and isn’t afraid to talk about how her family experience has been radically different from other Americans. “I grew up in a religious household,” she told one publication. “My parents are Hindu and that’s one of the things that made them such good parents, that made them really good people.” She’s also talked about how her “meat and potatoes” husband learnt to make Indian food for her parents and appreciates vegetarian cuisine.
Others commented on how she had been a registered Democrat till 2014, but appeared to have switched to suit her husband’s new rightwing leanings. In her Republican Convention speech, she spoke about her wonderful parents and sister. Says one columnist: “She didn’t say a word about what an honor it is that Trump picked her husband.” She hardly mentioned Trump, in fact, unlike her husband who was careful to lay it on thick for his new boss. Several publications pointed out that she came on in the wake of much anti-immigrant sentiment. Said Vox: “Usha introduced herself at the convention on Wednesday, after speakers spent most of the previous day hammering (immigrants), some dipping into extremist fear-mongering.” While she spoke, many in the audience were waving “mass deportation now” signs.
The Daily Beast studied her body language and concluded that this was a woman trapped, “stuck in love with a man who made a Faustian bargain with Donald Trump.” Some far-right Republicans have even begun attacking her and the couple’s mixed-race family. The Beast reported she had a “‘What am I doing here’ look?” It added: “She had a look that made you hope that the heart will prove to be enough when your husband has sold his soul.”
The New Republic was even more blunt. “The past week has seen an outpouring of hate from the far right over the wife of Republican vice presidential nominee J. D. Vance,” it said.
Was it journalistic far-sightedness or just a lucky hit? Two years ago, The New York Times did a lengthy profile of Usha. At the time Vance was just the junior senator from Ohio and author of Hillbilly Elegy, a bad book that was turned into an excellent movie (in which Freida Pinto played Usha). The profile began by mentioning how two Yale law students had put together a discussion group on Vance’s favourite subject: “Social decline in white America.” The article described Usha Chilukuri (as she was then) as reserved compared to Vance who was much more outgoing. But it made it clear they were a good pair, “matched in their determination to conquer the prestigious worlds before them.” Vance himself described her as his “Yale spirit guide” and insisted that he always needed a strong woman whispering to him over his shoulder.
Inevitably, Kamala has been around for much longer and is a familiar figure for the media. But The Wall Street Journal, never a fan of any Democrat, has laid into Kamala with a sledgehammer. “Imagine,” it asked, “if Biden had chosen a vice president for competence rather than identity politics.” It went on to label Biden as a President “in obvious mental decline”. Kamala, it said, turning the screw, was “even less popular than Mr Biden”.
The far-right, led by former president Donald Trump, has loosed a ferocious volley of vindictive and nasty comments on Kamala. Trump focused on her relationship with California king (and queen)-maker Willie Brown who was much older than her. The former President stopped slightly short of actual sexual abuse but his followers had no such compunctions. “She dumb, brown and will do ANYTHING for power,” said one writer on The Donald (a discussion group on Trump), Another abuse-laden post on The Donald threw in blunt sexual abuse about Willie Brown.
What should Indians make of all this? Certainly, it’s fascinating to see how Indian-origin women have claimed the limelight in these elections. First, there was Nikki Haley who waged a bitter battle against Trump but who now might like to jump onto his bandwagon. Of course, across the Atlantic there are other Indian-origin political women like Preeti Patel and right-wing extremist Suella Braverman.
Kamala has moved at lightning speed after Biden pulled out of the race. She released a slickly made ad within hours and spent most of Sunday getting as many Democrat delegates behind her as possible. The Clintons quickly endorsed her, Nancy Pelosi has also now endorsed her. President Barack Obama has been silent so far but this is said to be because he doesn’t wish to do anything to take the spotlight away from Biden.
But Kamala has only 107 days to win the nomination. It looks like she will be able to pull it off? From a senator who was feared in the House Judiciary Committee she appeared to lose her way once she became vice president. “Harris has not been a great politician. But hopefully she’s good enough,” commented The Washington Post, damning her with faint praise. Other publications pointed out she has pulled off political comebacks before. A Reuters/Ipsos poll Monday said Kamala has a marginal two-percentage-point lead over Trump.
For Indians, there are two questions to be answered. Who will be the more interesting woman to watch? Obviously, Kamala will be the big player this time round with the TV cameras all focused on her. Is America ready for a Black, female president or will her candidacy pave the way for a Trump sequel?
But Usha Vance, with her young husband, could be in the public eye for a long time to come. The question is how is Usha Vance dealing with the amazing flip-flop of her husband who himself condemned Trump when he said in a now famous (now-deleted) tweet: “Trump makes people I care about afraid. Immigrants, Muslims, etc. Because of this I find him reprehensible. God wants better of us.’” Now he has performed a complete u-turn and she's very much by his side all the way.
