The official response to President Joe Biden’s address to the joint session of Congress by the Republicans was delivered by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. During the response, Scott talked about various subjects including the country’s history of racism. He claimed that America is not a racist country: a statement that has elicited the opinions of many, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris, a woman who made history alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by sitting behind Biden during his first prime address to the Congress had a lot to say about Scott’s claim of America being an impartial country in terms of race. While talking to ABC’s Good Morning America, she agreed that America was indeed not a racist country, but the history of sheer racism in the country cannot be ignored. Harris went on to commend the President for “always having the ability and the courage, frankly, to speak the truth” about the nation having a history of deep-rooted racism.
Moreover, Kamala Harris also acknowledged that the prevalent terrorism manifests itself through the preconceived notion of white supremacy, which is undoubted “one of the greatest threats” to the security of the nation.
She further added how these issues have run rampant for decades, and the best course of action is to confront these problems. While appreciating the President for being a “real leader on the issue,” Harris stated that it was imperative to speak the truth in order to unify the nation altogether.
Harris’s views were mirrored by the President himself who plainly stated that the nation itself isn’t racist, but years of discrimination have left the minorities in a position where they are “so behind the eight balls” in terms of opportunity, health, and education.
During the course of his speech, Biden highlighted his proposal for the infrastructure plan, which hasn’t been well received by several parties who claim that the plan is too costly for its own good. Vice President Kamala Harris offers a rebuttal to this response. According to her, the administration has been in talks with the Republicans and the Democrats, a fact which reflects the mutual understanding of both parties on the issues.
In addition, Kamala Harris also spoke of the required course of action to deal with the crisis at the U.S southern border. She declared that her prime goal is to deduce the real causes of migration and she is in talks with Cabinet members such as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo.