Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris boards Air Force Two following a campaign rally at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, North Carolina, Friday, August 16, 2024.
AP PHOTO/JULIA NIKHINSON
According to Donald Trump, Kamala Harris is “dumb.” Really? Harris is the daughter of parents who both have PhDs from the University of California Berkeley, one of the best universities in the world. Both have had outstanding careers: Harris’ mother was a celebrated cancer researcher, her father an economics professor at Stanford. Given her obvious intelligence and achievements, it is highly unlikely that her older daughter Kamala is “dumb” from birth.
What do we know directly about Harris’ intellect? Well, she studied at Howard University, one of the oldest and most prestigious historically black universities in the country. She then earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. That’s hardly the accomplishment of a stupid person. And finally, look at her career: District Attorney, Attorney General of California, four years in the U.S. Senate, and nearly four years as Vice President. Now she’s the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
No, Kamala Harris is clearly not stupid. Neither is Donald Trump. His problem is that he too often uses his intelligence for malicious purposes. He calls Harris stupid in order to smear her with vicious racial stereotypes that have long been used by white people to keep black people “in their place.” Stunned by the sudden shift in the presidential campaign that has upended its dynamic, he is now resorting to the worst kinds of dog whistles. I hope most Americans are above such filth.
John Connolly
Haydenville
