Some time ago usindiamonitor contemplated the presidential run of Kamala Harris in the 2020 Democratic primaries. As the thinking went back then, I was supportive of her aspirations but lukewarm about them considering the crowded and talented field of candidates to be the Democratic nominee. Ultimately the primary state voters did not pull the lever enough for Kamala Harris in that race, but clearly she made a lasting impression on Joe Biden and others in the Democratic establishment and base alike. During that period she firmly cemented her place as the leading contender in the 2020 Veepstakes from wire to wire even as dozens of names of accomplished women were bandied about until the very end.

As the primaries went it shook out for Joe Biden to be the best hope to defeat Donald Trump and the MAGA cult, and he picked Kamala Harris to be the Robin to his Batman. We are firmly on board the Kamala Harris train today. usindiamonitor applauds Joe Biden for making a wise choice in his running mate, especially one raised by a mother from India, which makes it feel quite personal to so many of us Indian-Americans. A majority of us are clearly going to vote for these two. Funny enough, Joe Biden himself was selected by Barack Obama to be his running mate after punching and counter-punching him during the 2008 primary. With Kamala, Vice President Biden has followed the same formula, to the surprise of some.

First of all, Kamala will “do no harm” to the effort. She will be a loyal and steady sidekick and team player for the remainder of the 2020 presidential campaign, which is intensely heating up following the DNC last week and the RNC ongoing this week. She spoke extremely well on the night she headlined the DNC- and if you have not seen that short and sweet speech, I suggest you do so:

She is likely to come across as more dynamic and credible in the upcoming debate than Mike Pence, a so-called Christian who clearly sold his soul and made a deal with the Devil in order to sit in the Vice President’s chair, silently idling by and even condoning the clearly un-Christian activity up and down this corrupt administration. As a career prosecutor we can also expect a robust case for change to be made by Kamala this fall season, and a valid rebuttal to the “law and order” pretenses the Republicans will try to cook up even as they continue their criming.

The left flank isn’t entirely amused, especially in view of Kamala Harris’s tough record on putting people away in California. However, there is plenty for them to like on many progressive policies that Kamala has adopted, including Black Lives Matter, raising the minimum wage, expanding health care, and environmental sustainability. However, none of this will matter if this ticket does not win. I believe it will, though a hard slog lies ahead with the specters of voter suppression, foreign intervention, and other types of cheating by the bad guys.

Biden at age 77 will be the oldest president to ever take the oath of office if he wins. The most important aspect of the Kamala choice is whether she would be ready to take over the presidency immediately, and the answer to that question is clearly yes. She would be far better than the current occupant of White House at any time that might be needed. Assuming good health for Joe Biden, this possibility will not come into play until the 2024 campaign heats up at the soonest. We will have to see how things go in the next four years. We are here today ready to admit our positive bias for this history-making woman of color, who excites us.

But first, Biden/Harris will need to win in November. We are hoping for the best for them- and for us all.

Mahanth S. Joishy is Editor of usindiamonitor