Kamala Harris Plays to the Crowd in Roe v. Wade Speech

Vice President Kamala Harris took the podium in Tallahassee, FL, on Jan. 22 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landmark US Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. It has also been seven months since that decision was rescinded. Since the leaking of the draft opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Biden administration has struggled to persuade supporters that the federal government is fully behind a nationwide solution to abortion in America. The VP's rally was an effort to address that doubt. The crowd assembled was near rock concert rowdy: Hooting and hollering and calling “we love you” to abortion care providers.

Roe v. Wade or Gun Violence Campaign?

Harris began by promising that she, the second gentleman, and the president would stop gun violence, referencing the tragedy in Monterey Park, where ten people lost their lives in a mass shooting during a celebration of the Lunar New Year. But Harris’ tone shifted at warp speed to quote the Declaration of Independence in reference to the “pursuit of happiness.” Whatever makes one happy, including having an abortion.

She intoned that for nearly 50 years, Americans relied on the rights Roe granted and protected. Protection was ripped away when the Supreme Court declared the US Constitution did not protect abortion rights. As Liberty Nation’s Scott D. Cosenza, Esq explained:

“This [Dobbs] ruling returns abortion regulation over to the states. Some states will have very liberal abortion laws under this, and some very strict prohibitions on the procedure. Perhaps it’s just the ignorance of nuance.”

It should be noted that Democrats, as they enjoyed control of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House, did not take advantage of the timely opportunity to pass a federal law protecting abortion. Harris demanded a solution; “Congress must pass a bill that protects these rights,” she said. But why now? Could it be that her party has a Republican-led House to blame if it fails to pass a federal abortion rights law and, therefore, cement more support for 2024?

Harris sighed, “We speak of the Roe decision in the past tense,” and then reminded assembled fans that a ten-year-old child in Ohio was denied an abortion and had to travel to Indiana for the procedure. Next, she spoke of the 35-year-old Texas woman that was denied treatment until developing near-fatal sepsis, and the 14-year-old in Arizona who was denied an arthritis drug because it may induce miscarriages.

It was horror story after anecdotal horror story retold by a less-than-heartfelt orator. But the shouts and whistles spiked when the vice president turned to the topic of Republican leaders and voters. She spat the word “extremists,” specifically calling out “the state of Florida” and Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 opponent of Joe Biden. “Today, we are fighting back,” said Harris. Those gathered raised angry voices as she warned that routine checkups, cancer screening, and contraception for women were now a thing of the past, and with significant volume and indignation, barked, “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again ‘how dare they.’”

Campaign Catering to an Angry Audience

Whoever wrote the VP’s speech did a remarkable job: weaving in and around the Constitution and Bill of Rights, while making sure to declare that the GOP is now the party wrapped in the flag while enslaving the nation’s female population. Harris stated:

“America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. But let us ask: Can we truly be free if a woman cannot make decisions about her own body? Can we truly be free if a doctor cannot care for her patients? Can we truly be free if families cannot make intimate decisions about the course of their own lives?”

She followed this by decrying “how so-called leaders claim to be on the vanguard of freedom can attack the very foundations of freedom.”

It should be evident that after staying under the radar during the midterms, Harris is now back in the spotlight and campaigning on behalf of her boss with an energy and strict script rarely before seen. She did not ad-lib or answer general questions, which appears to be the smartest political play she has made in a long time.