I have spent the past weeks crossing the United States with Kamala Harris.
We are one day away from the most important election of my lifetime. Over the past 40 years, I have documented the election campaigns of many world leaders; Clinton, Obama, Yeltsin, Mandela, Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, Macron, Schroder, Thatcher, Havel, and many more.
This election is not like any other. Kamala Harris’ opponent is a convicted felon that has clearly indicated his admiration for dictators and his desire for a presidency with more autocratic rule.
Amid this, I ask myself what is objectivity. Does it exist? I know what honesty is. I know what fairness is. And I know what sincerity is. I ask myself, during important times in the past in history as tyrants came to power: would it have been unobjective for journalists to let the world clearly know their intentions. In my mind, much more important than the notion of objectivity is the responsibility for a journalist to stick their head out the window and let the public know what the weather is. Is it raining or not? With Kamala Harris I have seen a lot of sunshine over these past two weeks.
As I have followed Kamala Harris through many of the most important swing states, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and also in Washington D.C., I have had the rare opportunity to witness Kamala Harris in several moments away from the eyes of crowds, and what I have seen at each occasion is a person that appears kind, compassionate, authentic, sincere, acutely intelligent and sharp, determined, and strong.
I’ve had the opportunity to witness many charismatic leaders and personalities – among them, Clinton, Mandela, Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Obama, and others. Kamala Harris exudes a charisma that is spectacular in its consistency, and total lack of pretention or arrogance.
At this moment that is such an important turning point in history, I have been very moved to see the energy and passion of the thousands of people I have witnessed at her rallies.
One has the clear and powerful impression that this is not only her moment, but more importantly, our moment.
As we are one day from the election-the outcome is unclear. The question I continue to ask myself, as do so many others-is how it is possible that her opponent could ever receive enough support to win this election. It is a moment with the stakes so high that an unclear outcome creates great nervousness and anxiety for many.
I cannot be sure, but my stomach tells me from the energy of this moment that I have witnessed: she will win. As she and her supporters say every day: “We are not going back.”
Go Kamala. With love,
Peter Turnley
