Comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the star of the extremely popular television comedy Seinfeld as well as the show Veep, where she portrays a sidelined US Vice-President, tweeted that the “Madame Vice-President” was not a fictional one anymore as the Joseph Biden Jr-Kamal Harris ticket has, according to the US media, won the presidential elections, even though incumbent Donald Trump is not conceding defeat just yet. So, on January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris will take the oath as the 49th Vice-President of the US, breaking not just a barrier for women but also for Americans of colour, being the child of a Jamaican father and a Tamilian mother. We do not know what sort of Vice-President she will be. In years past, we have seen some like George Bush Senior and Karl Rove effectively run the show for their leaders, but over the years, many have been completely sidelined by their Presidents. Famously, when Harry Truman ascended to the top job in 1944 after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, he had no clue of most of America’s strategic initiatives in World War II, including the Manhattan Project that was developing the atomic bomb. Truman was the man who unleashed the power of the weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One can assume that Harris might have a greater role than the “typical” Vice-President but as the Democratic establishment chooses the next Cabinet, what that role will be remains to be seen. However, given early indications of Biden’s declining mental acuity evident in some of his speeches and certain to be a favourite of America’s acerbic late-night television hosts, the next four years could be an audition for the top job for Harris herself.

Make no mistake, the 2020 US presidential election was mighty close and when the last votes are counted and certified, Biden would have won the overall popular vote substantially. But Trump also increased the number of votes he got. In addition, he just about lost Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. So unless Biden can get the virus under control, revive the economy and keep China in check, there is no certainty that Biden or Harris will win the next election. In India, we are celebrating that one of our own, sort of, is in a position of power, but Harris’ first job is repairing a deeply divided US. That won’t be easy, but if she can add a healing touch, she might make a run for the top job sooner rather than later.

Comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the star of the extremely popular television comedy Seinfeld as well as the show Veep, where she portrays a sidelined US Vice-President, tweeted that the “Madame Vice-President” was not a fictional one anymore as the Joseph Biden Jr-Kamal Harris ticket has, according to the US media, won the presidential elections, even though incumbent Donald Trump is not conceding defeat just yet. So, on January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris will take the oath as the 49th Vice-President of the US, breaking not just a barrier for women but also for Americans of colour, being the child of a Jamaican father and a Tamilian mother. We do not know what sort of Vice-President she will be. In years past, we have seen some like George Bush Senior and Karl Rove effectively run the show for their leaders, but over the years, many have been completely sidelined by their Presidents. Famously, when Harry Truman ascended to the top job in 1944 after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, he had no clue of most of America’s strategic initiatives in World War II, including the Manhattan Project that was developing the atomic bomb. Truman was the man who unleashed the power of the weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. One can assume that Harris might have a greater role than the “typical” Vice-President but as the Democratic establishment chooses the next Cabinet, what that role will be remains to be seen. However, given early indications of Biden’s declining mental acuity evident in some of his speeches and certain to be a favourite of America’s acerbic late-night television hosts, the next four years could be an audition for the top job for Harris herself.

Make no mistake, the 2020 US presidential election was mighty close and when the last votes are counted and certified, Biden would have won the overall popular vote substantially. But Trump also increased the number of votes he got. In addition, he just about lost Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. So unless Biden can get the virus under control, revive the economy and keep China in check, there is no certainty that Biden or Harris will win the next election. In India, we are celebrating that one of our own, sort of, is in a position of power, but Harris’ first job is repairing a deeply divided US. That won’t be easy, but if she can add a healing touch, she might make a run for the top job sooner rather than later.