"107 Days" the campaign of Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris was for over seven years my favored candidate.  This book is sad in the  sense of "What might have been."

The "107 Days"  (2025) refers to how much time she had to campaign.  It was a delicate situation following a disastrous debate for Joe Biden.  Democrat leaders felt this would almost certainly lead to a defeat in the 2024 election.  Yet getting him to resign was a formidable task and Biden didn't feel he deserved to be discarded.  His record under the trying circumstances of dealing with a pandemic should have been something to be proud of, but the average citizen felt he had been a poor president, egged on by a ranting Donald Trump.

Other people could see a problem with a black and Indian woman married to a Jew.  Seen by some as too progressive and not possessing the name recognition felt necessary.  The Bidens felt she needed to be loyal to them and were sensitive to how he would be treated.  Practically it was conceded that Kamala was the logical choice.

On a CNN broadcast John King was heard to say "I think the greatest acts of political malpractice...is they  have kept her under wraps for 3 years."  She had been showcased a lot more in California, but when given a chance proved to be articulate and exercised good judgment.

Was there enough time?  The book is broken down mostly to day by day decisions and actions with a few flashbacks.

A big obstacle noted at the book's beginning is expressed in a quote by Alberto Brandolini:  "The amount of energy to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

Gaza presented an issue that had changed.  The Democrats and Republicans had both supported Israel financially and politically for decades, but Muslims were coming to have more influence in western nations.  More people could appreciate the Palestinian story of being dispossessed and Israel with American support were being accused of genocide.  The Democrats and Kamala were in favor of a two state solution, but found Benjamin Netanyahu intransigent on this issue.  Many voters and not just Muslims now felt Israel was guilty of genocide.  It could have been seen by many, that the Republicans  were closer to Netanyahu's position, but Kamala lost votes to Palestinian sympathizers.

Transexuals were another issue that was blown up.  In truth they represented a very small sector of the public, but induced feelings of squeamishness that were fanned by a major targeted ad campaign of Trump. Kamala was tied to this and in fact she was just being ethical and legal. 

A major decision was to pick a Vice President.  She admits her first choice would have been Pete Buttigieg, but felt that an openly gay man would be too big a burden.  She narrowed it down to Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly and Tim Walz with each having pluses and minuses and she finally chose Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota.  Afterwards asked Barrack Obama how he decided on Joe Biden and he said Biden represented a different political view that he thought was good for future decisions.

Elon Musk turned out to be a decisive factor.  He spent millions and his marketing expertise helped to buy the election.  Laws at one time limited financial influence on elections, but the Republicans whittled restrictions away to allow someone like Musk to have an undo effect.

Debates also play a role in voter decisions.  Kamala took a few days off her travel schedule to prepare.  Many would say she won the debate, but facts were not relevant to MAGA supporters.

Climate change should have been a major issue, but Kamala realized most voters saw it at best, a long term concern while consumers were upset about the cost of living that they blamed Biden for increasing.   Unable to appreciate that the pandemic had been aggravated by Trump and required a lot of extra spending to deal with that was the real cause of inflation.  Biden had actually outperformed other wealthy countries.

Each day demanded choices.  She tried to emphasize efforts in the battleground states, but had obligations to cover other states.  

A personal problem she acknowledged was on her birthday.  A lot of effort had been made by friends, relatives and staff to ensure an appropriate celebration.  Her husband Doug Emhoff, perhaps under stress disappointed her.  He gifted her with a favorite style pearl necklace, but when examined she learned he had had it engraved with a date that wasn't her birthday, but their anniversary date that had been gifted at that time and he had tried to combine the days with one purchase.  There were a few other details that bloggers like me could only guess, but they did have a falling out.  He did make it up a few days later.

She had been negotiating to take part in an interview with popular Joe Rogan.  He indicated he was willing and she indicated a date but he said he was taking that day off.  Other dates just didn't work out and then on his personal day off he endorsed Trump.  A lot of time was wasted on that effort.

We all know the results.  It was not quite as overwhelming as Trump liked to portray, but the country now has a new leader with new policies.

At one point Kamala made a prediction before the election:  "In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office.  On day one, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list.  When elected I will walk in with a to-do list...". 

She still had more than two months to go as Vice President.  She honored tradition and certified the election of Trump.  She did her best to give a smooth transition.

The future is uncertain, but she maintains the fight is not over.  She points out that the Republicans have steadily shaped the laws to favor the wealthy and by appealing to prejudices.  It is not just Trump who is the problem, but his followers.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/trump-as-tool.html

She feels the best hope is with Generation Z who have lived through the pandemic, economic turmoil that followed and will face the impact of a worsening climate change and AI.  Education will be important to the newcomers, but also for the rest of us.

Her book, "107 Days" packs a realistic record of the stresses of an election campaign.

Here is how I saw the choice:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/the-choice.html

From her book before the 2020 election:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/kamala-harris-truths-we-hold.html

Jane Goodall and her famous last words

Jane Goodall is one of those people we wish there were more of in the world.  Most of us live in urban environments with our pet dogs and cats, but mostly separated from nature.   We forget we are part of nature.

The concept of "Famous Last Words" is to interview notable people to not be aired until after their death.  Originated in Denmark.  Very personal.  This is really the first episode to be aired.

 

In the interview she is very conscious that when her audience sees the film she is already dead.  Most of it is her story and opinions.  To some the idea might seem morbid, but Jane seemed appreciative of the opportunity.

The interviewer, Brad Falchuk, also the producer had learned she liked a shot of whiskey to warm up and so they both enjoyed some whiskey together.  He was very good at putting her at ease to express herself freely.  The cameras were mobile and most important not visible.

As a youngster she had a strong curiosity about animals including worms.  Most mothers would be upset with their daughter handling worms, but Jane was encouraged to express her fondness for animals.

She was one of three women chosen by Louis Leakey to study primates in their natural surroundings.   Although she did not have a Bachelor's degree she was admitted for a Ph.D at Cambridge.

When she first arrived in Africa she was soon alone and not sure where the chimpanzees were to be found.  She was not bored, but found other creatures to observe.  One such study was of dung beetles who perform a task that helps balance nature.  She did meet up with some chimpanzees and had to earn their trust.  As she got more comfortable she was able to observe their similarities to humans.  Chimpanzees were able to make tools, go on organized war parties against other chimps, could pass on information to future generations and were emotionally complex. 

Her first husband, Hugo von Lawick  was a photographer assigned to take still shots and film of her with the chimps.  They became attached and married and had one son Hugo.  She related in her last words interview that her son took the divorce very hard.  After an education in England Hugo preferred to build boats in Tanzania.

Her second husband was Derek Bryceson who had been a director of a natural foundation.  They were married until he died of cancer five years later leaving her a widow for the rest of her life.

Opinions might have been carefully expressed in public, but here she strongly lets us know she does not like Donald Trump.  One can only hope that more people will respect her views than that of Donald Trump.  Elon Musk and Putin were also singled out as vile people.

Some phrases she used were "Your life matters", "Don't lose hope" (she felt the world was in terrible shape) and we are all "part of nature."  When asked how she saw her purpose she replied "

This photo has a personal connection for me.  I met Bruce Lawes at a horse show where he was exhibiting a visually dynamic realistic painting of a horse.  I have followed him partly through his former agent, Glenda Fordham a Facebook friend.  I had seen this photo earlier and can imagine he took the pains to get the painting as realistic and memorable as possible.

She died in her sleep in Los Angeles on October 1, 2025 and the film was released only a few days later.  The film can be seen in full on Netflix.  Her last words can be found here on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLKHY52ERc

The film was based on a Danish series "Det Sidse Ord" in 2020.