(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

In just 23 days Kamala Harris will make history, becoming vice president of the United States. But in what is admittedly premature, I predict she will on Jan. 20, 2025 become America’s first woman president.

Kamala Harris is a force for change in the Democrat Party, and she will change America for the better.

I have a lot of faith in this woman...based on her lifetime of service to her community, state and nation. She is what you want in a leader...smart, authentic and credible. She has integrity and character...those difficult-to-define qualities that most citizens believe are the essence of America. She represents today’s values and yesterday’s...and most importantly she reflects the future. She is a pioneer.

The vision Vice President-Elect Harris has for America is aligned perfectly with those grand and glorious words in America’s Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. Her vision is inclusive and that in itself is a huge change from the past.

Her biggest challenge might be to defuse the fears of people in rural America that in making America good for everyone they will lose. No doubt, she is already thinking, “How can this be a win-win?” We’ll begin to see her building toward that position in the coming months and years.

She will benefit greatly from working closely with President-Elect Joe Biden. He knows first-hand what it is like to be vice president...and he’s going to make her role more expansive than any vice president in history.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

I believe she’ll use her empathy and credible communications skills and talents to bridge the cultural gaps between urban, suburban and rural America. And rather than just talk...she listens well...and will help develop programs to help those who feel left out or left behind once again see themselves as Americans. The timing couldn’t be better...they have been lied to for four years...and are wise enough to know truth when the hear it.

They’ve learned...watch what they do...not what they say.

An example of what needs to happen? Our horse farm in Florida is surrounded by rural communities...towns of 1,000 to 3,000 people. When I go to Williston - seven miles away - I see people in the parking lot and inside...not just eating...but using the free WiFi.

I hope Biden and Harris will push for infrastructure development that will bring millions of square miles of America into the current century. The fact that people are hanging out in McDonald’s should tell us something, after all nobody is that crazy about their hamburgers and fries.

There’s already a bill that Mitch McConnell has blocked from the Senate floor that would help fund such infrastructure. Politically, Democrats could certainly use the support of rural America...rather than leaving it for Republicans to claim...then abandon. Biden and Harris won the suburbs and cities in enough swing states to wrest the White House from one of the worst presidents in American history...but there are no guarantees in politics.

Even now, nearly two months after the election, I drive from our horse farm into town and pass dozens of Trump signs. Biden...and particularly Harris...can turn Red states into Blue states in Senate and House elections in 2022 and the presidential election in 2024 if they don’t ignore rural America.

Politics notwithstanding, people in rural areas deserve what those in cities and suburbs take for granted...internet connectivity. That alone would help farmers better run their farms, and their sons and daughters would no longer suffer from an inferior education.

All of this starts with what Kamala Harris is really good at...showing up and listening. Her career as an attorney and lawmaker have sharpened those skills. Also, she is a mother...a smart woman...and I believe she possesses the leadership qualities that America needs going forward.

Also, she doesn’t believe that any American has to suffer for another American to succeed. That sounds all too obvious. But that’s how politicians - especially Trump’s Republican Party - have played it for...well, too long.

So, yes, while perhaps a bit premature...we’ll see where Kamala Harris is in four years. In the meantime, she’ll spend a lot of time with Joe Biden in the White House.

But in 2025, I believe she’ll live there.

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

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