"I think Kamala Harris would be great president": Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar

By Reena Bhardwaj
Michigan [US], July 22 : Praising US Vice President Kamala Harris for her work, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar said that she is a tough lady and has done an outstanding job as senator, adding that he thinks Harris will be a great President.
Speaking to ANI, Thanedar said that he looks forward to working with Kamala Harris as the next President of the US. He said Harris cares deeply about democratic issues like protecting a woman's rights or protecting workers' rights and creating economic opportunities.
Asked about his reaction on Biden passing the torch to Harris, Shri Thanedar said, "I think Kamala Harris would be a great president. She is a tough lady. She has been a prosecutor. As a senator, she has done an outstanding job. And I look forward to working with Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States."
"You know, I have just recently, just a couple of weeks ago, I have met her in Detroit. She's very personable. She cares deeply about the democratic issues like, you know, protecting a woman's right to choose or protecting workers rights, you know, creating economic opportunities. She's very strong on small business, growth of small businesses. So I look forward to working with Kamala Harris as a member of Congress. And she is particularly, you know, I'm so proud that she would be our next president," he added.
His remarks came as Biden announced his decision to not seek re-election and endorsed Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
Shri Thanedar noted that Indian Americans are participating actively in politics and are part of both parties - Republican and Democratic parties.
Asked whether Kamala Harris' nomination as presidential candidate for Democrat will be game changer for Asian or Indian American donors, he responded, "Yeah, you know, finally, you know, Indian Americans are in mainstream American politics now. You know, we have Indian Americans in United States Congress. We have Indian Americans now in all walks of life in politics. While Indian Americans have done so well in business and medicine and academia."
"Now we're starting to see that Indian Americans are participating actively in politics, both parties. You know, the Vice President Kamala Harris being of Indian American descent is a proud moment for the Indian Americans in the United States," he added.
He also praised Joe Biden and called it a pleasure to have worked with him. He said that he wanted Biden to run, however, he respects his decision not to seek re-election.
"Well, you know, President Biden has done a great job. He's been a wonderful president. It's been a pleasure to work with him. I've had a chance to work with him, talk with him many, many times. But he has made a decision to step down. I respect his decision. Even though I wanted him to run and I felt that we could win with President Biden in November, but he has decided to step down and I respect his decision," he said.
Praising Biden for his work, Thanedar called him "one of the most pro-worker presidents and pro-choice presidents."
"He's one of the most progressive presidents, one of the most pro-worker president, pro-choice president. And under his leadership, we have created 15 million jobs. American economy grew substantially under his leadership. The stock market is up. Unemployment is very, very low. President Biden has done a great job. He got us out of COVID and he helped recover the economy. Our economy has grown faster than any other country in the world. So we are thankful to President Biden and we are thankful for his service. And in the end, he chose the country over his own personal interest. And that is something to be admired about and something we are proud of," Thanedar said.
Biden's announcement to drop out of the presidential race comes just four months before the election which is set to take place in November. Former US President Donald Trump has been nominated as the presidential candidate for the Republican Party.
Asked about the timing of Biden's announcement as it's close to the Democratic National Convention, he said, "Well, we still have about four months left to election. And Kamala Harris, who would be the nominee, I anticipate Kamala Harris will be the next presidential nominee. And people already know Kamala Harris. She has seen her work. People have seen she has been a great partner to President Biden. And I think people would support her wholeheartedly."
Speaking about the possibilities on how the party will choose its presidential nominee, Shri Thanedar said, "It's possible that there may be some discussion another candidate, but I believe that Kamala Harris was chosen as number two on the ticket by President Biden. That is the reason why she was chosen. And she has done a great job as a Vice President. She's been a great supporting vice president. So she is our candidate. And if there is some challenges, I believe, I talked to many of my congressional colleagues and a large majority of Congressional colleagues of mine do support her. So I expect it will be a quick nominating process and Kamala Harris would receive the nomination of the Democratic party."
He called Republicans a cult, who he stressed follow one leader blindly and stressed that Democratic party has open communication, and pointed out that the party leaders have disagreements at times. However, its like being in a family. He expressed confidence that party leaders will support Kamala Harris.
Highlighting the unity among leaders of Democratic Party, he said, "Well, look, the Republicans are like a cult. They have one leader, and under his leadership, they follow him blindly. Democratic party, we have an open communication. We disagree at times. It's like being a family. And it's a very contrasting position. We care about democracy. We care about opposing viewpoints. It's not a cult. Our party is not a cult. And we will continue to have that freedom of speech. We'll continue to have that civil dialogue in our party. But in the end, we will all stand behind the Democratic nominee, which I expect to be Kamala Harris and will strongly support her."
Meanwhile, after Biden's announcement to endorse her, the US Vice President said that she "intends to earn and win" the Democratic Party's nomination for the November presidential polls.
She said that she is honoured to have Biden's endorsement. She vowed to "do everything" in her power to unite the Democratic Party and the country to defeat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Asked about the possible running mate for Kamala Harris, Shri Thanedar said, "Well, there's a lot of good people. You know, we have a great bench. You know, Mark Kelly, Senator Mark Kelly has been talked about as possibility. Certainly the governor of my state, Gretchen Whitmer, who is outstanding and she would be a great vice president.
"Certainly, California governor, Newsom would be a possibility, and Transportation Secretary Pete, it would be a possibility. There is just a number of good people that Kamala Harris could choose from," he added.
Earlier in the day, Biden announced on Sunday (local time) announced his decision to not seek re-election in the best interest of his party and country.
In a letter posted on X, Biden stated, "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term. I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."
In a subsequent post on X, Biden stated, Biden stated, "My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best decision I've made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats -- it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."
Biden dropped out of the race after weeks of pressure from Democrats following his disastrous performance in the nationally televised 90-minute debate with Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump on June 27. In that debate, Biden appeared frail and confused, stumbling through sentences and trailing off mid-sentence.