LAS VEGAS — There was no talk of President Biden’s health or his potential departure from the ticket when Vice President Kamala Harris launched a new campaign coalition Tuesday — at least no direct talk.
But the veep alluded to the daily front-page headlines about her boss’ fitness for office since his disastrous debate performance last month.
“Sadly there are some issues that require, I think, a lot more attention from the press, and there are some issues that sadly and most recently have not been covered,” she told the hundreds of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders gathered at a Resorts World Las Vegas ballroom for the AANHPIs for Biden-Harris kickoff.
“Donald Trump wants to turn our democracy into a dictatorship, and the Supreme Court basically just declared he can get away with it,” she said, referring to a July 1 high court decision protecting presidential immunity, a ruling justices said would also apply to Biden.
“So if the Supreme Court says the laws do not apply to Donald Trump, if people like Mike Pence are not around to stand up to him, and if extremists in Congress continue to bow down to him, our last defense — our last line of defense — is the ballot box,” Harris said, calling the November contest “one the most existential, consequential and important elections of our lifetime.”
Urged on by cooking celebrity Padma Lakshmi, progressive San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and entrepreneur Maya Kwong, owner of Xiao Long Dumplings, the crowd repeatedly chanted “Four more years!” and acted as if there were no concerns about the 81-year-old Biden’s cognitive abilities even as some top Democrats have demanded he withdraw from the race.
“We love Kamala!” someone in the crowd shouted, one of several such call-outs during the rally.
Lakshmi said she was proud of Harris, who has an Indian-American mother, and saw in her a role model for the foodie’s daughters.
Lakshmi, who was once married to writer Salman Rushdie, said Asian-American and related minority communities are a potent political force in several swing states.
“In this election, AANHPI voters have the power to help put Joe and Kamala back in the White House,” she said.
“We’re the fastest growing demographic in this country. We can make a difference in elections in battleground states like Georgia and right here in Nevada.”
Rally attendee Lucy Innuso, 68, said she came out because “I think it’s important at this moment in time to show support for the Democratic Party and for the Biden and Harris ticket because I don’t think people are really listening.”
Abraham Camejo, 41, of Las Vegas, runs a risk-management consultancy and brought his son and three of his five daughters to the rally.
“Being a girl dad, I want them to see a woman in a very prestigious position,” Camejo said.
“And what better than to show my daughters that we have a female, a young woman, as vice president of the United States? I invited my girls, I told them, ‘Would you like to come to this event?’ and they chose to say yes.”
Nine-year-old Athena Camejo smiled when asked about the event, which she called “amazing.”
The young girl, who would first be eligible for the White House in 2050, enthusiastically said “Yes” when asked if she would like to be president or vice president someday.
Renee Ya, 37, who moved here a year ago from California, said the Harris appearance is “my first political rally.”
She said she was “really excited to be here to show solidarity for the AAPI” community.
Asked what excited her about the ticket, Ya replied, “Well, if it’s democracy or fascism, I definitely choose democracy.”