On Thursday, August 22, probably late at night, Kamala Harris will address the Democratic Convention. The convention is the venue but she’s really addressing the American people. It’s the opportunity of her lifetime. It may well be the opportunity of our lifetime. Harris should give a memorable and serious speech.

She should give a memorable speech because the times and the circumstances require it. For the sake of our democracy and our sanity, Trump must be defeated in the election and after. Her speech must be remembered as contributing to those defeats.

Harris should give a serious speech because it is serious business running for President at this moment in history. Running against, of all people, Donald Trump, who is not a serious man. The United States needs a serious leader. We need a George Washington, an Abraham Lincoln, or a Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

What we don’t need is a laughing-out-loud Kamala like the one we so often see

We need a serious leader because we have heavy work to do at home and in the world. The world needs the U.S. to have a no-nonsense leader. A strong and well-functioning U.S. military is essential to our security and stability in the world. A strong and well-functioning NATO is essential to security and stability in Europe. The threats from a ring of autocratic nations (China, Russia, etc.) must be met with skill in diplomacy and foresight in strategy. The world is way too dangerous and complicated a place for a joker like Donald Trump.

We need a serious leader also because we have important work to do in our country. If Harris is elected President, the Republicans are not likely to be helpful. She will have to find ways to get serious things done anyway. In her speech she can describe the most important of the things that need to be done.

She can be serious and joyful at the same time; no need to be grim.

When she gets to the border, though, Harris has a problem   She can use the fact that trump scuttled the bipartisan bill that made some border improvements, but that’s not enough to win over anybody. The Biden administration (Harris is guilty by association) neglected the border for years. If she’s serious, she has to admit the neglect, and her own culpability, to get any credibility. Then she has to have a meaningful and workable border plan/policy that stops the illegal immigration cold and completely while making legal immigration work smoothly.

Another crucial problem Harris has is inflation. The government statistics are coming down, but the prices of the things people buy (food and rent) are staying up. No-one is fooled by the statistics when the food bill is double what it used to be. If she is to be taken seriously, Harris has to acknowledge this, and come up with a solution. I don’t have one, but there surely is one. Can’t be price controls, though. Everyone knows that doesn’t work.

If Harris gets serious in her speech, and serious on the border and inflation, she will lose support of the Progressives. But maybe she will win the election. Does she have the courage – and the speechwriters – to do a memorable and serious speech? it’s a tall, tall expectation. We shall see.

Just Sayin’.