Madam Vice-President assumes office

WASHINGTON: The apocryphal story goes that an antagonist who was in front of the writer Dorothy

Parker

opened the door for her to go in first, tartly remarking, “age before beauty!” Parker sashayed in, fluting, “pearls before swine!”


It’s an exchange that could have happened in Washington DC today, as Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first female vice-president in US history. Pilloried by misogyny, sexism, racism, and bigotry, Kamala, whose named translates to “lotus” in Sanskrit, has withstood — and risen above — the mudslinging to climb the glass cliff and shatter a glass ceiling. Women across America pledged to wear, and wore, pearls on the occasion.

The momentous landmark was noted among others by Hillary Clinton, who failed in her Presidential bid four years ago and had presciently remarked in her concession speech that it would not be long before a woman cracked the male stranglehold on high political office in the United States. On Tuesday, she tweeted, “Let’s just sit with this for a moment and what it means. Tomorrow,

Kamala

Devi Harris will be the first woman sworn in as

vice president

of the United States.”

President-elect Joe Biden, 78, who picked Kamala as his deputy because she is ready to take his place anytime should something happen to him and has referred to the incoming dispensation as the Harris-Biden administration, also noted the milestone, fighting back tears as he said, “Twelve years ago, I was waiting for a black man to pick me up to go to DC so I could serve as his Vice-President of the United States. Today, I will pick up a black woman to go to DC to serve as my Vice-President of the United States.”

“Don’t tell me things can’t change,” he added.

Things have certainly changed — and they had changed even before the Biden-Harris team was sworn into office. More women have been named to key cabinet and sub-cabinet positions than any other US administration in history. On Wednesday, the incoming team nominated a transgender, Dr Rachel Levine, to be assistant secretary for health in the department of health and human services. If confirmed by the Senate, Levine will be the first openly transgender federal official at that level.

Kamala herself was sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor soon after the Presidential inauguration at noon. One of Kamala’s own first actions after she became vice-president was to swear in three Democratic Senators — her California replacement Alex Padilla, and Georgia run-off winners Jon Ossoff and

Raphael Warnock

. They will bring about a 50-50 tie in the Senate with Kamala having the tie-breaker vote.

Ahead of her swearing in, the vice-president elect read a clutch of letters from children across the country. One of them was from an Indian-American girl named Sahana, who wrote, “I hope you are a wonderful vice-president. I cannot believe you are of Indian descent just like me!”