WILKES-BARRE — On Saturday, Mayor George Brown was basking in the afterglow of Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ visit to the city.
“It really was great having the Vice President come to Wilkes-Barre,” Brown said. “Our city was featured all over national news.”
And the Mayor said he hopes Harris returns to the city before the Nov. 5th General Election.
Brown began Friday evening’s program at Wilkes University’s McHale Center by welcoming Harris and the crowd to the city.
Brown warmed up the capacity crowd, leading them in chants of “Ka-ma-la,” and “We won’t go back” and then, after mentioning Trump, the crowd booed, then chanted “Lock him up.”
Brown said Harris never puts people down, she lifts them up, and he said Harris “will take us forward.”
Brown said 4,100 supporters were in the McHale Center and approximately another 1,000 were directed to a nearby parking lot to watch the rally on closed circuit television.
“The enthusiasm level was unbelievable,” the mayor said. “People wanted to show their support. It was an amazing evening — everybody was so happy that they didn’t want to leave. All those people gathered in one place with the same beliefs, the same goals.”
Brown said the job for Democrats now is to go forward to knock on doors and talk to people.
“We have to do all we can to assure Kamala Harris is our next president, ” Brown said. That’s our job now.”
Brown said he was honored to open the rally and welcome everyone.
“It was a fun night,” he said.
Brown said he had several conversations with the Harris-Walz campaign staff and he said he made it clear how important it is that Harris come back to Wilkes-Barre before the Nov. 5 election.
“To see the support she has here, wherever she comes back, she will pack the place,” Brown said. “They want to see our next president. She is a wonderful speaker, she has a great presence. We would be honored to have her back and we would welcome her again.”
In his speech Friday night, Brown said he was excited to enthusiastically support a candidate who has always put people over politics and who has always fought to get things done for regular people.
“You see, Kamala Harris doesn’t insult people that disagree with her, she listens to them,” Brown said. “She understands that real leaders don’t put people down, they work to lift people up. She understands that being President isn’t about ego or power, it’s about service and sacrifice. And she will be a president for all Americans — and she’s the leader who will take us forward. The same simply cannot be said about Donald Trump.”
“When (Trump) was president, his main legislative accomplishment was handing out trillions in tax cuts to rich guys like himself,” Brown said. “He disrespected our Constitution and spat in the face of our democracy on Jan. 6, when he encouraged a mob of violent insurrectionists to storm the capitol — and then sat back and watched. He used the Oval Office to bully people.”
Brown went on to say that Trump “is no leader, and he has no business being anywhere near the White House again. Our democracy and our livelihoods are on the line this November.”
Brown said the country has an opportunity to move forward and elect “an incredible leader” in Kamala Harris — someone “who has and always will have our backs.”
“We have the opportunity to turn the page on Donald Trump and chart a new way forward,” Brown said. “And we’re now in the home stretch here. The next 53 days will make all the difference.