The popularity of Vice President Kamala Harris’s political campaign seems to be riding a wave of intense enthusiasm, as can be seen by the outpouring of campaign donations and volunteer involvement. Ensconced in the pivotal moments of her campaign, she finds herself at an engaging crossroads – deciding on a running mate. But one wonders how long this excitement can be sustained, given her aptitude for getting enmeshed in critical judgments. It seems her potential running mate will be picked from a shortlist of four chosen governors, a senator and a cabinet official who were once political adversaries. Decision-making, it seems, isn’t one of Harris’s strong suits – a quality eerily redolent of her time as a prosecutor.
We’re watching a rushed process transpire, with a decision that usually takes months being hurriedly made in just a few weeks. Post this decision, Harris is expected to embark on a seven-state battleground tour starting in Philadelphia and moving on through Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. The initial rallies instigated by her campaign have evidently stirred thousands. However, campaign officials seem to be growing increasingly nervous, knowing full well the capricious nature of political fervor.
Is there a genuine cause for concern about the pace during which the momentum could slacken? Or are the campaign chiefs simply trying to manage any precedent-set predictions to guard against future disappointment? Whatever, the case, it seems the main focus is on fighting off the encroaching challenge posed by Republican nominee, Donald Trump. The considerably strong start for Harris seems to be working in her favor, enabling the re-targeting of states previously thought to be beyond reach when Joe Biden was leading the ticket.
Harris might have to steel herself for the upcoming trials as her VP choice could potentially disappoint some members of the coalition. Despite enjoying a substantial political career, she is yet to face the kind of scrutiny typical for someone targeting the most influential seat in the country. She has not yet substantiated her stance on a multitude of political controversies dividing Democrats. After years of backing Joe Biden’s ideologies, we are yet to see the emergence of a uniquely Harris viewpoint.
Despite not having positioned herself definitively on pivotal points of discord amongst Democrats, the broad strokes of Harris’s message for the future seems to be becoming increasingly clear. It seems her campaign is using the keyword ‘fearless’ to spotlight her ability to tackle difficult situations. A rallying cry that is emerging from her campaign is an ominous, ‘We are not going back’. In addition, she’s focusing on a narrative of ‘freedom’. Sounds inspiring, but the question remains, would this rhetoric be backed up by concrete actions?
These themes extend to other critical issues, such as gun violence and abortion. She appears determined to frame these subject matters as inherent threats to the freedom enjoyed by individual citizens. A distinction is being drawn between her record of prosecuting hardened criminals and corporate malfeasances and the indictments, convictions, and civil judgments accrued by Trump during his tenure. For now, it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors with questionable implications.
Meanwhile, Trump is quick to retaliate by portraying Harris as a liberal darling enamored with progressive policies and oblivious to the crime surge rates. The policies implemented during her time as vice president, particularly with regard to border security, have instigated a rise in criticism, alongside Trump’s accusations regarding inflation during her and Biden’s leadership. In a surprising turn of events, the president has also drawn attention to personal factors, such as her intelligence and her bi-racial identity.
As she and her, yet-to-be-determined, running mate start setting the stage for the election by touring battleground states, Harris appears to be planning a rejuvenated offensive strategy in Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia. Some of these states were previously identified as key targets by the Biden campaign, but were eventually relinquished due to dwindling hope in favor of bolstering the Democratic hold in ‘blue wall’ states.
Now, with renewed vigor, campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez is shifting her attention back to Arizona and Nevada due to an alleged surge in Harris’s competitiveness against Trump in these states, both of which were seized by Biden in the previous election. However, these claims are hard to take at face value. One can’t help but wonder: Are these just desperate attempts to cast a positive light amidst the shadow of their more dismal expectations?
Despite packing quite a punch on the surface, the Harris campaign is now confronted with the Herculean task of converting their energized supporters into active voters. However, they remain positive, laying bare some impressive numbers; volunteers registered more than 2 million phone calls, knocked on 172,000 doors and sent nearly 2.9 million text messages to voters across battleground states over a 12 day period. The flurry of activity certainly paints a picture of diligence, but it remains to be seen whether it will bear any fruit.
While busy behind the scenes, Harris has been keeping a low profile, reportedly under the process of finalizing her running mate. Sources point to Andy Beshear of Kentucky, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as potential sidekicks. All white men, it is to be noted. One can’t help but question the apparent lack of diversity in her choices.
It goes without saying that she would lean on her experience as Biden’s running mate in making this decision. However, once these names were public, lobbying from various Democratic factions exploded, revealing differing opinions stemming from geographic considerations, past policy stances, and voter sentiment. It seems you can’t please everyone.
Soon, Harris will become the official nominee for the Democratic party. Expectedly, there’s not much suspense here given DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison’s statement that she had already clinched enough delegates to be nominated. Still, the announcement received a lukewarm response, made worse by multiple technical issues.
An impending moment of significance will be a debate between Harris and Trump. So far, there has been a spat over the date and forum of the debate, with Trump pulling out of a scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC. The President prefers Fox News and a Sept. 4 debate instead. However, the Harris camp seems persistent in sticking to the original date.
Trump quipped in a social media post, ‘I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all.’ However, the success or failure of her campaign depends on more than just a successful debate against Trump. Will her campaign’s current momentum be enough to overcome her potential shortcomings?
While it stands that the spotlight will continue to be firmly trained on Harris and her campaign in the coming days, the question remains, how will she tackle the challenges thrown her way? As she grapples with this pressure, one wonders if her bid for the presidency will result in a pragmatic shift towards sound policy or continue to peddle ineffective political rhetoric.
Harris’s Haphazard Decision-Making Raises Concerns appeared first on Real News Now.
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