“On behalf of the people, of every American, regardless of party, race, gender or what language your grandmother speaks, I accept the nomination,” said the US vice president, Kamala Harrisbefore the Democratic National Convention“I will be the president who unites us in our greatest aspirations,” she promised.
When Harris, 59, accepted her party’s nomination on Thursday night, she laid out a number of compelling principles of foreign policy: to face Russia and North Koreadefend the right of Israel to self-defense and, at the same time, support the right to self-determination of the Palestinians. He also promised a tax cut to the middle class, the end of the housing shortage in the United States and a secure southern border.
The speech delighted his Democratic supporters and was tougher than most observers expected, but still focused more on general principles than details.
Harris hasn’t had much time to formulate detailed plans: She became the Democratic nominee just a month ago after the president Joe Biden to abandon her failed reelection campaign under pressure from her own party. Partly, this is also on purpose: The vice president and her advisers have avoided offering clear examples of where she might deviate from Biden’s policies.
Buoyed by a wave of enthusiasm, donations and much improved poll numbers since Harris entered the race, her team is cautious about providing enough details for the Republican nominee, former president Donald Trump, and her campaign find new ways to attack her.
On particularly thorny issues such as energy policyHarris’s advisers describe her deliberately vague approach as “strategically ambiguous.”
Harris will face increasing pressure to flesh out her policies in the final 75 days of the campaign.
Chauncey McLeanfounder of the super cap known as Future Forwardthe largest outside group backing the vice president’s candidacy, said earlier this week that voters are already asking questions: “What is her plan? What is she going to do? And specifically, what is she going to do to make my life better?”
A leap of faith
Harris, former attorney general of California and US senator, launched her candidacy for the White House four years ago, but quickly fell out of the race for his party’s nomination. It was an uneven campaign, changing his message and tactics on the fly with little effect.
This time, he has tried to present himself as an extension of the Biden administration and the face of a new generationSo far, he has been successful and has achieved clear advantages over Trump in the polls, making the contest a tight race.
When Harris presented an economic plan to fight the price speculation of supermarkets, Trump called the initiative socialismdespite similar efforts having already been made in 37 states. He called her “Comrade Kamala.”
On Thursday night, he attacked his speech at the Democratic convention. “There are no specific policies, we just talk, we do nothing,” he said in a post on social media.
Harris’ campaign has said she no longer supports the ban on hydraulic fracking not one single payer health care systemeither Medicare for Alltwo positions he supported in his failed bid for the presidency in 2020.
The final stretch until Election Day, Nov. 5, includes at least one televised debate against Trump in September. He is also expected to participate in one-on-one national interviews in which he will be asked to elaborate on his policies.
At this week’s Chicago convention, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumersummed up the sentiment of a party eager to put off political discussions and focus more on defeating Trump. Minutes before addressing climate activists, he was asked whether Harris needed to provide a more detailed climate agenda in the coming weeks. “People should have a lot of faith. She’s going to be a great environmentalist president“, he said.
Some of the party faithful in Chicago, when asked about Harris’s meager policy proposal, shrugged. Others asked why the media wasn’t applying the same standard to Trump. None of the two dozen attendees interviewed by Reuters expressed any concern.
Tom Malinowskiformer congressman of New Jerseysaid undecided voters won’t be wondering which candidate has the more nuanced position on issues like carbon adjustment fees. “What they do know, or should know, is that they have a candidate who believes that the climate change is real and a threat, and that the United States can and must lead the world toward clean energyand another candidate who doesn’t care about anything,” he said.
Source: Ambito
