Harris Strategically Unveils Policy to Outmaneuver Trump and Tackle 2020 Issues

Vice President Kamala Harris is strategically positioning herself to tackle old weaknesses in her policy platform as she seeks to establish her own vision for governance ahead of the upcoming elections in November.

Typically, vice presidents do not have distinct policy agendas and often align closely with the pursuits of the sitting president. After spending four years adhering to President Joe Biden’s policy initiatives, Harris is now cautiously crafting her own policy direction.

After taking over Biden’s political operation in late July, she quickly faced the challenge of forming a cohesive policy platform. The campaign’s webpage, which previously outlined a six-point framework focused on issues such as expanding voting rights and reinstating nationwide abortion access, was simplified. Instead, Harris has emphasized broad themes in her speeches, concentrating on objectives like “building up the middle class.”

While she has advocated for federal legislation to ensure access to abortion and to ban assault-style weapons, specifics about her proposals and strategies for enacting them remain undisclosed.

During a recent press interaction, when questioned about her upcoming policy rollout, she mentioned that more details would be shared soon, emphasizing a focus on the economy and efforts to reduce costs while strengthening overall economic conditions.

Insights into her evolving policy approach emerged when, surprisingly, she reiterated a proposal championed by her opponent, Donald Trump. Harris expressed her intention to eliminate federal taxes on tipped earnings for workers, particularly targeting those in lower and middle-income brackets.

This proposal has garnered bipartisan support and resonates strongly in service-oriented states like Nevada. Interestingly, it is a rare instance of Trump’s 2024 campaign highlighting a fresh idea — a point that Harris’s campaign views as advantageous, as they aim to provoke Trump into making missteps.

Trump responded negatively to Harris’s endorsement of the idea, taking to his social media platform to claim that the suggestion originated with him and accused her of lacking originality. He further criticized her in an interview, alleging that the Biden administration had harassed tipped workers.

The Biden administration also showed support for the plan, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reinforcing that the president backs the initiative, though she sidestepped questions about why they had not pursued it during their first term.

In her initial weeks as a candidate, Harris has taken significant steps to distance herself from the more liberal positions she endorsed during her previous campaign in 2020. This includes backing away from calls to prohibit fracking, implement a single-payer healthcare system, and decriminalize illegal border crossings. Despite exiting the race before the first vote was cast, she is aware that her earlier stances could alienate current voters if not promptly addressed.

Additionally, her relationship with Biden adds complexity to her campaign, as he quickly endorsed her and entrusted her with his political strategy after stepping back from reelection. Jean-Pierre indicated that they have worked in tandem over the past three-plus years and will likely continue to do so.

Biden only started to articulate specific policy proposals for a potential second term after facing challenges in his candidacy, particularly following a poor debate performance against Trump. He has called for restoring abortion access, increasing the federal minimum wage, and imposing new taxes on billionaires, all of which Harris has incorporated into her platform.

However, these initiatives would require congressional backing, which proved challenging even during the Democrats’ earlier control of both houses of Congress.

Harris’s campaign suggests that her gradual shift toward centrist policies signifies her approach to fostering bipartisan cooperation. Her spokesperson articulated that Harris believes in the necessity of consensus-building to achieve practical outcomes, contrasting her approach with Trump’s more extreme positioning.

As Trump has begun to utilize personal and racially charged attacks against Harris, his campaign aims to highlight her policy shifts in order to frame her as a radical liberal. They are also showcasing old videos of her discussing policy proposals from the 2020 Democratic primaries.

In a recent post, Trump asserted that Harris has consistently changed her stance on nearly every policy throughout her career and likened her tactics to dishonesty, which he believes will ultimately deceive the American public.

Harris’s journey to establish herself as a candidate will be closely watched as she unfolds her policy agenda while navigating the complexities of her past positions, current realities, and political rivalries.

Source: Associated Press