Vice President Kamala Harris, engaging as always
After running scared for days, Donald Trump reportedly has agreed to the September 10 presidential debate against Vice President Kamala Harris in which Trump had previously agreed to participate against President Joe Biden. Trump’s initial reluctance to debate Harris is the latest indication that Trump does not know how to run against her. A large part of Trump’s problem is that Harris is a woman, and indeed, a very powerful, tough and accomplished woman.
As most people know, Trump was confident that he would beat Biden, who was showing signs of age when trying to campaign in addition to his very hectic presidential responsibilities, which include working hard to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire in Gaza. Biden’s popularity was also low, despite achieving more in one term (rescuing America from the depths of the COVID pandemic, saving the economy from the Trump Recession, etc.) than any president in recent memory.
The June 27 debate with Trump showcased all President Biden’s problems. This caused Biden to drop out the presidential race, and, with his endorsement, Harris to take over as the Democratic nominee. Since then, the 2024 presidential election has been completely upended. Suddenly, there is a fresh face on the Democratic side. Furthermore, Harris shines in the areas where Biden stumbled, especially her high energy and dynamic speaking abilities. And as the current Vice President, after an impressive career as a prosecutor, District Attorney, Attorney General and then U.S. Senator from California, Harris clearly has the professional chops for the job of president. In her campaign appearances and at the stunningly successful recent Democratic National Convention, Harris looks and sounds presidential.
All of this is causing a big problem for Donald Trump. This is a man who has spent his entire life taking advantage of and using people. From his “fixer” attorney Michael Cohen, to his Vice President Mike Pence and many others, Trump asks people who work for him to do outrageous, often illegal things, and then throws these people under the bus. As to others, Trump can be threatening (e.g., to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger) or even predatory. That is especially true for women. Just ask E. Jean Carroll, who won a legal judgment against Trump for sexually abusing her (the judge in the case said it was “rape” under any reasonable definition) and then defaming her when she went public with her allegations.
Sadly, such misogyny is also par for the course among Republicans. For example, Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, said he gets “disoriented” by women who don’t have children. Vance also supports a national abortion ban. Much of his agenda seems to be about controlling women.
However, Trump, Vance and the Republicans have not been able to exert such control over Kamala Harris, and it is driving them crazy. To her credit, Harris is not spending the bulk of her campaign appearances just talking about Trump, which he probably would like. Instead, the Harris/Walz campaign talks a lot about “freedom,” such as reproductive freedom from the government, freedom from book bans, freedom from gun violence in our schools, and freedom to join a labor union. Often, Harris uses the catch-all, “we’re not going back,” and Democratic voters know exactly what that means.
Suddenly, Trump is the old man in the presidential campaign. His aides are reportedly concerned that he is “golfing all day and stewing” at Mar-a-Lago, not working hard on the campaign trail. Trump’s choice of Vance as running mate, now with the addition of Robert Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard as campaign surrogates, amplifies the perception of the campaign as “weird” and “creepy.” Meanwhile, Harris’ running mate choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, with his background as a farmer, teacher, high school football coach and Army National Guardsman, as well as being a U.S. Congressman (and indeed the one who coined the term “weird” to describe Trump and Vance), could not have been better or more normal. As a result, the choice between the two parties this year is stark.
Now, it is true that Hillary Clinton was unable to beat Trump in the Electoral College in 2016, even though Clinton won the popular vote by millions of votes. However, Kamala Harris does not have Clinton’s disadvantages, including the “baggage” of approximately 30 years of Republican (and media) attacks, disdain from some voters on the left, and a public speaking style that came off as unnatural and unappealing to many voters. On the flip side, Harris has the advantage of having Hillary Clinton pave the way for a woman credibly to run for president, creating more cracks in that glass ceiling.
It is quite likely that, due to these and other factors, 2024 is the best chance that a woman has ever had to be President of the United States, and it is a very good chance indeed.
Photo by Maryland GovPics, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/OMiaKR
