The remarkable speed with which Democrats have rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate demonstrates their strong desire to defeat former President Donald Trump in November and prevent a disastrous second term for Trump. Similarly, it is now especially important for Harris, who won the nomination without facing primary voters after President Biden withdrew on Sunday, to show general election voters that she will run as a unifying centrist.
The good news is President Trump’s radical policy stance Harris has great latitude to do so, but she must take some concrete steps in the coming weeks to demonstrate her willingness to appeal to the broad range of voters she needs to beat Trump in November.
First, Harris told voters: High inflation over the past few years It has been a difficult time for many struggling families.
on the other hand, The economy as a whole is doing wellInflation caused by pent-up demand due to the coronavirus pandemic has hit middle-income and working-class families particularly hard. President Trump Give more tax cuts to the wealthiest AmericansHarris is Trump’s Large-scale distribution of prizes to the wealthy; It would be replaced with temporary tax cuts for middle- and working-class voters, which would show, more than anything, that Harris is truly on the side of average Americans.
Second, Harris must choose a moderate running mate from a key battleground state.
The most obvious choice would be Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who campaigns and governs as a centrist and is adept at navigating the complex politics of the Keystone State. For example, Shapiro: Oppose any ban on natural gas productionprovides jobs to tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians and reduces energy costs. Like HarrisShapiro also Strongly supportive Tax incentives for clean energy and the transition to low-emission energy.
Of course, Harris could also consider picking a running mate from Michigan or Wisconsin — another option would be Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a prominent 25-year military veteran and astronaut — but Pennsylvania seems the most logical choice.
Third, Harris needs to demonstrate to voters that she has grown and matured during her term as vice president, recognizing legitimate issues such as: Illegal immigration and concerns about the ongoing war. Ukraine And that middle east This needs to be addressed.
Harris already understands this.In an interview with The New York Times After being named vice president, he said, “I’m not trying to restructure society. I’m just trying to address the problems that wake people up in the middle of the night.” This is not about the household economic issues that concern the average voter, such as: Prescription drug costsa tax measure to help middle-income Americans Save money and Prepare for retirement savingsan initiative to support young people Afford your first home.
Fourth, Harris must directly challenge Donald Trump’s political strategy. Fueling a divisive and sometimes violent culture war.
This is simply Trump’s Denies losing the 2020 election and A plan to undermine elements of American democracyJust as important, Harris will have to confront a Trump administration that routinely demonizes ordinary Americans simply because they don’t share his political views. One way to do that might be for her to appear on right-wing media outlets like Fox and demonstrate a willingness to address the concerns of conservative Americans — a strategy that has worked well for the California governor. Gavin Newsom others.
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, Harris must embrace a positive, hopeful vision for the future, especially for young Americans. Trump’s Negativism Economic growth should be a political weakness, not a strength. The most successful politicians in American history, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, offered a future-oriented vision of economic growth that would benefit all Americans while also maintaining and sustaining moral leadership throughout the world. This broad, generous vision of a brighter American future will be important not only to appeal to Americans’ instinctive optimism, but also to weaken the appeal of Trump’s dark and manipulative politics of grievance.
“Kamala Harris is an extraordinary candidate for the Democratic Party, and it is crucial that she appeals directly to Americans of all political leanings, especially political moderates and conservatives. If she has the strength and wisdom to reach out to all Americans as a symbol of unity, she could not only defeat Donald Trump, but also generate the political support we need to heal our divided nation and address the many critical issues we face.
Paul Bledsoe served on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Department of the Interior, and the White House Climate Change Task Force under former President Bill Clinton.
