American politics has rarely seen a meteoric rise like Ms. Harris's, but questions remain about her leadership qualities if she wins.
Ms. Harris campaigned in Little Chute, Wisconsin on November 1 - Photo: REUTERS
Although the November 5 election in the US is very close, the election situation is still a draw between the two presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Both have thrown their policy "trump cards" on the table for voters to consider. The Democratic candidate - Vice President Kamala Harris - bets on becoming the first female owner of the White House with progressive but equally controversial policies.
Not yet escaped the shadow of predecessors
In terms of head-to-head performance, Ms. Harris was considered by most observers to be the better candidate in the only presidential debate between the two candidates. Although it took place suddenly and with very little time to prepare, Ms. Harris's campaign was still considered quite good, bringing a fresh, positive image of her to voters. However, no matter how excellent the campaign was, it could not hide the inherent weakness that the Democratic candidate had not yet breathed her own personality into the policies she promised. In its analysis of the presidential candidate, the Wall Street Journal commented that Ms. Harris's presidency could be seen as President Joe Biden's second term, or even former President Barack Obama's fourth term. Like Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris would become the next "surfer" on the wave of progressive politics that covered the Democratic Party in the 20th century.
Mr. Obama showed his impressive speaking ability during a campaign for Ms. Harris in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, October 10 - Photo: AFP
According to the Washington Post, Ms. Harris has not yet fully explained her economic policies. She has focused on promoting and introducing the construction of an economy that is easy for the middle class, called the "opportunity economy". One of her policy pillars is to promote social welfare for the people, especially through the expansion of the two programs Social Security and Medicare ( health insurance), as well as a commitment not to increase taxes for people earning less than $400,000/year. In addition, she also aims to "revive" and expand a number of personal income tax exemption programs, including the tax reduction program for parents of newborns. However, Ms. Harris has not yet publicly detailed the roadmap towards the above goals. It is likely that Ms. Harris will continue Mr. Biden's policy of favoring multilateral and free trade and not abusing tariff barriers like Mr. Trump. China may be a rare exception to this policy. During their four years in the White House, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris have imposed steep tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and precious minerals. The vice president is expected to continue this policy if elected.
Stand side by side with traditional allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets US Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, February 17 - Photo: AFP
Foreign affairs are not really a highly rated aspect of the Biden-Harris administration. During their tenure, both experienced the bloody withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, which killed 13 US soldiers and quickly collapsed the pro-US government there. The world also witnessed two of the most serious conflicts in many years in Ukraine and the Middle East, while tensions in the Taiwan Strait also heated up significantly. This is partly due to the soft, insufficiently deterrent approach of the current president and vice president. Many analysts are concerned that Ms. Harris's lack of experience in handling foreign affairs could encourage Washington's rivals such as Russia and China to be bolder. However, Ms. Harris will almost certainly continue to implement Mr. Biden's foreign and security policies. She has stated that she will still support and provide military assistance to Ukraine if elected president, while emphasizing her stance on standing with Israel in the Middle East. The Democratic candidate did not specify whether the US under her administration would set specific conditions for Tel Aviv in exchange for military aid. Relations between Washington and the remaining allies, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Japan, South Korea... are also expected to be undisturbed if Ms. Harris becomes president.
Continuing the radical wave
Ms. Harris took a photo with voters in Pennsylvania on October 27 - Photo: AFP
Regarding the remaining issues within the US, the US vice president emphasized his progressive views and those of the Democratic Party over the years. Ms. Harris supports abortion rights in particular and women's bodily autonomy in general, directly affirming that she will fight for the US Congress to legislate this right at the federal level. She also advocates leading policies related to climate change, especially the continued implementation of the inflation reduction law that she played a decisive role in passing. This is the most ambitious environmental law under Mr. Biden, providing hundreds of billions of dollars in budget for the White House's green and clean energy policies. Regarding the issue of illegal immigration, Ms. Harris pledged to solve this problem. The most significant solution she has proposed is to "revive" the border control bill that "died young" due to Trump's opposition in early 2024. Finally, on the legislative side, Ms. Harris promises to pursue a number of reform goals such as removing the minimum requirement of 60 votes to pass most bills in the Senate, adjusting election regulations to make it easier for voters to vote remotely... In particular, the US vice president will seek to pursue his judicial reform ambitions by proposing term limits for Supreme Court justices.
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