• US.: Harris Gets Dream Start
  • Harris: Has Firm Grip on International Affairs
By Shashi P.B.B. Malla VP Harris Spurts Ahead The state of the US presidential race was best summarized by CNN-analyst Stephen Collinson: “The vice president has already won the backing of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, sparked a fundraising bonanza and alchemized the mood of a party that looked headed to defeat” (July 23). However, while Kamala Harris can hardly have hoped for a better start in establishing legitimacy among Democrats after President Joe Biden abandoned his re-election campaign, she is still days into a mission that ranks as the most daunting for any modern potential presidential nominee. Her task ahead is monumental. At the same time, the full intensity of Republican candidate Donald Trump’s attacks is yet to unfold in the most unpredictable election season in generations. Harris started off with a rousing speech at the White House to solidify the transition. After laying out her prosecutorial case against Trump, Harris cast the contest as “two different versions of what we see as the future of our country.” The most significant moment happened when she notched the endorsement of her fellow Californian, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose backdoor maneuvering was critical in ending Biden’s stalled re-election bid. This also revealed that “the 84-year-old is still the nation’s most skilled and influential Democrat” (Collinson). After Pelosi said her backing was “official, personal and political,” other Congressional leaders fell into line behind Harris – ready to entrust their party’s hopes to a historic standard bearer who is nevertheless an untested leader at the pinnacle of American politics. By the day’s evening, the vice president had been backed by well more than the 1,976 pledged delegates she’ll need to win the nomination on the first ballot, according to CNN’s delegate estimate. And after the freezing of donor cash also helped force Biden out of the race, Democratic wallets opened generously. Harris raked in more than US $ Dollar 100 million in the first two days, boasting more than 1.1 million unique donors – 62 % percent of them first-time contributors. The vice president’s swift consolidation of power has been impressive. Her multi-hour phone blitz to Democratic Party power players immediately after Biden bowed out hinted at an operation primed ahead of time but that was kept secret and didn’t leak. The operation strangled any hope of alternative candidates and the aspirations of some in the party for a lightning primary to find a new nominee who could argue that they had won a contested bid for the party banner. Harris must be wary Harris must sustain the sudden new momentum in a party that until Sunday believed it was heading to certain defeat as Democratic lawmaker after lawmaker deserted the president following his disastrous debate performance. Moreover, Harris will certainly come up against Trump’s most feral campaign machine in years. Trump is known for misogynistic and racially charged rhetoric that could turn the next few months into the most scorching general election in modern memory. The pressure on Harris from Democrats is also immense, according to Collinson. The vice president has shown signs of improving her political skills recently, but that was not her forte previously. This year, party leaders and the party faithful are not just investing in her as the last barrier to a new era of unrestrained conservative rule that could obliterate the achievements of the Biden and Obama presidencies. After replacing Biden as the mascot of the campaign, Harris is now leading an effort that has as its foundation the very attempt to save democracy from Trump. Harris has just 100 days to pull this off! Trump’s Initial Reaction Trump seemed momentarily thrown off by the swift shift in Democratic candidates after Biden recognized the unsustainable nature of his bid for a second term that would have ended when he is 86. But very soon there were signs that Trump’s political operation was readjusting to the new reality and sharpening its attacks against the vice president. Trump campaign managers cast her as the ‘copilot” of some of Biden’s most “egregious failures”. They signaled that the vice president’s singular lack of success in addressing the causes in Latin America of US southern border crossings would morph into a narrative that she’s soft on illegal immigration. “She’s had a lower approval rating than Joe Biden. Harris is the least popular vice president in history – which is no surprise given her terrible record,” the Trump campaign memo said. “She makes just as much sense as Joe Biden. By that we mean, none at all.” Harris Scores Early Success In spite of the above poor and demeaning assessment, the Trump campaign has apparently fully – at the start –underestimated Harris. The dramatic push by Harris for the Democratic nomination was the latest stunning twist of a presidential race that has defied convention as the oldest president in US history launched a re-election bid and then stepped back at a very late hour. The Republican nominee is another unpopular old man who tried to crush US democracy to stay in power after losing the last election. He’s also a convicted felon. In spite of this, Trump was hailed at the Republican party convention as a strongman hero miraculously touched by divine providence following a failed assassination that, along with the debate and the elevation of Harris, represented three of the most momentous events in the history of modern White House campaigns within a four-week span (Collinson). But something most important has undeniably shifted. Since months voters have told pollsters that they do not appreciate two old men as the presidential candidates, i.e. they would prefer a choice of candidate who is not named Biden or Trump. Only the Democratic Party has now given voters that choice. The pre-eminent question now is whether Harris, who has exhibited considerable political liabilities as vice president, has the skills, staying power and luck to take advantage. Harris did move swiftly to unify the party behind her, supported by the burning desire by key power brokers to avoid a divisive fight for the nomination at the Democratic convention next month in Chicago Governors, senators and Congressional and state delegations rushed to support her. The quickening momentum reflects a party desperate to prevent a second Trump term. As Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman put it after 89 of the state’s 95 delegates pledged support to Harris, there had been a “flowering of unity” after Biden stepped down. Harris on Foreign Policy Issues Hundreds of former Democratic foreign policy leaders have backed Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House, despite her limited experience in matters of diplomacy (New York Times/NYT, Aug. 29). Ms. Harris has played a narrow role in the Biden administration’s shaping of US foreign policy. Trump’s campaign has sought to paint her as inexperienced. Nevertheless, she has key foreign policy positions. The war in Gaza Ms. Harris has been on the same page with President Biden regarding U.S. support for Israel. She has reaffirmed the administration’s position that Israel has a right to defend itself. However, she has struck a sharper tone about the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating,” Ms. Harris said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu. “The images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time – we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” she said, adding, “I will not be silent.” In March, she had called for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and said the situation was a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Putin’s war in Ukraine Ms. Harris’s complete support for Ukraine in the war against Russia represents a crucial moment for the vice president on the world stage and is in stark contrast to Trump’s position. She has accused Russia of “crimes against humanity” and said it must be held accountable for its “barbaric” actions. Ms. Harris also warned China against providing Russia with support in its war efforts. Migration Biden had assigned Harris to address the root causes of migration in Central America, such as poverty, crime rates and corruption. Sha has warned migrants hoping to reach the U.S. southern border: “Do not come”. Republicans have sought to blame her for the high numbers of migrant crossings, branding her the “border czar”. She recently endorsed a bipartisan border security proposal that was terminated by Republicans at Trump’s express urging. The deal would have closed the Mexico border if crossings hit a fixed number and would have funded more Border Patrol agents and asylum officers. Indo-Pacific Region During a speech in Singapore in 2021, Ms. Harris condemned China’s maritime actions in the South China Sea. These included intimidating the fishing fleets of other countries and building artificial islands on submerged reefs. During a speech aboard a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Japan in 2022, Ms. Harris reiterated  America’s unofficial policy to back Taiwan. “We will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defence, consistent with our longstanding policy,” she said. Foreign leaders’ perception of Harris In her interactions with global leaders, the rapport has left a lasting impression. According to the NYT, a consistent picture of Harris in the international arena emerges: “warm but steely on occasion; authoritative but personable.” She has represented the United States frequently during trips to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, and has met with more than 150 world leaders. She has attended three Munich Security Conferences -- the foremost annual pow wow for top-level foreign policy officials from around the world to meet and set the defence agenda. In recent months, she has also become more directly involved with global leaders on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The consensus among foreign officials and diplomats is that Harris has a firm grip on international affairs. She was paid glowing praise by German chancellor Olaf Scholz recently: “She is a competent and experienced politician who knows exactly what she is doing and has a very clear idea of her country’s role, of developments in the world, and of the challenges we face.” [We can make an intelligent guess of what he thinks of Trump!] She has also been prepared to displease people to focus on issues she cares about. In 2022 in South Korea, female leaders she met at the U.S. ambassador’s residence were moved by her visit – and by her message. “I was most impressed when she said that a society that helps its women fulfill their dreams and pursue their professional careers without discrimination is an advanced society,” said Dr. Baik Hyun-wook, who at the time was the head of the Korean Medical Women’s Association. State of the Race The 2024 presidential election is now less than 100 days following a historic month of political shake-ups that upended the race. Vice President Kamala Harris is seeing a rise in favourability ratings with polls showing multiple paths to victory (CNN). Trump responded to Harris’s momentum with a series of personal attacks: he referred to her as “evil”, mocked her laugh and the pronunciation of her name, and said that “the American The vice president pushed back on her opponent’s “wild lies” and goaded him about debating her. Trump and Vance have lately been characterized as “weird” by the Harris campaign. Trump selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate could be a major liability and is shaping the race. Democrats and the nation are now closely watching Harris’ vetting process for her own vice presidential nominee in the coming days and weeks. The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com