Joe Biden‘s dire predictions about how American democracy could end up dead are long gone.
Rather, Kamala Harris speaks passionately about defending the right to an abortion, limiting the price of pharmaceuticals, reducing inflation, and strengthening the middle class.
While Biden focused on the dangers the MAGA movement poses to democracy, Harris offers a more optimistic picture of a country where people are “neighbors, not enemies.”
In less than three weeks after Biden withdrew from the presidential race, his successor is just now beginning to personalize and rework his campaign message.
By emphasizing principles that represent her personal values and dedication to leading what she terms a “joyful” campaign, Harris is setting herself apart from Biden. According to those close to her, she anticipates releasing more detailed plans for her first presidential term so that voters can better understand her proposed policies.
According to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity, Harris will start highlighting unfinished parts of Biden’s agenda as early as next week. These include universal child care, paid family leave, affordable housing, and a raise in the minimum wage.
She’s going to assert that everyone is involved in this. “It’s great f—— politics, but what the country needs is bringing people together,” remarked Jim Messina, the campaign manager for Barack Obama in his 2012 reelection.
Nobody in Harris’ inner circle anticipates that she will reject Biden’s plans. Harris is bound by his record as vice president, both good and poor.
A Democratic super PAC recently released a campaign commercial praising Harris for having “fought to cap the price of insulin” at $35 per month, an achievement that Biden has long cited as his crowning achievement.
Furthermore, Biden and his presumed successor are still friendly. In the upcoming weeks, Biden and Harris will both participate in a combined campaign event, according to one of his advisors. According to this person, he will also meet with members of the Democratic coalition and gather funds for her in order to strengthen her candidacy.
Democratic strategists stated that Biden may be a useful campaign ally given that there are indications that his support rating is increasing now that he is not running for office. When Vice President Al Gore ran for president in 2000, he avoided the well-liked but scandal-prone Bill Clinton. Strat analysts suggested Harris would be foolish to adopt a similar action.
After Biden withdrew from the campaign, a Marist College survey revealed that, although it was still lower than his disapproval rate, his approval rating had increased to 46%, the highest level in two and a half years.
Democratic strategist Maria Cardona stated, “He seems at ease speaking with the same voters who Clinton will need to win over in the Midwest.”
Where Harris and Biden’s priorities might differ is indicated by a few hints. Biden went to great lengths to highlight the improvements to the physical infrastructure that he helped pass into law. He was so focused on road projects that, according to audio acquired by Politico, his former chief of staff in the White House, Ron Klain, privately complained that he was talking about bridges too much.
Harris appears to be more passionate about the “care economy,” a collection of regulations designed to lessen the financial strain on those who, among other things, are responsible for caring for the old and disabled.
In her early speeches as the Democratic standard-bearer, she placed a strong emphasis on supporting middle-class people who are struggling with rising gas and grocery prices—real-world issues that may scare and concern many voters more than the sustainability of democracy.
In a speech on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Harris came to a rhetorical peak when she said that she will fight for the right of women “to make decisions about their own bodies, not having the government tell her what to do!”
As a devout Catholic, Biden found abortion difficult to discuss and felt uncomfortable doing so while on the campaign trail. Supporters of Harris argue that because she is a woman, she can talk more persuasively about regaining a right that the conservative Supreme Court majority took away.
Eleni Kounalakis, the lieutenant governor of California, stated in an interview that “Any woman who has ever suggested that the government should control what we can do with our bodies understands what it’s like.” “We know this subject deeply and intuitively, whether it’s a presidential contender or an ordinary voter. She is, therefore, by far the greatest advocate for regaining women’s independence in this nation.
A member of Harris’s staff stated that she uses the term “freedom” to describe everything that’s at stake in the election, including what she perceives to be former President Donald Trump’s threat to democracy.
Though Harris emphasizes the opportunities that will arise if Democrats retain the White House, Biden used the same phrase, emphasizing the threat that Trump posed.
In her speech in Philadelphia the day after she formally won the Democratic Party nomination, Harris just once used the word “democracy”. And that was in light of the fact that it gives people the freedom to choose their own path in life.
How Trump might undo health care rules that guarantee patients are covered for pre-existing diseases was a more prominent topic of discussion during the address.
“She views freedom as a simpler means for individuals to comprehend the ways in which they are being directly affected,” one associate of hers stated, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “It is simpler to comprehend what it means for democracy to be in danger when we talk about freedom.”
In the area of foreign policy, Harris could agree with Biden the most. There isn’t much of a difference between them, according to a senior White House official, as they both see the need of preserving the network of foreign allies that Trump doubts.
But there appears to be a small gap between their perspectives on the Gaza War, according to a speech given by Harris four days after Biden withdrew from the race.
She reiterated many of the points raised by Biden, saying that she remains steadfast in her support of Israel.
However, the Arab American community was more interested in another issue of contention. Harris declared that she would not “stay silent” in the face of Palestinian civilian suffering. On the other hand, her boss suffered backlash from certain segments of the Democratic coalition for seeming numb to the killings of civilians in Gaza.
“She demonstrated empathy, which is something the president has truly struggled with,” stated Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a think tank focused on international affairs. “The president’s ability to relate to Palestinians has been lacking. You cannot fake something like that.
Harris landed in Atlanta for a rally on July 30. She met Georgia state representative and Palestinian American Ruwa Romman when she was posing for pictures offstage.
Harris consented when Romman asked for a few minutes so they could speak face-to-face. Romman informed Harris that Israel had to cease its shelling of Gaza.
In an interview, Romman stated, “Her stance on this matter is not entirely clear to us.” “Having someone who is at least willing to listen is important, in my opinion.”