Staff Reports
The Vice President’s recent update to her campaign website could be seen as an attempt to quell the growing chorus of criticism surrounding her light-on-substance political approach. It comes just in time for her debate against former President Trump, a strategic move that raises the question of whether she’s finally ready to engage on the issues rather than just offer feel-good platitudes.
Her newly minted “New Way Forward” policy outline reads like it was crafted during a brainstorming session of a committee that ran out of ideas. The four sections attempt to tackle liberal favorites like cost of living and “fundamental freedoms,” which most folks recognize is just a euphemism for abortion access. Her aim to create an “opportunity economy” could be appreciated more if she didn’t attach it to a lengthy list of expensive government interventions. Voters are left pondering: how does one maintain prosperity while pushing for higher taxes, including a whopping 28% capital gains tax? One might think it’s part of a cruel joke.
The issue page includes a thinly-veiled jab at the Heritage Foundation and its Project 2025, showcasing Harris’s intent to contrast her plans against a conservative standard that focuses on growth and individual freedoms. It appears she recognizes that supporting an “opportunity economy” doesn’t resonate with those trying to make ends meet while simultaneously contending with inflation that feels more like a third world country crisis than a developed nation’s cost of living adjustment.
As Trump appears to be rising in the polls—leading Harris by one point—it’s hard not to wonder if this flurry of policy details is merely a distraction from her dwindling popularity. According to a recent poll, a full 28% of voters are left scratching their heads about what Harris stands for, compared to a measly 9% for Trump. Clearly, there are a few people still trying to figure out who Vice President Kamala Harris actually is and what she has to offer beyond her campaign’s catchy slogans.
Harris posts long-awaited policy page ahead of Philadelphia debate https://t.co/y2KlnLo134
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 9, 2024
The impending debate promises to be a revealing moment for Harris, who is likely to be pressed on her numerous policy shifts since her initial campaign trail run. The immigration policy section, which includes her lukewarm support for a bipartisan border security bill that has since floundered, does little to inspire confidence in her ability to tackle one of America’s pressing issues: border security. Without a clear plan, her approach feels more like political theater than substantive governance.
In summary, the latest shakeup from Harris’s team begs the question—can significant policy changes breathe life into a faltering campaign? Or is this merely a last-ditch effort to distract voters from the fact that she is still grasping at straws? With the election looming, one thing remains crystal clear: the Vice President may have updated her website, but the serious questions about her capability to lead are far from put to rest.
