What Would The US Be Like If Kamala Harris Was President?

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In an interview on the UK’s prime weekend political present on the BBC, former US vp Kamala Harris reminded us of the warnings she made on the marketing campaign path about Donald Trump: she noticed his management as little greater than fascist and authoritarian. The interview was one of many stops on her practically sold-out worldwide ebook tour to advertise 107 Days, her point-of-view evaluation of her 2024 US presidential run.

Each the ebook and the tour have provided eye-opening glimpses of what she’s termed the “shortest presidential marketing campaign in fashionable historical past.” Rising from the darkish shadows of the function of loyal vp, Harris’ succession to Democratic celebration presidential candidate was riddled with issues that resulted from Joe Biden’s ill-fated choice to run for a second time period. She additionally revealed that Biden’s crew undermined her each his presidency and her run for the best workplace within the US.

What a distinction a 12 months makes. Throughout her marketing campaign, adviser David Plouffe informed her, “Folks hate Joe Biden.” She admits her error in sticking to a place of uncompromising loyalty. “Why. Didn’t. I. Separate. Myself. From. Joe. Biden?” She acknowledges in her ebook how tough it was for her as VP to reconcile politically dangerous duties similar to investigating border coverage with out Biden giving her authority to implement substantive change.

Harris presents greater than a retrospective, although. Through the UK interview, she acknowledged that she was not carried out with politics — to the purpose that she intimated she was contemplating one other bid for elected workplace. “I’m not carried out,” she insisted. “I’ve lived my whole profession as a lifetime of service, and it’s in my bones.”

When prodded, Harris responded that she would “probably” be the following US president.

Highlights from Harris’ Guide and Guide Tour

A dastardly dictator-in-chief: Through the BBC interview, Harris discredited Trump as a “tyrant” with “skinny pores and skin” who’s manipulating the justice system to go well with his personal egocentric functions. “He mentioned he would weaponize the Division of Justice — and he has carried out precisely that,” she commented.

Company kowtowing: Harris condemned US company leaders and establishments who acquiesce to Trump’s threats. Too many have “capitulated since day one, who’re bending the knee on the foot of a tyrant.” Whereas the explanation why they achieve this are assorted, she believes the vast majority of these sycophants “wish to be subsequent to energy, as a result of they wish to, maybe, have a merger authorised or keep away from an investigation.”

Protests in opposition to Trump’s insurance policies: Harris was cautious in her ebook about guaranteeing the security of anti-Trump administration protesters. “After we go to the streets, as we are going to, we should not give them the spectacle they’re craving,” she guided. “We’ll exit of affection of our nation and perception in its promise. We can not allow them to lie about that.”

Trump’s doubletalk about DEI: Errin Haines, a moderator throughout the ebook tour, set the tone as she launched Harris, stories Politico’s Alex Bronzini-Vender. “We all know that tonight’s dialog isn’t just about politics or energy,” Haines started. “It’s about legacy, it’s about management, and it’s in regards to the lived expertise of breaking obstacles in full view of the world. It’s about how historical past will get written, and who will get to put in writing it.”

The excessive value of dwelling at present: Harris described the state of the US economic system underneath Trump. “Costs are up, inflation is up, unemployment is up. He made these guarantees,” she acknowledged, “and he broke them.”

Insurance policies that may be in Place if Harris Have been President

As 107 Days concludes, Harris presents a succinct overview of what life can be like for US residents if the insurance policies she introduced throughout her presidential marketing campaign have been in place.

First time residence consumers: “By now, possibly, younger individuals can be making use of for his or her $25,000 housing down cost help,” she envisioned. Steve Hanley writes on CleanTechnica that, as an alternative, “it must be intuitively apparent to essentially the most informal observer {that a} deal with single-family housing is, de facto, (a Trump) embrace of suburban and rural dwelling and a disparagement of cities.”

From a baby’s eyes: Harris would have carried out “an elevated little one tax credit score (that) can be lifting hundreds of households out of poverty.” The Tax Coverage Heart on the Brookings Institute projected that greater than 70% of households making about $113,000 or much less (the lowest-income half) would have benefited from a minimum of one of many Harris proposed three tax breaks.

Medical insurance catastrophes: “Medicare can be serving to hundreds of households and other people within the sandwich technology to supply residence care for his or her aged beloved one,” Harris described. Her proposal for “at residence Medicare” would have helped to ease the burden of the price of elder care for a lot of households. “Paying for a house well being aide out of pocket is much out of attain for many households.“

Worldwide help: “Folks in Africa would nonetheless have entry to their AIDS drugs,” she continued. In 2019 Harris launched a invoice in her function as US Senator to cut back the transmission of HIV by encouraging the usage of PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. It’s a drug that’s greater than 92% efficient in stopping new infections.

Worldwide standing: “Our international friendships and our nationwide fame wouldn’t be in tatters,” she bemoaned. Trump’s misinformation campaigns have jeopardized US relations with long-term allies and prompted despots to band collectively. A White Home spokesperson responded, “When Kamala Harris misplaced the election in a landslide, she ought to’ve taken the trace — the American individuals don’t care about her absurd lies.” Certain, that’s why Trump’s fraud and inefficiency is bringing out protesters in mass.

Closing Ideas

Through the Haines interview, Harris acknowledged the necessity for the Democratic celebration to alter path. “There’s additionally work to be carried out about reconstructing in a means that we ask ourselves, ‘Have been we being environment friendly? Have been we being efficient? Have been we delivering for the individuals?’” she mirrored.

Jeer Deet writes for The Nation that “the bottom line is that the Democrats want to interrupt not simply with Joe Biden however with neoliberalism as an entire. Standing-quo liberal politics has failed, and with 107 Days Kamala Harris has, certainly not by design, written considered one of its obituaries.”

Bronzini-Vender noticed throughout the ebook tour that “the Democratic Celebration of 2025 is, in some ways, not the celebration it was only a 12 months in the past. For one, Democratic voters are extra prepared to radically experiment.” Harris appears to agree, for she has intimated she could marketing campaign for New York’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

Lots of the issues that Harris confronted pre-dated her run for US president. Robert Reich reminded us in his Substack at present, “Even previous to Trump, American democracy was deeply flawed. The moneyed pursuits have been drowning out everybody else. Inequality was reaching document ranges. Corruption — legalized bribery by way of marketing campaign contributions — was the norm. The underside 90% have been getting nowhere as a result of the system was rigged in opposition to them.”

Reich does see a shift in progressives’ tenor and power, nonetheless. “A lot of you at the moment are sowing the seeds of elementary reform,” he praised.