Well, it’s been quite an interesting two and a half months. Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election and endorsed vice president Kamala Harris, both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions are over and now we have two months to go before what could be the most momentous election in our lifetimes.
Many Democrats, women and new voters of my generation are looking to Harris as the answer, the savior from what would’ve been an otherwise dreary election season.
But I’m not celebrating just yet.
As I scroll through Instagram, all I see is praise for Harris and disapproval of Trump. I scroll through social media comment sections on The New York Times posts and blue heart emojis flood my screen along with #HarrisWalz2024 and comments sharing a similar contempt of Trump.
Before I trigger anyone to leave a fiery comment, I want to be clear I am not picking a side. But, if I may act as the Lorax of my generation for a brief moment, I think we need to take a step back, let the Harris high wear off and take a closer look at the candidate.
Harris has a previous, unsuccessful presidential campaign under her belt. She ran in 2020, dropping out just before the Iowa caucus due to low funds and appearing as wishy-washy on policy. If I’m being honest, I’m not seeing much of a difference between then and now.
The few policies Harris has released are mostly centered around the economy. Her first policy, which sought to limit price-gouging, was deemed economically unsound. A newer policy released by the Harris campaign seeks to take a more severe stance on tax cuts for small business owners. On Sunday evening, less than 48 hours from the debate, did she release more policies on her campaign website and, as many have noticed, her policies seem to mimic Trump’s.
The bigger problem is not her lack of policies (until recently) but the lack of concern amongst voters. Then I’m left wondering, what is all the hype about?
Being surrounded by teens and soon-to-be voters everyday, I know there is a lot of excitement about the possibility of having our first female president. Part of the deal with her campaign is more representation for women and people of color. However, when I ask my friends what they like about her, besides the fact that she is a woman, I am often left unanswered.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to have a female president in my lifetime; I think we are ready for it. But I want it to be the right woman, and as of now I just can’t objectively say that she is when there are so many unanswered questions and little policy, most of which was only released Sunday.
Her campaign is thriving off of the sit-back-and-wait approach which, given Trump’s tendency to say rather controversial things, is working very well for her. But the day will come (hopefully during the debate on Tuesday) when she needs to prove that the country is in good hands with her at the helm. I just hope that day comes before the election and not a year into her presidency.
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