After a wild month of unprecedented political change, the Democratic Party has rallied behind a new ticket. President Joe Biden’s exit from the race has left Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. The younger, more enthusiastic ticket has generated numerous memes and trends, but meaningful discussion of policy has been scarce. Both candidates, Harris and former President Donald Trump, have instead resorted to smearing their opponent. Such behavior does a disservice to voters. Amid all this change, Americans must understand that there is more to an election than emotional appeal, and they should be made aware of the policy distinctions between each candidate in order to be better educated ahead of the election.
Harris has completely turned the presidential race on its head. After just a few weeks as the presumptive nominee, she has taken the lead in some polls and continues to make gains in states that were all but conceded to Trump during Biden’s time as the nominee.
However, she has received justified criticism from Republicans, who are pointing out that Harris has yet to answer any hostile questions from reporters since Biden dropped out. Harris’ behavior is especially concerning given the unconventional process by which she became the Democratic nominee. Instead of being forced to win a competitive primary, complete with policy debates and interviews, Harris was allowed to claim the nomination without any indication of her actual positions.
Voters have thus had very few opportunities to analyze Harris’ policies and goals, in particular how those policies differ from those held by Joe Biden.
She is not alone in this. Throughout his nearly decade-long career in politics, Trump has become a master at dodging questions, changing topics and evading talks of policy. He is known for getting sidetracked during public events and using his time in debates or interviews to berate his opposition, rather than answer any of the questions.
Ultimately, a candidate’s platform is their plan for the country’s future, and consists of all the policies, goals and plans that a nominee has for their time as president. They could range from Obama’s emphasis on affordable healthcare to Trump’s new push for no tax on tips. If a candidate decides not to express their plans for the presidency to voters, they encourage the public to make misinformed decisions.
Policy needs to take center stage in this election, and the absence of policy-oriented discussion has hurt young people the most. Few demographics have as much riding on this election, as many of the central issues disproportionately impact young Americans. The economic downturn, student loan debt, rising housing costs and foreign policy concerns such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are especially relevant in the minds of younger voters, who are now being forced to decide between two candidates who refuse to speak about the issues in clear and unequivocal language.
Each candidate’s policy on this wide range of issues is likely going to impact who young people choose to support this November. By deciding to avoid talking about them, politicians essentially get in the way of the populace’s responsibility to choose a candidate that authentically represents them.
A good candidate should be well-rounded and capable of discussing policy while also demonstrating their vision for the country on a national scale. So far, between the dodged questions and the constant jabs thrown at their opponents, neither campaign has demonstrated that they are willing to discuss their goals in office. While Harris has refused to answer substantive policy questions, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, have lobbed personal attacks about Harris’ race and parental status.
Voting for candidates solely based on what celebrities they hang out with, or how “cool” they are, is a reckless decision. By voting solely based on emotional appeal, voters could end up making decisions that don’t reflect their values or demands for the office. Voters should learn to disregard the emotional rhetoric taken up by many politicians, and instead view their policies at face value, in order to decide whether or not they adhere to their values. On the other hand, nominees have a responsibility to make the public aware of their policies and how they differ from their opponents or predecessors.
Harris’ stepping up after Biden’s decision to exit the race gained her large amounts of support from young people who, frankly, were just excited to see someone on the ballot who wasn’t an 80-year old white man. So far, this support has completely turned the tide of the race.
However, this support will amount to nothing if Harris is not willing to be transparent with young voters about her plans in office. If she truly cares about the lives of young Americans as much as she says she does, she needs to outline her vision for a future Harris Administration.
Mateo Alvarez is an Opinion columnist studying political science. He is interested in the cross-section of politics and culture, and he can be reached at mateoalv@umich.edu.
The post Kamala is brat, but what are her policy positions? appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
Leave a Reply