Kamala Harris, the Democratic pick, freshly etched her platform on her electoral campaign page. The move comes a mere 58 days before America goes to the polls. The so-named ‘A New Way Forward’ features a breakdown of the brainchild of her and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz. The policies on display are divided into four categories: ‘Build an Opportunity Economy and Lower Costs for Families,’ ‘Safeguard Our Fundamental Freedoms,’ ‘Ensure Safety and Justice For All,’ and the oddly poetic, ‘Keep America Safe, Secure, and Prosperous.’
To ‘Build an Opportunity Economy and Lower Costs for Families,’ the Harris-Walz ticket proposes tax cuts for Americans. The standout is a $6,000 cut to families with newborns. All this accomplished by simply expanding the Child Tax Credit. They say they plan on imposing a 28% tax rate over long-term capital gains for those earning around $1 million a year. This somehow doesn’t seem to help the average family at all.
Harris boasts of a bells-and-whistles approach to buying a home. Offering a staggering $25,000 for first-time homebuyers towards their down payments. There is also a striking increase in the tax-deductible startup cost for new businesses, from a mere $5,000 to $50,000. But the cake-taker has to be the federally enforced ban on price gouging for food and groceries by businesses, which seems rather anti-business.
The policies also touch on reducing the financial burden of healthcare, childcare, education, and energy. However, potential specifics are lacking, and it appears more like postured promises rather than concrete action plans.
Under the ‘Safeguard Our Fundamental Freedoms’ wing, Harris vows to veto any national abortion ban, promising to legalize abortion nationwide, should Congress pass the bill. A promise of action that is sure to stir up strong emotions among conservative voters.
Meanwhile, Harris shines a light on her plan to secure voting rights protections and enforce anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans. Also, she plans to funnel money into Offices of Civil Rights. These, of course, sound amazing but the execution of such plans would be a heavy task.
On ‘Ensure Safety and Justice For All,’ gun control laws get a new makeover with Harris. This includes banning assault weapons and high capacity magazines, mandating universal background checks, and endorsing red-flag laws. As always, the details are sidelined in favor of grand statements.
While the bipartisan border security bill lies wasted in Congress after extended negotiations, Harris pledges to resurrect it. This pledge presumably serves to calm potential fears that Harris would dismiss the importance of border security.
Harris praises her commitment to ‘Keep America Safe, Secure, and Prosperous.’ In this section, she reasserts her ardent support for Israel. Apparently, Harris stands firm that Israel has a right to its self-defense and that she will ensure Israel preserves this ability. The cynic might observe that this aligns with many past political promises that have had mixed results.
Interestingly, she and Biden claim to be tirelessly working towards ending the conflict in Gaza, resulting in a secure Israel, free hostages, relief to Gaza’s suffering populace, and Palestinians realizing their rights. Whether or not this comprises of diplomatic speak or real intentions only time will reveal.
While laying out goals to ‘Keep America Safe, Secure and Prosperous’, Harris promises to increase investments in what she calls ‘the competitive advantages that make the United States the strongest nation.’ These advantages include American workers, innovation, and industry. However, based on recent trends, it’s uncertain that their administration would truly support all these areas.
Harris takes an ambitious stance on veteran affairs as well. Swinging big, she advocates for ending homelessness among veterans, investing in mental health resources, removing employment barriers, and promoting economic opportunities for military and veterans’ families. These points seem more like obligatory nods than in-depth, planned policies, leaving veterans in the same boat they’ve been in for years.
As she reaches a crescendo in outlining their campaign’s policies, one winds up asking if these pledges are empty words or a feasible plan. Skepticism naturally arises when commitments sound too good to be true, especially without specific blueprints on how to get there. One can only anticipate what further additions to the campaign page might emerge or how they will play out in reality, if given a chance.