U.S. Election 2024: Will Kamala Harris Beat Donald Trump?
We take a shot at the question: will Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?
The million-dollar question, at the moment, is: will Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Does she have the 'pizzazz' to overcome the endless fanatism of Trump supporters? More importantly, does she have what it takes to unite America in times of unparalleled political division? Well, let us try to answer these questions by looking at arguments for both sides.
Kamala Harris is the Inevitable Democratic Candidate
Kamala Harris is the inevitable Democratic candidate. No one has more support for the Democratic ticket than she does. I think she is the 'defacto' candidate even as there is nothing 'defacto' about her emerging as the preferred presidential candidate to fly the Democrat flag come November.
Kamala Harris's Quick Swoop to Grab the Democrat Ticket
Kamala Harris isn't just the 'front-liner' by chance. She quickly swooped in and secured support for her candidacy. According to the NYT, Kamala spent a better part of last weekend garnering support from heads of influential caucuses, congressional democrats, and delegates.
I’m Kamala Harris, and I’m running for President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/6qAM32btjj
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 25, 2024
Beyond that, she inherited over $100 million in campaign funding from Joe Biden and a campaign team of 1300 members, essentially giving her enough ammo to win the 2024 U.S. Election. Kamala's speed and aggressiveness in doing this is precisely what could give her an edge over Trump. In just 48 hours, Kamala was the obvious candidate for the Democrats thanks to her efforts. She, reportedly, made over 100 calls including to her potential challengers for the ticket, in just 10 hours. In contrast, Biden had only made 10 calls in the first 10 days following his presidential debate [Source: NYT].
The Debate that Handed Kamala Harris the Democrat Ticket
Joe Biden, despite being a fantastic president had gotten too old for the top job in the world. The weight of his age was clear for all to see during the CNN Presidential Debate where he struggled to construct sentences and articulate his points. Now, you might say that is a sign of a mental whatever but if anything, that is old age and no one can or should be blamed for being old. Read below an article I wrote days before he stepped down from the presidential race, calling for him to retire.
David Mania
The debate, if anything, gave Kamala her shot at presidential candidacy and she complemented its efforts with her own, as we've just seen above. The debate was a good thing; both for Biden and Trump but no more than for Harris. Biden got a chance to go into the big stage to face the 'monster' Trump one last time. Trump, on the other hand, got material to help him conjure concerns about Biden's "mental health". Kamala, however, got a resignation even if no one amongst us knew of its imminence back then.
David Mania
Why Trump Will Beat Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S Election
Trump will beat Kamala Harris in November only because he's such an electrifier of his base. Trump is such a showman that he can even play the superhero. A good example is how he quickly took the chance of his being shot to rise up, face bloodied, and raise his fist shouting "Fight! Fight! Fight!", giving his supporters a story for the ages. Trump's edge is that he knows how to curate an appearance and weave a narrative so well that almost all his supporters now believe absurd conspiracy theories about anything and everything.
David Mania
Read more about the assassination attempt against Trump
Trump is so good that he even went on to allege that the recent global IT outage was a conspiracy by the left. His ability to say anything and be believed by his supporters is his greatest power. His influence on his base is the one thing that gives him an edge over Kamala. She, on her part, has the support of the left but would still need to rally black and minority voters to come out and vote, something that Trump won't need to do. His base is so invested that beyond just coming out to vote, they have vowed to do him one better and stick around to "protect the vote".
David Mania
Read more on how the global IT failure brought out overdependence on Microsoft by corporates
The Current Political Divisiveness and Polarization
America is more divided today than it has ever been before. Political division is defined as 'deep disagreements and conflicts that arise between groups or parties with opposing political interests or beliefs'. These deep conflicts and disagreements have marked nearly the last decade since Trump became president. Americans no longer feel part of a whole but rather part of their half of America which agrees with their views.
On the other hand, political polarization is defined as 'the divergence of political attitudes away from the center towards ideological extremes', exactly what we see with Trumpism and the MAGA phenomenon. But all this happens in a certain environment, in a political 'temperature' where economic issues and cultural differences are marked out. This defines the current America to the letter, so much so that some of the main 'pain points' in the country are tied to the economy, immigration, and taxation for the rich.
David Mania
Trump, unlike Kamala, can and knows how to take advantage of this. The political polarization and division in the country is not only something he's sown but something he uses as cannon fodder to rope in supporters for his bid at self-glorification by ascending to power.
Watch the NBC News analysis of the Trump assassination attempt. Source: NBC News/YT.
Simply put, his comfort in taking advantage of a bad situation and playing dirty give him another edge. Yes, the economy has been in such a bad shape characterized by rising inflation due to the COVID crisis but it's been four years now. The cultural differences have been and will always be there and any nation in today's globalized world has to deal with itself and its views of immigrants.
In turn, taxation for the rich is not only necessary but risks too huge an opportunity cost for it not to be done. America has the most billionaires globally, and it is only right that their presence be felt. Why live next to skyscrapers when you can barely afford your mortgage?
Why Kamala Harris Will Beat Donald Trump
Kamala Harris is a phenomenal woman. She is young, energetic, and has such fervor for public service that I dare say she'd beat Hilary Clinton in any election fair and square. Even so, she has a few challenges on her path to the oval. First and foremost, she will need to find a running mate and VP candidate for her ticket. It may sound benign but Kamala's performance in the presidency will be affected hugely by the support she has from her number two.
Who is on Kamala Harris's VP List?
The list of candidates for Kamala Harris VP includes the following individuals.
- Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
These are the most likely picks, but the question is who is the best VP for Kamala?
Who is the Best VP for Kamala Harris?
To answer that, we'll refer to the Washington Post whose columnists list the following.
- Roy Cooper, ranked fourth
- Josh Shapiro, third
- Andy Beshear, second, and finally,
- Mark Kelly, who scored a 4.3 out of 6. [Source: Post]
Mark Kelly is the current senator of Arizona. He's a former Navy Captain and Astronaut with strong backing from labor unions. Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, has a legal background as an attorney and has been behind Kamala in attacking Trump's VP pick for the GOP ticket, J.D Vance.
David Mania
Josh Shapiro, in turn, is the governor of Pennsylvania and also an attorney. He is known for a commonsense approach and his work at Penn has been lauded.
Lastly, Roy Cooper is the governor of North Carolina and also has a legal background.
I hope you can see a pattern here. Apart from Kelly, all the top picks are attornies; individuals conversant with the law, and that is exactly the edge Kamala Harris has. She is a law-grounded leader and beyond anything, she is committed to ensuring that the law remains paramount.
As President, when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms, I will sign it into law.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 26, 2024
That is what differentiates her the most from Trump, not her Muslim background or her ancestry in India as Trump has been so keen to point out.
Kamala will beat Trump because she is the candidate who wants the presidency to enhance the lives of the American people and not just to appear like she's actually doing that, as Trump would.
The Female Ticket
Kamala Harris got the Democratic ticket partly because if she were denied that opportunity, the Dems would have isolated a crucial part of their base: black women. Therefore, Kamala's second edge is that she is not only the female candidate but also the black female candidate. It may sound sexist but really, Kamala as a black woman represents such a growing and fundamental part of American society that it is, in itself, a great strength she already has going into the 2024 U.S. election.
I have said time and again that it is time a woman became POTUS. The first female president is exactly what America needs. America needs a president who'll put political differences aside and get cracking on issues such as abortion, healthcare, and the burgeoning cost of basic goods. What better candidate to do that than a woman who has come up the ranks from prosecutor to potentially the first woman to hold the top job in the world? The future is female.
David Mania
Yes, some will say that she has opposed fracking in the past and supported Medicare for all. Trumpers will also be keen to point out that Kamala had, in the past, declared that those who cross the border illegally are not criminals and there is some truth in that.
Fight and Vigor
If anything, Kamala's 'come-up' defines her next strength: she has 'fight' in her. Kamala is a fighter, she has fought discrimination, racism, sexism, and numerous other challenges and gotten herself to where she is today. That grit and strength to fight back is exactly what America needs in the face of political polarization and division.
In the current political landscape, the country requires an individual who will stand with the truth and articulate that the nation is greater than any of us. America needs a consolidator, an individual with a soft touch while still slapping the mood of the country back into sense and less about what cabals conspire in the dark. It needs someone with the vigor to want something and grab it.
Kamala's efforts to secure the Democratic ticket show she has exactly that. Kamala is a leader who'll not only want policy to sail through Congress but actually get out there and lobby for it to be passed. She'll grab the figurative bull by the horns when it comes to the economy, and rationalize the country's budget to beat the deficit, bringing down inflation in the process. She'll then head to the health sector and push the pharmaceutical manufacturers and middlemen to lower drug costs, before seeking out a sustainable way to tackle immigration. That is why Biden endorsed her.
David Mania
That is the president the country needs. A president who won't build ludicrous walls and inadvertently incentivize illegal border crosses while pretending to solve that very problem. Therefore, Kamala will beat Trump not because she is the most qualified candidate (which she is by far) but because she is the candidate the country needs to navigate post-COVID America. As Obama pointed out while endorsing Harris for president on X, she'll make a "fantastic president" and deserves the support of every well-meaning U.S. citizen.
Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in… pic.twitter.com/0UIS0doIbA
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 26, 2024
Despite billionaires like Elon trying to tip the scales in favor of Trump, I believe Kamala is the better candidate and has all the support and resources she needs to make history as the first black woman to become the President of the United States of America. Even the presidential polls concur.
Who is Leading in the Polls for the 2024 Presidential Election?
According to a July 22-24 poll, Harris was polling at 43%, just one point behind Trump at 44%. There is also growing support for Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer as VP picks for the Democratic ticket. Recent polls pit Harris at 47% against Trump's 49% [Source: 538] It says a lot that Harris is polling so well barely a week into her presidential candidacy.
Whoever will become president, I pray that America reconnects with its soul. As the leading nation in the world, it is so embarrassing when the mediocrity of emergent conspiracy theories, and breaches on the democratic face of the country entertain nations such as China and Russia. Does it matter who's part of the left or right if the nation is tilted towards anarchy?
David Mania
Events such as the Jan 6 Insurrection at the Capitol do not even happen in autocracies like the two. Why let it get so bad that the leading democracy in the world is the most politically afflicted? Doesn't that set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the world? Think about that.
