Will a Harris presidency bring continuity or change?
Then Democratic presidential contenders Joe Biden, left, and Kamala Harris argue during a Democratic presidential primary debate in July 2019, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
In the 1988 presidential election, Vice President George H.W. Bush won after repeatedly intoning, "Stay the course." That was taken to mean the direction set by his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, then finishing his second and final term.
In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and GOP presidential nominee John McCain by promising "change we can believe in."
Historical slogans might have little use in building a solid theory of what will happen this fall. On the verge of her sudden nomination, to be sealed at the Democratic National Convention next week, it’s a sure bet that Vice President Kamala Harris will cite her service in the Joe Biden presidency where expedient, and also suggest a break from his policies where that might galvanize support.
Cutting things both ways and keeping plans vague are standard rhetorical strategies for candidates. The usual goal is to sound reasonable and avoid pigeonholing as "status quo" or "too extreme" by the opposition.
Harris can tout the bipartisan infrastructure bill that even Senate GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has hailed. But when she’s tagged by critics as responsible for an uncontrolled migrant influx under Biden, she hearkens back to her days as a prosecutor in California to fend off the GOP "open border" allegation.
It may not convince skeptics, but she said in an appearance last week in Glendale, Arizona: "I was attorney general of a border state. I went after the transnational gangs, the drug cartels and the human traffickers."
Donald Trump, meanwhile, demands mass deportations which he vows to carry out if elected, a plan he does little to articulate. Before quitting the race, Biden was doing little to offset the visceral degree of popularity of Trump’s hard line on immigration. Will Harris do better on that front?
Harris, facing a deep emotional divide within the party as the Gaza war drags on and threatens to expand, has tread very cautiously both as part of the Biden team and as a candidate. Trump grandiosely suggests he’d quickly end the wars in both Israel and Ukraine, somehow, upon returning to office.
When interrupted by pro-Palestinian hecklers at a rally in Detroit, Harris said: "You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that, but otherwise I’m speaking." Her supporters roared their approval, and the incident didn’t force Harris to tilt either way on the issue.
Vaguely fixing one’s place on the political "spectrum" has little to do with the nitty-gritty of real-life issues. Would her administration act differently than Biden's on the economy? On tariffs? On taxes? On the environment? On antitrust? On industry regulation? On technology?
On the lighter side: There was a gag in HBO’s comedy series "VEEP" in which the fictional candidate Selina Meyer ran on the limp, contradictory slogan, "Continuity With Change."
Satirical, for sure — but it does express the image sought by many a candidate. In Australia in 2016, prime minister Malcolm Turnbull literally used "continuity and change" as a motto. He served in the post between 2015 and 2018.
Buzz phrases are vague by design. This week Trump and Twitter mogul Elon Musk said in their ballyhooed online conversation that Harris is "far left." That’s as rote and drearily predictable as Democrats calling even mild Republicans "far right."
None of that gives a clue as to how a Harris administration might differ from the one she's part of now. Maybe the convention will give further clues.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
