‘Yes, She Can.’ Can She?

Kamala Harris appears to have pulled the Democratic Party from the brink of a widely forecast defeat against a Republican candidate who, much like a eucalyptus tree, dries up everything around him, and whose well-known egocentrism has rendered the Republican Party hostage to Trumpism.

America is turning the page on its history and keeping the world in suspense. So far, the 2024 presidential election has been marked by volatility and unpredictability. For the first time, a female vice president will be a candidate for president of the United States, something that became possible when the expected candidate and incumbent president withdrew from the race. The vice president’s opponent is a former president facing indictment in numerous criminal cases and a man who survived an attempted assassination. This might seem like the plot of a Hollywood movie, but it is instead the reality of American politics.

Whoever becomes the leader of the United States will need to consider many challenges as they develop a political strategy and posture. Some of these challenges will be domestic, such as political polarization and violence, while others, including the new dynamic presented by increased cooperation and partnership between illiberal regimes such as North Korea, Russia, Iran and China, will be external. Issues like transition of power in the international order, the end of American hegemony, and the emergence of other actors on the world stage, like China, compounded by the conflicts in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas, will demand greater effort and focus from Washington as it determines how best to defend its national interests.

The Democratic candidate has not explicitly disavowed Joe Biden’s legacy, but she has tried to step out of the shadows of her vice-presidential role and present herself as the future leader of a Harris administration with a political style all her own. In her first big test as candidate, that of accepting the nomination in a speech before the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris outlined her positions on the most divisive and significant issues facing American voters — inflation, reproductive rights, the defense of democracy, freedom, justice, security and patriotism — and identified the critical pieces of her foreign relations structure — strengthening European-Atlantic ties, support for Israel, and containing the threats posed by Russia and other like-minded opponents on the world stage.

The galvanizing sense of unity and enthusiasm about Harris’ candidacy evident at the Democratic National Convention and reinforced by the endorsements of party luminaries like the Obamas, the Clintons and Nancy Pelosi, created the perfect atmosphere for acclaiming her candidacy. Highlighting the distinctions between herself and Donald Trump, as well as calling for a better future, refusing to go back to the past, and championing an inclusive, democratic, free, just and strong America point to her strategy to shape and control the election race’s agenda all the way to Nov. 5.

The momentum to date will be difficult to maintain, as it ultimately needs to turn into actual votes, and the time remaining until Election Day can work against Harris, as it subjects weaknesses, such as her assignment to address immigration, something many consider to be her Achilles' heel, to further scrutiny and attention. Even so, Harris appears to have pulled the Democratic Party from the brink of a widely forecast defeat against a Republican candidate who, much like a eucalyptus tree, dries up everything around him, and whose well-known egocentrism has rendered the Republican Party hostage to Trumpism.

America appears thirsty for strong, stable and trustworthy leadership that will again establish its status as a great power on the international front and keep the American dream alive.