Left in policies, views on foreign policy not known: US media on VP Harris

Given the rush by Democrats to anoint Ms Harris as their nominee, the press has a particular obligation to tell the public about who she is and what she really thinks. Does she believe California is a model for the country? said the financial daily, according to which Harris’s foreign policy views aren’t well known, or perhaps even well-formed, apart from promoting Biden’s policies.

“While she has backed the Administration’s military assistance to Ukraine, she has equivocated about support for Israel. In March she chastised Israel for not doing enough to ease a humanitarian catastrophe. Leaks to the press say officials at the National Security Council toned down her speech’s criticism of Israel,” it said.

She lambasted the Trump Administration for killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen Qassem Soleimani, claiming it could lead to a bigger war in the Mideast. The killing chastened Iran’s rulers instead, at least until the Biden Administration began to ease sanctions and tried to repeat the 2015 nuclear deal, the daily said.

It will be especially important for the press to ask Ms Harris about her national security views. If her handlers control her as much as White House advisers have Mr Biden, we’ll know they’re afraid that the Vice President might not be able to handle the scrutiny, said The Wall Street Journal.

 

The New York Times Editorial Board said choosing Harris would be a reasonable path for Democrats to take; she has been Biden’s running mate, and while no votes were cast for her as a presidential candidate in primaries, the president’s voters expected her to be on the ticket in November.

She is an accomplished leader and a forceful and eloquent campaigner and is likely to be a far more persuasive candidate than Mr Biden. She would hold Mr Trump to account for his lies and destructive policies in a way that Mr Biden’s infirmities have left him unable to do, said the editorial board of The New York Times.

The Washington Post raised eyebrows at the speed at which she replaced Biden.

Too quickly, arguably: Both she and the country would be better served by a brief, contested nomination process that tested her skills as a presidential campaigner and sparked discussion about where the next generation of Democratic leaders should take the party, it said.

The party seems to have made up its mind, though. So now it’s the nation’s turn, said the Editorial Board of The Washington Post.

Fate has presented Ms Harris the rarest of political opportunities: to start a presidential campaign in the summer of an election year as a fresh, all-but-anointed candidate free to present her vision to all voters, not just to her own party. Though many Americans might already have feelings about their vice president, they are listening now, it said.

First Published: Jul 23 2024 | 9:28 AM IST