Here's what Kamala Harris says makes her different from Joe Biden
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – There’s less than a month to go before the 2024 presidential election, and people have a question for Vice President Kamala Harris: how is she different from President Joe Biden?
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Biden was struggling against his GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, at the polls even before a debate between the two men signaled the end of his campaign. Amid concerns about his age, Biden stepped down and handed the reigns of the election to Harris, who became the official candidate in August during the Democratic National Convention.
Harris pulled ahead of Trump at the top of the Dems’ ticket through the rest of the summer and through September. Then, her VP pick, Minnestoa Gov. Tim Walz, debated Trump’s running mate, Ohio Den. JD Vance, and things cooled down for the ticket.
In the early days of the Harris campaign this summer, she received criticism for her lack of media interviews and public appearances. This month, the vice president has made up for lost time with several interviews, including one with the popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast last week, as well as interviews with ABC’s morning TV staple “The View” and CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” this Tuesday.
During both of those Tuesday interviews, Harris was asked what makes her different than Biden.
“We’re obviously two different people,” Harris told “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin. Harris explained that different life experiences will shape their respective presidencies.
Biden, 82, is from Scranton, Pa. He went to law school and became one of the youngest Americans ever elected to the U.S. Senate at age 29. Shortly after, his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident that also injured his two sons. He later married Dr. Jill Biden and had a daughter with her. He has had a long career in politics, serving as a Delaware senator for 36 years and as vice president under President Barack Obama for two terms.
Like most of our past presidents, Biden is a white man. He made history in 2020 as the oldest person elected to the presidency at age 78. If Trump is elected, he’ll tie with Biden.
Harris, 59, is from Oakland, Calif. She also went to law school and went on to have a long career as a prosecutor, serving as a district attorney and attorney general of California before becoming a U.S. Senator. She’s proud of her middle-class upbringing as well as her blended family with husband Doug Emhoff. In 2019, Harris went head-to-head with Biden during a presidential debate over the topic of school segregation and bussing but went on to become his running mate.
Unlike any of our past presidents, Harris is a woman of color. When she became vice president, Harris also became the first woman to ever hold the position. She’s also the first Black American and the first South Asian American to be elected to the position.
Beyond their obvious differences, Harris did not reveal many differences between a potential Harris administration and the current Biden administration during her appearance on “The View”. However, she did offer some.
Harris said that what she intends to focus more on is home healthcare. She also highlighted her experience as a prosecutor regarding violence against women.
“I have done a lot of work as it relates to, sadly, violence against women and children – I care a lot about that,” the vice president said.
When asked if there was anything she believes the current administration should have done differently, Harris said: “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”
Axios reported Wednesday that Republicans are planning to use that quote against Harris in campaign ads. Trump often calls Biden “the worst” president and criticizes the administration’s policy decisions.
During his interview with Harris, Stephen Colbert noted that many voters – especially independent voters – are looking to the 2024 election to bring change. Biden’s presidency has straddled the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery period, which has been plagued with high inflation that just came down after many interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve Bank aimed at lowering that inflation. While prices did start to trend down, many are still feeling the impact of the long inflationary streak.
Again, Harris said that she is “obviously not Joe Biden,” to laughter from the audience. Still, she focused more on building and expanding current programs, bolstering an “opportunity economy” by helping small businesses and helping make the American Dream less elusive with program to help prospective homeowners.
Harris also stressed that she is “not Donald Trump.”
Following the interviews, USA Today reported that Harris “declined to distance herself in any meaningful way from the sitting president – her boss – when posed with different versions of that question.”
“Her reluctance to draw a line between any of Biden's policies or actions – instead choosing overwhelming loyalty to the outgoing commander-in-chief – comes as Harris is trying to maintain a balancing act: campaigning as the change candidate even though she’s an incumbent vice president,” the outlet added.
As of Thursday, FiveThirtyEight polling data showed that Harris has a higher favorability raring that both Biden and Trump at around 47% (higher than her unfavorable rating). While both Trump and Biden have unfavourable ratings over 50%, Biden’s is higher. As Colbert mentioned, polls do show that Harris’ lead over Trump has slipped this month.
In social media posts Thursday, Harris has continued to promote her solidarity with the sitting president, mentioning their work on the suicide prevention hotline and current hurricane relief efforts. USA Today said she has been reluctant to part with Biden on many key issues.
Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist cited by the outlet, said Harris had an opportunity to dive deeper into the proposed Medicare expansion to include at-home care for aging parents she mentioned during her “The View” interview.
“Ironically, she was actually there to talk about a policy that is a differentiator from what President Biden has done,” Kinney said during a Tuesday appearance on CNN. “So, I wish she would have referred to that.”
Perhaps Harris will discuss this plan further during these final days before what is looking like a very close election.
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