Koon Yew Yin, 30th July 2024

The new poll, conducted between July 22-24 and released Sunday, found that Harris’s approval rating had surpassed Trump’s in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Michigan. In Michigan, Harris was leading Trump in favorability by a whopping 57 percent to 47 percent.

Many polls now show increased support for Harris against Trump in the coming November Election. This situation reminds me of what I learned in school in 1952 when I had to study English literature which included 3 books, namely Julius Caesar, She stoops to Conquer and Pride and Prejudice.

Blinded by patriotism

I would like to share with you what Julius Caesar said “Beware the leader who beats the drums of war in order to whip up the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is a double-edged sword. It emboldens the blood and narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need to seize the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this what I had done. And I am Caesar”.

Let me tell you how I failed Bahasa Malay and why I left Government Civil Service. I started working for Public Works Department, PWD which now known as JKR in 1957. Malaysia got Independence or Merdeka from the British in 1957. When I was in school Bahasa Malay was not taught. As a civil engineer, I had to pass a simple Bahasa Malay exam. First I was given a short passage in Malay to be translated into English which I had not difficulty.

Then I was given a short passage in English to be translated into Malay; quote “Fire!!! Fire!!! Call the Fire Brigade!!!” My translation “Api!!! Api!!! Panggil Api Kereta!!!

That was how I failed to get promotion. At that time my monthly salary as an engineer was only Rm 628. I left Government service to do business. I co-founded Mudajaya, IGB, IJM Corporation and a few other listed and not listed companies.

Harris and Trump comparison

The differences between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump could hardly be greater. She is a woman, he is a man, she's black, he is white. Harris is 59, Trump is 78 - and suddenly he looks old in a contest with an opponent who is almost two decades younger. She, the former Attorney General of California, against him, the convicted felon. Above all, Harris is likely to use this offensively in the election campaign - especially as she herself, unlike Biden with his son Hunter, is not carrying around legal baggage in her own family.

Harris can probably score more points with certain groups of voters than Trump, but also than Biden: especially with blacks, but probably also with younger people and with women. Trump must now completely rethink his campaign and develop a new strategy. The Republican is even complaining about this publicly, ranting on his online platform Truth Social: "Now we have to start all over again." The Republican Party should be compensated for its previous campaign spending, which was entirely focused on Biden, he rages.

Harris' biggest target

Trump's team immediately began attacking Harris. Within a very short space of time, the Trump team released its first campaign ad directed against her. The narrative: Harris had been pulling the strings in the background for a long time because Biden was simply no longer in a position to do so. She is responsible for the government's failures - including the crisis on the border with Mexico.

The issue of migration is likely to be Trump's main point of attack. It was his parade theme in the 2020 election campaign and remains so in this election year: Trump rants at every rally that the country is being overrun by hordes of dangerous and criminal migrants. He is likely to hold Harris personally responsible for this from now on. Biden entrusted Harris with the impossible task of "combating the causes of flight". After three and a half years, she doesn't have much to show for it. The issue of migration remains a problem. Although the number of illegal border crossings into the USA has recently fallen, this is from a record level.

Other weaknesses of the Democrat

Things have not gone well for Harris as Biden's deputy in recent years. The office is generally a rather thankless one: the deputy's job is to promote and represent the president's policies, while at the same time setting his own tone without upstaging the boss. Harris remained invisible for long stretches, instead making a name for herself from time to time with her own blunders and struggling with poor popularity ratings. Only recently did she gain some profile on the issue of abortion.

Harris used to present herself as tough as a prosecutor and confident as a senator. As Vice President, on the other hand, she often came across as insecure and inauthentic. Perhaps the leading role as a presidential candidate will suit her better if she no longer has to act in the shadow of a boss.

Her strengths

Thanks to her three and a half years as Vice President, Harris knows the White House, the government apparatus and is known both nationally and internationally. She is also well connected within the party. In all likelihood, she can draw on the structures and money of the previous Biden-Harris election campaign. And as the first woman and first black woman to hold the vice presidency, she has pioneer status. She would also have this status if she actually made it into the White House as the first female president. But there is still a long way to go.

As a woman, she can approach some issues - such as the controversy over abortion, which is important in the election campaign and affects many American women - very differently than Biden could. And as an ex-prosecutor, she can not only attack Trump for his criminal activities, but possibly also appeal to centrist voters with law-and-order messages.

Harris' biggest asset in the election campaign, however, is that she is neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump. Many people in the country were unenthusiastic about a new race between the two from the outset and simply did not want either of these two old white men. Now they are likely to get a maximum contrast to choose from: not only in terms of content, but also in terms of the two people who stand for that content.

Harris' chances of winning

Kamala Harris is not the ideal candidate. She is more of an emergency solution who has slipped into this role for pragmatic reasons. There is also the question of whether the USA is ready for a woman in the highest office. But at least her poll ratings against Trump are slightly better than those of Biden. That gives Democrats hope.