On the eve of tonight’s presidential debate, our Alternative Futures Team offers their insight into the range of possibilities for what a Harris administration could look like. (We wrote about what a Trump administration might look like here).
Young & Green Government – A younger, progressive administration focused on climate, diversity, inclusion and legislation and regulation designed to promote equality and fairness.
Liberal Establishment – An administration pursuing progressive priorities with (liberal) consensus-driven policy prescriptions and equally comfortable with Wall Street and Silicon Valley.
Biden, The Sequel – An administration that leverages the power of government to advance traditional Democratic policy objectives (e.g., jobs, infrastructure, healthcare).
Progressive Technocrats – A progressive, solutions-oriented administration that takes a pragmatic data-driven approach to craft policies designed to support healthy communities and families.
The framework to describe these possibilities considers three primary inputs: Harris’ speeches and interviews; the official Democratic party platform; and analysis of Harris’s record and key advisors’ input indicates. Possible priorities and ideas have begun to emerge from these inputs:
Harris’s own words indicate a focus on lowering costs for everyday Americans; prioritizing ”care economy” issues; protecting reproductive freedom; pro-union efforts; and more.
The Democratic platform suggests Harris will focus on investment in infrastructure, manufacturing and small business; cutting taxes for working families; protecting Social Security and Medicare; fighting the climate crisis; and more.
Policy advisors and influencers indicate a focus on providing tax incentives to help first-time homebuyers; increasing the corporate tax rate; defending Israel’s right to self-defense while also backing Palestinians’ right to self- determination; and more.