Introduction to U.S. National Politics

Devon Hopkins

Corral

Intro to Politics

3/29/19

Kamala Harris vs Elizabeth Warren

Both Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren seem to be worthy candidates for the Presidential election of 2020. They both seem to have the best interest of the American people at heart and are willing to fight to make sure that change is made that benefits us all. Kamala Harris focuses on issues surrounding legislation to provide sweeping tax cuts for the middle class, addressing the high cost of rent, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, making higher education tuition-free for the vast majority of Americans, reforming the cash bail system, protecting the legal rights of refugees and immigrants, and expanding access to affordable, quality health care with Medicare for all. Her slogan is “Kamala Harris, for the people” and this represents who she is and her main focus because it shows her goals are in favor of “the people” of America in order to improve things for all. Elizabeth Warren focuses on similar issues and her main focuses include ending Washington corruption, rebuilding the middle class, strengthening our democracy, equal justice for all, and a foreign policy for all. Regarding her slogan, Warren seems to have a couple, but her most popular and important seems to be “Persist” which represents her and her intentions because it shows her willingness to fight with consistency until as many of her goals are achieved as possible.

Kamala Harris’ character based on her website can be described as genuine for the simple fact that she seems to practice what she preaches. On her website she is described as a “fearless advocate for the voiceless and the vulnerable” and she has shown this by doing things such as successfully suing predatory for-profit colleges who scammed students and veterans and fighting for marriage equality. These tactics show her willingness to fight for “the people” as well as anything she believes in. Her character can also be seen in her pictures and video on her page as she always has a seemingly large genuine smile on her face and is always willing to embrace her supporters when making contact. Based on her page she is trying to appeal to the middle class but also shows an interest to make things better for Americans as a whole. Elizabeth Warren’s character based on her website can be described as self-aware because she acknowledges that even though she has gone through her own struggles, she knows that there are people who have it worse, and that shows that she cares about all people outside of herself and has all American’s best interest at heart. Bases on her pictures and websites she is full of energy and truly invested in her goals. Like Harris, Elizabeth’s target group focuses mainly on the middle class but also supports Americans as a whole.

Most recently, Kamala Harris has been in the news for her proposal to increase teacher pay across the nation which is a $315 billion plan that would increase teacher pay by $13,500 on average. In an article on New York Magazine they quote Politico stating that it was “the most aggressive and expansive education proposal among the 2020 field.” This aligns with one of her promises to increase pay to a certain extent which is explained on her web page. One thing Elizabeth Warren has been in the news for is her plan to make changes to the Farming system in America. This doesn’t necessarily align with any specific thing referenced on her website, but it does show how she truly wants to make an impact on all Americans and is taking charge to do just that.

Elizabeth Warren Vs. Andrew Yang

Personal Characteristics

Elizabeth Warren does a good job balancing issues and personality. Her father was a working man and the breadwinner. He was laid off and after losing the family car, her mother took a low wage job at Sears to keep the families head above water. She enrolled in a public law school at 24 and spent the next 30 years teaching at various colleges, including Harvard. Her main running point is to end corruption in washington. Supplementary material includes: “strengthen our democracy”, “rebuild the middle class” and “equal justice under the law”. Her appeal is for the working class who have been hit harder by economic fluctuations, automation of work, and a special lustor for minority groups through the third key issue mentioned.

Andrew Yang is the son of two immigrant parents, went to Columbia Law school, and has been apart of 3 startup businesses. One of the companies focused on access to education and became the largest private provider in the country and was awarded for its prowess by the Obama administration. A key principle difference between the two is that because of Andrew Yang’s low name recognition, he has to rely on issues to drive his candidacy (See “Presentation of self”). He has virtue as an immigrant, but also as a businessman. His website focuses on his accomplishments as a businessman and not so much on his life as an immigrant. Although as mentioned before, his appeal is principally issue driven so it is intuitive for his website to be credentialistic. His campaign is centered on “Universal basic income for every American”.

Presentation of Self

Elizabeth Warren straddles between an “A” and “B” approach. The front page of her website has the issues mentioned in the previous section cycle on and off of the page. This aims to promote herself as a “do-er” and not just a talker. The issues are consolidated into 3 or 4 word phrases and builds a sense of approachability to them. While the front page is definitely more of a “B” candidate, she has a whole page dedicated to her story –“Meet Elizabeth Warren”. This is where her straddle comes in. The page projects her humanity by explicating her youth, struggle through school, familial life and her various career accomplishments. This kind of presentation aligns itself more with an“A” candidate. This page focuses on showing Mrs. Warren’s personality and thus is made to build a base for more interpersonal interaction. Her webpage outline, content, and visual information construe a populous appeal to the middle class, and minority groups (specifically African Americans, who are mentioned by name under the “Equal Protection…” tab)

Andrew Yang aligns mostly with the described candidate “B” from Fenno’s study. Due to his low name recognition, he has to drive his recognizability through his position on issues and or personal accomplishments. Like all of the other candidates, he has a part of his page that is centered around his life and how he grew up. The part labeled “Andrews Background”, is almost entirely achievement based. This is congruent to his identity as a type “B” candidate. His success comes from his position on issues and not his ability to connect directly with voters. In terms of support within the Democratic coalition, his appeal is almost directly from low skilled waged workers. He, like the majority of the democratic candidates, have adopted some of Bernie Sanders’s more serious policies (ex. medicare for all).

Media Coverage

Andrew Yang is popular among the democratic voter base. He surpassed Elizabeth Warren when he announced his candidacy. He is running as a democratic parallel to Trump. He is a businessman and is trying to capitalize on the same alleged economic grievance that helped Trump in 2016. (Questionable method according to Identity Crisis). His main running point, Universal Basic income, is actually very unpopular and runs counter to his projected identity as a hard working businessman.

Elizabeth Warren’s main issue is popularity and trustworthiness. There is a wide perception of her as a lifelong politician. She is having a hard time connecting with younger voters, and her policies are often received as echos of other candidates. She is not far left enough to compete with Bernie Sanders, her identity as a woman won’t give her enough to get ahead, that is evidenced by the 2016 election with Hillary Clinton, and Kamala Harris would win in terms of intersectionality above Warren anyway.

 

Resources

Blake, Aaron. “Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 Chances, Broken Down.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 31 Dec. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/31/elizabeth-warrens-chances-broken-down/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bb9b17f79a58.

Marinoff, Nick. “Democrat Andrew Yang: Different Appeal, Same Stupid Ideas.” CCN, 28 Mar. 2019, www.ccn.com/democrat-andrew-yang-different-appeal-same-stupid-ideas.

Shao, Yiqing. “Why Is Elizabeth Warren So Hard to Love?” Boston Magazine, Boston Magazine, 31 Mar. 2017, www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/04/02/elizabeth-warren-tough-love/.

 

Among many Democratic candidates for the 2020 Presidential election, there are Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren.  Kamala Harris is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from California.  When she was elected in 2016 to the Senate, she became the second African American woman and the first Indian American woman elected to serve in the United States Senate.  Harris was formerly the attorney general of California, where she became the first African American and Asian American female to have the position.  Harris was born in Oakland, California.  She earned her law degree and served as a deputy district attorney and eventually became the attorney general of California, before announcing her candidacy for president of the United States (Kamala Harris Ballotpedia).  Harris is a lifelong public safety and civil rights leader (Kamala Harris).  Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.  She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and grew up in the middle class.  Warren eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Houston.  She then went to Law school soon after and began to teach law at several prestigious universities.  She became the Senator of Massachusetts in 2012 and formally declared her candidacy for president of the United States early this year.  Warren has a background in both government and academia (Elizabeth Warren Ballotpedia).

Warren and Harris have put emphasis on several of the same issues.  On her official website, Harris shows she is “For the People”, as this is her slogan, along with “Speaking Truth, Demanding Justice”.  These reflect her interests in issues and her background, as she makes it clear that she is a defender of American values and the American people.  She hopes to fix the broken criminal justice system and take on Wall Street banks for middle-class homeowners.  Warren’s slogan is “We Will” or “Fighting for America’s Promise for All of Us”.  Similar to Harris, Warren bases her campaign on her promise to fight for America and the American people’s best interests.  The pictures on her official website reflect her slogan and theme, because they include pictures of her with children of various ages and races, reinforcing her goal, “fighting to give every kid the same chance to succeed” (Elizabeth Warren).  Other pictures show her with supporters in the middle class fighting for union jobs or protesting Wall Street.  These support her themes, because she hopes to “rebuild the middle class” and “end Washington corruption” (Elizabeth Warren).  Harris’s pictures on her official website do not effectively represent her cause because the majority are solely of her.  One picture, though, may help support her theme because it shows her among the American people.

Both candidates are more issue-oriented, but Warren may be more personable than Harris.  Warren’s website has a list of her focus of issues, but reading into the issues and pictures, it seems that Warren takes a person-to-person approach.  Harris, differently, is mainly about issues.  Although her slogan is “For the People” she goes with a more issue-oriented approach, stating issues she feels need handling and stating her goals for America and American people.  In the media, Warren’s coverage lately has been less serious, jokingly referencing her chasing a train (Lang, Photo), but other stories cover her agenda for presidency (Patterson).  Harris has mostly positive coverage, reporting her plans to raise teacher salaries, and her use of small donors for fundraising (Goldmacher, Reilly, Scott).  It appears that both candidates put emphasis on being for the people and promise to work in the American people’s best interest.  Despite some differences, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are quite similar with their common themes and goals as President.

Kamala Harris uses a broad form of rhetoric in slogans and details that use veiled language to contrast her with current President Donald Trump. A banner slogan emphasizes the decency of those in power before fading out to her main page. Kamala Harris generally views her efforts as “fights” and emphasizes her commitment to justice, particularly for those who may be seen as oppressed in America. She is described as an “advocate for the voiceless,” and believes in fighting injustice through economic means as well. Both Harris and Cory Booker are people of color, and this is emphasized on their websites as parts of their backgrounds that give credence to their efforts to ameliorate gaps in society. For his part, Booker has stated on Twitter that he is not a fan of grandiose slogans, but his current slogan is “Together, America, we will rise.” This is a testament to his belief in overcoming racial divides, and the first information block on his site is dedicated to criticizing President Trump in veiled language regarding the divisions in the country. Just like Harris, he is using this to differentiate himself from Trump and appeal to the large portion of people dissatisfied with the current presidency. That is not to say that Harris does not wish to bring the country together, but she is more focused on exacting justice in American society for the underdogs, which is in line with her previous role as an Attorney General in California. Her slogan is, fittingly, “For the People.” Also of interest is that both candidates’ pages clearly state that they rely entirely on voter support, having refused to accept donations from corporations, political action committees, or lobbyists. This makes sense for Democratic candidates, who advocate against such practices for the most part.

Kamala Harris presents herself as someone who will take massive action for minorities and in the large schematics of government, almost like a prosecutor. To do so, she seems more issue-oriented. Her site under “Meet Kamala” immediately lists her accomplishments and ‘battles’ she waged in her political career. She would appeal to voters who see the current administration as complacent regarding the large but downtrodden echelons of society in the U.S. Still, though, she uses a picture of her with a smiling black child to ensure that she does not come across as just a policy wonk. While Booker certainly mentions his fights against injustice on his page, he is definitely a person-to-person candidate. This is difficult in presidential campaigning, but he features pictures of him walking and meeting with everyday people. It also describes how he opted not to join a large law firm after graduating, and instead fought against unfair landlord practices. His “about” section also speaks about how he “still lives in Newark’s Central Ward,” a historically urban and black section of New Jersey stricken with post-industrial poverty. This is definitely an appeal made by a person-to-person candidate.

News sources seem to follow the fairly new trend of Democratic presidential candidates joining a movement to reject PAC or lobbyist donations. Both Harris and Booker have received attention from news outlets for being parts of this movement. At a time when donations are crucial, both pages make it clear near the “donate now” sections that voters, not corporations, are responsible for their campaigns to generate funds.