TV debate: what strategy should Harris adopt?
The two candidates for the US presidency, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, meet for the first time in a live televised debate tonight (Tuesday). Trump engaged in a first debate in June against incumbent President Joe Biden, before the latter withdrew from the race. Commentators focus on how Harris should approach her opponent.
Make Trump explode
The fact that the two candidates are not allowed to interrupt each other during TV debate will work to Harris's disadvantage, De Volkskrant comments:
“She has already lost the first fight. Harris called for a 'free debate' in which the candidates are allowed to interrupt each other. Trump's team wanted to stick to the rules it had previously agreed on with Biden. ... And it has managed to push through Biden's straitjacket. ... Harris must provoke Trump so that he loses his temper. ... The more reasonable she appears next to an explosive Trump, the better she'll go down with moderate swing voters.”
Reconciling the two Americas
Harris should reach out to moderate Republican voters, US-watcher Julien Labarre counsels in Le Figaro:
“The Democrats have a historic opportunity to enduringly reshape the political landscape. Harris's offer to open up to the Republicans is the first step one party has taken towards the other since Obama's election. If the Democrats continue this realignment, they could secure a stable majority for the next 20 years, as Roosevelt once did. ... The election in November is an unexpected opportunity to try to reconcile two Americas that no longer like each other - even if the path to reconciliation will be long and arduous.”
Republicans digging their own grave
Trump critics within the Republican Party are having a hard time, Dagens Nyheter observes:
“So far, Trump's gut feeling has held true - support is strong, not only within the party but among large sections of the US population. But what has been constructed is a movement of self-righteous yes men who are too afraid of being reprimanded to think about whether their chosen path is the right one. Fanaticism always comes at a price, namely incompetence. A despot with brutal power can cling to that power, but for a party this is devastating. By idolising Trump, the movement is digging its own grave.”