Looking ahead: A Tale of two Indians and the burgeoning power of Indian-American politicians.
The 2024 US election Kamala Harris v/s Nikki Haley.
It’s no secret that 20th January, 2021 will likely be known for the many positive and negative moments leading up to and occurring during the day. The positive moments will surround the near-certain inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. The incoming administration is hailed as one of the most diverse in history; its headliner in this regard is Harris, the first woman as Vice President, the first African American vice president, and the first Southeast Asian vice president. One of the more negative records is being set by Biden: the oldest president ever and the outgoing president stealing the inauguration celebration as about 25K armed security guards the capitol.
Normally, it isn’t the VP that holds the spotlight in the political scene, and Joe Biden still is the leader of the administration, as he should be. But President-Elect Biden’s 78 years age raises questions about his ability to serve a second term, let alone his first, despite being in the pink of health. Should Biden be unable or unwilling to serve a second term, eyes will likely, outside of any major political controversy, turn to Harris as the prospective candidate for the Democrats in 2024. If nominated, she’d be the first Black woman nominated for the presidency by a major political party, and the first Indian nominated for the presidency.
Few people expected any Indian to gain such political power so soon. The Indian ethnicity in America is known for its intellect, though it keeps itself humble and behind curtains. They are the richest ethnicity by a large margin. Although, deep political thinkers, distinct and tight subculture. Previously unengaged in politics.
The case for an Indian American Republican leader - Nikki Haley
The Republican Party definitely has challenging days ahead, the party which has transformed itself from Conservatism to Trumpism in the last four years of Donald Trump Presidency. The events of January 6th 2020, day of the insurrection of the US capitol, for which President Donald Trump has been impeached and may lose his eligibility to run in 2024. The party is very unpopular among the people, will begin its time as a minority party with both house and Senate loss, it may be trying to distance itself from the internal populism of Trump. The move will not be easy as its established leaders cannot risk distancing themselves from the core base which still are hardened supporters of President Trump. At this time the emergent leader who can unite the party as well as be accepted by the Trump base is Nikki Haley, the former UN Ambassador and former Governor of South Carolina, a traditionally conservative state.
Nikki like Kamala is from India origin, she has been revered in the party as a hardcore conservative and has been liked by President Trump and its base. She at times has seen softly criticized Trump policies, she left the Trump administration on good terms and still managed to stay close to Trump without showcasing herself as blind surrogate. She has echoed some of the same arguments Trump has made on national topics such as canceling culture, defunding police forces and statue removal, although the tone and frequency between Trump and Haley vary dramatically. In 2024 she can be a moderate face in the Republican party while carrying on Trumpism.
Once the new administration is sworn in, expect to see the beginning of speculation and chatter about 2024. It’s possible, even likely, that we’ll see not just one, but two female candidates that year, as the Democrats try to maintain continuity with a Harris administration, and the Republicans sweep the last bits of Trumpism away with someone like Haley. It will be intriguing to see if the US , which has not elected a Woman president in the last two centuries, is ready to see two woman faces as presidential candidates, and/or two women of Indian origin as presidential candidates. In these challenging times we live in, globalization and woman empowerment is up in the air. Are you ready for 2024?
