The Veep has been announced, page-37

It would seem that our pro-Putin posters don't currently like Harris. I see this as a positive.

One thing for sure is that Harris won't be a flunky VP. My expectation is that she will be at the core of Administration policy development. Harris is first and formostly a political pragmatist who is well able get balance between competing agendas to deliver primary goals. Harris will be the policy engine room.

Importantly Harris is well positioned to nullify the polarising influences of both the far right and the far left. My expectation is that Harris will support multi pronged agendas that have support from both the Police unions and from disadvantaged communities. If anything Harris will promote strengthed law enforcement and training while recognising that such policies alone won't be a magic bullet.

Biden and Harris are thus far too economically isolationist for my liking. That may change as short to medium term pragmatism necessitates maximising global trade (but with diversified supply and export chains). The Biden/Harris isolationist stance may shift post election but there are no guarantees.

Bargain basement voters won't care about much of this. Former Trump voters may just see Harris as pro law and order district attorney. She's not a Communist . Former Trump voters may see Harris as a middle of the road pragmatist. In other words Harris is someone they could possibly vote for.

Disadvantaged voters may simply see Harris as someone who will keep emergency payments coming and who may also progress some needed social reforms . (Note that disadvantaged Trumpists are mightily pissed off that he personally f'ed up their next payments.)

Moving back to dictators such as Putin. The sand pit games are over. With Harris in the room, authoritarian regimes can choose to behave and partner the US or they can choose not to. In the face of a major global economic depression it would be in their interests to choose the partnership road but the choice is theirs. My expectation is that both Putin and Xi will recalibrate their thinking and policy actions to a new reality.

cheers