Which of these is different from the rest? The economy. Borders. Abortion. Foreign policy.
The first three issues are the ones that many voters consistently tell pollsters are the most important topics to them in 2024. Foreign policy? Much less than the others. In fact, recent Fox polling shows that foreign policy decisions were the most important topic for only 3% of registered voters surveyed in Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona. Foreign policy only reached 4% when Fox asked the question nationally.
So why worry about foreign policy in this race? Vice President Harris And former President Trump? The importance of foreign policy as a deciding factor in presidential races waxes and wanes. Vietnam weighed on people’s consciousness in the late 1960s. It kept former President Lyndon Johnson from running for re-election in 1968. The Iran hostage crisis certainly didn’t help former President Carter, as he faltered in 1980. Former President Reagan is thought to have gained an edge by improving America’s image on the global stage. Demeaning the Soviet Union certainly helped Reagan win in 1984.
Former President George H. W. Bush did not benefit from the 1991 Gulf War and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the late 80s and early 90s. This was ironic. The president had a staggering approval rating of 91% immediately after the Gulf War. Yet he lost to former President Clinton less than two years later. The events of 9/11 changed former President George W. Bush’s fortunes in 2001. Bush won re-election in 2004. But casualties in the war in Iraq caused him to lose support that fall.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ term will end on July 30, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate former President Trump’s term will end on August 3. (AP Photo)
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So, should we keep foreign policy in mind as a key issue in 2024? Hard to say. But in a tough competition, anything can happen could be decisive, especially in battleground states where the race is statistically close.
“Pocketbook issues are always the most important issues to most people,” said Rep. Larry Buchson, R-Indiana. But Buchson also offered a caveat.
“Foreign policy may be part of the election narrative in the area of national security, because the vice president was clearly part of that decision-making process,” the Indiana Republican said.
That’s what Republicans want to highlight when Congress comes back into session. Biden is out. Harris is now the Democratic nominee. And Republicans hope to tell the story of the vice president and foreign policy.
War in the Middle East. Killing of Israeli hostages. Even controversy Linked to Trump Paying tribute to the soldiers killed in Afghanistan three years ago. Interestingly, the incident and how Trump and his team behaved at Arlington National Cemetery has raised questions, drawing attention to why they were there at all: the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan under the President and Vice President’s watch.
The mother of one of the 13 US soldiers killed in the Abbey Gate attack at Kabul airport has reacted sharply against the administration.
“We’ve been so disrespected over the last three years,” Kelly Barnett told Fox. She’s a Gold Star mother who lost her son, Taylor Hoover, in a terrorist attack. “No response from them. No ‘I’m sorry.’
Republicans see it as a connective tissue for Harris.
“I think it can be criticised because the vice president was closely involved in that discussion (to withdraw).” (from Afghanistan),” Buchson said.
Harris said the same thing during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash in 2021 after her withdrawal.
“(President Biden) just made a very big decision. Afghanistan,” Bash said. “Were you the last person in the room?”
President Biden shakes hands with Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremony honoring the Golden State Warriors in Washington, DC, January 17, 2023 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Yes,” Harris replied.
“And you feel comfortable?” Bash replied.
“Yes,” Harris replied.
On NBC, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said former President Trump would “never” be able to get out of Afghanistan despite wanting to do so.
“I give President Biden and Vice President Harris credit for finally ending the war after 20 years,” Khanna said.
The California Democrat acknowledged the administration bungled the withdrawal. But Khanna believes Harris and the president actually “deserve praise” for extricating the US from the long-running conflict. Furthermore, some Republicans see the Israel/Hamas war as a flashpoint for the administration.
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“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have tried to obstruct Israel at every step of the way,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said on Fox.
On Fox Business, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, argued that the only “two-state solution” is for Harris and vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to win “Pennsylvania and Michigan.”
But when it comes to the Middle East, the administration says it’s clear who’s responsible — even as the Middle East crisis unfolds right in front of its eyes.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, “Hamas is responsible for their deaths. And as the president said, most leaders pay a price for their crimes.”
As the Congressional session begins, the campaign has shifted from battleground states like Nevada and North Carolina to Capitol Hill. Congressional Republicans are expected to craft a narrative around Foreign policy of the Biden administration – And connect it to Harris.
The House is scheduled to vote on several measures related to China in the coming days. There may even be legislation related to Israel and the Mideast war. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is due to release a detailed report about the withdrawal from Afghanistan soon. The committee also issued a subpoena to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to testify about the withdrawal on September 19.
President Biden speaks to reporters outside St. Edmund Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after attending a mass on August 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The State Department says Blinken was not available then. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller called the subpoena “unnecessary,” and argued that Blinken worked in good faith with the committee. But Foreign Affairs Committee spokeswoman Leslie Shedd said Blinken had known since late May that the committee wanted his testimony.
“The chairman offered the secretary a chance to come on any session day in September, but he declined. Instead, he vaguely suggested November or December — when it would be too late for Congress to take legislative action to fix the problems at the State Department that led to the withdrawal,” Shedd said.
However, there will be much discussion in the coming days about what went wrong in Afghanistan three years ago. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will present the Congressional Gold Medal to the families of 13 service members killed in Afghanistan at a ceremony on Tuesday.
George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and Jeb Bush stand together for a photo. (Getty Images)
So, does the foreign policy argument apply to Harris? Unclear. However, you will notice that Republicans have recently started calling for a “Biden-Harris administration.” It’s a concerted effort to turn the spotlight away from Biden and Velcro issues and onto the vice president — once she’s nominated.
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But will foreign policy make a difference? It might. But we won’t know until the votes are in. As noted earlier, George W. Bush won re-election in 2004 over former Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts. But Bush’s campaign on the Iraq war suffered “subtle” costs in certain constituencies and campuses.
And for that reason, foreign policy could become important with the elections in 2024 very close.
