What follows here assumes that Kamala Harris carries out her stated intention to "earn the nomination" and not pretend that the crown is only in the shop. This gives her an opportunity to craft her image as a centrist with a spine, the sort of Democrat who can win national elections.

The Democratic nominee has two automatic advantages. One is that President Joe Biden is leaving behind a U.S. economy that's the strongest in decades and the envy of the world. The other is that the opponent is Donald Trump.

Trump's attempted coup against the elected government of the United States should alone disqualify him from holding office — or even walking around as a free man. The shocking spasm of violence that Trump set off at the U.S. Capitol is on video, as is the spectacle of his enjoying the show on a White House TV.

As he pushes 80, Trump is now the old man who has lost some dots on his dice. His confusion has accelerated to the point that he thought he ran against Barack Obama in 2020. (No, it was Biden.) He called Vladimir Putin a "genius" for invading Ukraine.

And he chose as his running mate the weirdly malleable J.D. Vance. When Russia launched a full-scale ground invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vance said, "I don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another." Not surprisingly, when Trump chose Vance as his VP, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov applauded warmly.

If Democrats choose Harris, she would be wise to showcase her law-and-order past. The right-wing opposition will smear her as a Californian and all that implies. But as district attorney for San Francisco and then California's attorney general, she was tough on criminal defendants to the point that progressives targeted her.

One accuser, law professor Lara Bazelon, complained of her support for a state law "under which parents whose children were found to be habitually truant in elementary school could be prosecuted, despite concerns that it would disproportionately affect low-income people of color."

That would have been a great law. And if it worked as the professor warned, it would have disproportionately advanced the education of low-income children of color.

Harris should not let the media, especially the friendly media, turn her into an identity candidate, that is, significant for being Black and a woman. A president can be one, the other or both, but neither is a qualification.

On immigration, Harris has to set aside the idea that the fix lies in addressing the "root causes." There is simply no lid on the number of people who will try to enter the United States illegally if they can. Biden was late into taking executive action to secure the border, but he did it. Harris should continue to support that strenuous enforcement and if elected, back a comprehensive reform that ensures America gets the workers it needs but that every immigrant enters legally.

Harris has the street smarts to return the low blows Trump world is already sending her way. A big advantage is she's a prosecutor and Trump is a criminal. She should easily put Trump away in a debate. Trump has already asked that Fox News host the next debate, and if he finds an excuse to chicken out, it will be no surprise.

Her vice presidential pick will be super important. How about Sen. Mark Kelly? He's a war hero, an astronaut, an Arizonan.

Again, Harris is not yet the official Democratic nominee. Whether it's her or someone else, the voters must defeat Trump to save the democracy. And given Trump's fawning over Putin, they would save the West as well.

Froma Harrop covers the waterfront of politics, economics and culture with an unconventional approach. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com.