Staff Reports
Kamala Harris’s latest political pitch, aptly staged at the Ellipse, appears to be less about her and more about the former president she so desperately wants to contrast herself with—Donald Trump. With the clock ticking down to Election Day, it seems the vice president is less interested in discussing her agenda and more focused on painting Trump as a specter haunting democracy itself. While most voters are keenly concerned about economic issues, Harris is doubling down on the risks Trump allegedly poses, adding a splash of abortion angst for flavor. It’s almost as if her campaign thinks fearmongering will win the day.
In her big speech, expected to draw a crowd of about 20,000, Harris will stand on the very ground where Trump rallied his supporters on January 6. Instead of a call to action on economic recovery or any meaningful policy proposal, she’s returning to that familiar refrain of “democracy is at stake.” Yet, this is the same backdrop that reminds voters of her party’s obsession with pushing a narrative of threat rather than solutions. The irony is thick; while she’s hammering on the idea of progress and hope, many wonder if voters will buy the Democrats’ wrap on the past when inflation and economic instability stare them in the face.
One week out from Election Day, Harris’ address from the grassy Ellipse near the White House is designed to encourage Americans to visualize their alternate futures if she or Trump takes over the Oval Office in less than three months. https://t.co/y9ziRs4M9N
— KMOV (@KMOV) October 29, 2024
Polls indicate that undecided voters are remaining skimpy, and with nearly 45 million Americans already casting ballots, one has to wonder if the Harris camp is wise to cling to the notion that comparisons to Trump will sway voters in battleground states. Charts and studies by Democratic polling firms suggest voters really want to hear more about economic management and not the ideological jabs meant to dehumanize their opponent. There’s a sense that while Harris promises a new vision, she might just be repackaging the same stale goods that got her here in the first place.
The cheerful optimism that Harris’s team claims she will project in her speech sounds great on paper, yet it sharply contrasts the disruptively chaotic atmosphere of recent Democratic rallies, complete with remarkable insults hurled at her from Trump supporters. Just when one thinks the Democrats might centralize on credible policy discussions, here comes the other side with a sharp critique of Trump that leans more towards caricature than conversation.
Strategists on both sides are sensing the awkward tension. On one hand, Democrats believe Harris’s focus on democracy will resonate, especially after Trump’s recent controversial rally, which was met with an avalanche of scathing commentary. On the other hand, Republican operatives have derided her appeal as merely a distraction from the very real concerns Americans have about inflation, the economy, and government overreach. The Republican narrative counters that while Harris panders with labels, Trump is visibly willing to discuss concrete issues that impact everyday lives.
In the end, it will be interesting to see how voters react not only to Harris’s speech but also to the constant tug-of-war over the narrative. With rhetoric flying and economic concerns simmering, American voters will likely sift through the noise and seek out real solutions. Harris’s pleas for attention to the “democracy problem” may end up overshadowed by the more pressing issues of their daily lives. What’s not a mystery is how the strain of these elections will ultimately challenge her ability to convert promises into votes when so many are simply looking for a brighter economic outlook.
