Kamala Harris was scorned and undervalued as vice-president but dazzled like Cinderella when she surprised the pundits and radiated “joy” at the ball. She made Donald Trump look like a puffy, jaded, out-dated dancing partner, whom nobody found amusing anymore. Tonight we will find out whether her campaign is a pumpkin or whether the glass slipper belongs to her. Has Harris got what it takes to be president or has her “vibes” campaign been a mirage?
The opinion polls can’t tell us who is going to win. But what these neck-and-neck polls have demonstrated time and again is that roughly two out of three US voters think the country is on the wrong track. Americans want change. I still believe women voters have the power to sink Trump, but the candidate that can best capture the insurgent energy of this campaign is likely to carry off the prize.
Trump was victorious in 2016 when he was the change agent against Hillary Clinton, with all her decades of baggage. By 2020 voters had tired of his White House antics and replaced him with “Sleepy Joe” Biden. As Trump takes to the stage in Philadelphia tonight, will he be posing as the incumbent, with an established record as president, or as the insurgent with a mandate for change? What about vice-president Harris? They can both lay claim to being insiders and outsiders, with unpredictable consequences for the televised debate.
Harris has ditched some of the buzz that surrounded the launch of her candidacy in favour of appearing more presidential than populist
Harris has the toughest task. Trump’s image is baked in by now, whereas she still has to introduce herself to voters who haven’t been swept up by her successful “brat” summer. But the confidence that led Harris to adopt Beyoncé’s anthem, Freedom, as her theme tune has been replaced by a more cautious, defensive crouch. Avoiding press conferences and interviews in the media hasn’t helped. The downside is that Harris has ditched some of the buzz that surrounded the launch of her candidacy in favour of appearing more presidential than populist.
It is hard to fault her for this, although it has come at a cost. Tacking to the centre in a bid to capture moderate independents and Republican voters makes sense. Moreover, the one Trump nickname for Harris that has come anywhere close to sticking is “Comrade Kamala” — an attack on her for being a radical, far-Left San Francisco liberal.
So I can see why Harris decided to release a campaign ad on the eve of the debate featuring the prim, ultra-conservative former White House officials who have turned against Trump. The roll-call of those who consider their old boss unfit for office is impressive: Mike Pence, former vice-president, Mark Esper, former defence secretary, General Mark Milley, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and John Bolton, former national security adviser. “Take it from the people who know him best,” the ad concludes.
Ten retired military generals and admirals have offered their support to Harris. So has Dick Cheney, the formidable former Republican vice-president, and his daughter Liz, who sacrificed her career in Congress in order to make sure Trump could never launch an insurrection again. Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street behemoth, has claimed the economy would fare better under Harris than under Trump’s policy of tariffs.
Any rational person would conclude that Trump is toast. But the rules don’t necessarily apply in a “change” election. The problem for Harris is that she is looking less and less like an insurgent and more like the candidate of the establishment — the Washington swamp Trump keeps promising to drain.
Most polls show Trump comfortably ahead of Harris on who is best for the economy, immigration and foreign policy (despite his high regard for dictators). These are usually the three best indicators of who is going to win. As Democrats cast around for a scapegoat for this annoying state of affairs, an interesting new word has entered the lexicon: “sanewashing”, otherwise known as the attempt by the media to make Trump sound more sensible than he is.
Special vitriol in this case is reserved for the New York Times, the “grey lady” who is living up to her name by downplaying Trump’s wilder statements at rallies and on social media. When, for instance, Trump vowed to jail opponents for non-existent election fraud, by ranting, “WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences,” most of the mainstream media yawned. It was left to local newspapers, such as the Orlando Sentinel in Florida, to splash the front-page news: “Trump threatens to jail adversaries.”
Any rational person might conclude Trump is toast — but the rules don’t necessarily apply in a ‘change’ election
Frankly, few New York Times readers are likely to be swayed by the framing of its stories about Trump. And arguably, making a big deal out of every wind-up and provocation only rewards Trump with the oxygen of publicity. But it is shocking to hear him state his plans for the mass deportation of immigrants will be a “bloody story”, to claim this election may be America’s “last”, to insist the Democrats will turn the US into “Venezuela on steroids” and to crack jokes about the violent assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul, without taking his threats seriously.
It is equally infuriating to see Trump ramble incoherently, lose his train of thought and stumble over names — “Leon” Musk being the latest mishap — without being subject to the same scrutiny as Biden was. At 78, Trump is the oldest presidential candidate in US history and has the gall to pretend he deserves a further, third term in office after 2028. Perhaps he will appear visibly demented in debate. But voters remember that the pillars of US democracy did not collapse when Trump was last in power (try as he might) and are inclined to treat his ravings with a pinch of salt.
If Harris can deliver some surprise zingers, she could seriously rattle Trump. I hope she doesn’t get bogged down in explaining her policies, as some commentators would like her to. The debate will be more about character.
Voters have already lived with Trump and discarded him. Why bring a jilted lover back? But during the past four years of the Biden administration, they didn’t really notice Harris at all. This is her best chance to make people like what they see.
