Given that Kamala Harris has pledged more than enough delegates and top Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton and others are backing her, this seems far from inevitable. The current Vice President will be the Democratic Party’s nominee after Joe Biden decides to step down.
The immediate reaction from the right, myself included, was mostly derision. We posted the videos. We laughed at the memes. We pointed out that Trump is still doing better than Harris in most polls. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Everything that was said about her clumsy, inauthentic presentation is true, and based on the data we currently have, Trump is still the favorite.
Still, there is a point where hubris sets in, and it feels like Republicans have reached that point. This is no reason to panic. Not at all, but if you’re just looking for people to tell you that the election is already over and Harris will be soundly defeated, you might want to stop reading.
Let us start with the upcoming debate or perhaps Debates if Donald Trump’s announcement of wanting to run for more than one election is true. Is Harris a good debater? After watching her during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries and the general election, I don’t think she’s particularly good. Heck, it was a now-famous debate answer from Tulsi Gabbard that essentially ended Harris’ presidential campaign.
SEE: Tulsi Gabbard completely destroyed Kamala Harris at yesterday’s Democratic primary debate
Kamala was killed. Absolutely brutal. https://t.co/iDoEN3I6di
– Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) 1 August 2019
Still, it’s crucial to remember that Harris is not an 81-year-old Joe Biden. She’s not going to show up at a debate slurring her words, unable to make a point. She can be expected to be well-rehearsed and ready to make her points. Her delivery will always reek of inauthenticity, because that’s her nature, but as long as it’s coherent, the press will proclaim it the best debate performance in history.
Now let’s talk about the other side of the coin. I may upset some people with this statement, but Donald Trump is not a great debater either. It was reported that he did not even prepare for his debate against Biden, and it showed at times. Thankfully, Biden imploded in front of everyone, and that was the story of the evening. No one cared that Trump sometimes went off on a tangent and missed several points of attack that he really should not have missed.
And why should they care? This debate ended Biden’s presidential campaign. What was there not to like in the broader context? To think that this will translate to a debate with Harris, though, is foolish and the kind of hubris that scares me. The vice president is not going to implode onstage and start mumbling incomprehensible things. She will have her points and be ready to make them.
How did Gabbard counter that during the 2019 debate? With a thoroughly researched and planned answer that ripped Harris’ record before the American electorate to shreds. That’s the kind of preparation Trump needs to land a knockout punch. There will be no softball questions this time.
Aside from that discussion, there is a lot of talk about Harris being a “DEI hire” and her sexual past, including her affair with Willie Brown, which objectively launched her career. All of that is true. Biden promised to make a woman vice president, and Harris’ track record and skills would never have been enough if she had been a white man. It is also simply a fact that Brown got Harris two lucrative board positions and introduced her to all the powers that be in San Francisco. Without that, no one would know her name today.
Could riding on this and generating sympathy for Harris backfire? Yes, it could. If you don’t believe that, just look at how much sympathy the Democrats have generated for Trump by overplaying their cards. It’s possible to go too far and turn off voters. It’s not going to be enough to keep shouting “DEI.” Harris has a track record, and that track record needs to be carefully and strategically picked apart for every American to see.
Right now, I see a lot of Republicans thinking they can just meme their way to victory. That’s far too online a view. As I said, I’m all for the fun, but beating Harris will take discipline and a well-planned political attack. In the tiny term, everyone should be prepared for her to lead in some polls and completely re-orient the national narrative. That’s not coming from me. That’s coming from Trump’s own pollster.
NEW – Memo from Tony Fabrizio, Trump campaign pollster: @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/pJLoDIfvE6
— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) July 23, 2024
The last substantial consideration is money. Biden was strangled by donors. That is now over with Harris at the top of the ballot. The money is flowing, and if it hasn’t already, Democrats will soon overtake Republicans when it comes to the total amount of funds available. That alone is a significant Game changer.
Yes, there will be a flood of ads, but more importantly, Democrats will now have the money they need to pay volunteers and build campaign infrastructure. Republicans can no longer expect to get enough turnout with a few rallies in swing states. It will take an incredibly well-organized effort to outperform Democrats on the ground.
In tiny, this will be a bitter fight. Two days ago, the election was as good as over. Today, it’s a neck-and-neck race again, albeit against a very flawed but certainly beatable candidate: Kamala Harris. If Republicans don’t take the threat seriously and prepare for it, they could wake up on November 6 facing a disaster.
