During the final days of the Biden reelection campaign, the team had a clear message. They argued that Joe Biden's economy was benefiting the working class, that they were protecting the environment, pushing forward substantial infrastructure projects, reviving domestic computer chip manufacturing, and that he would shield the nation from Donald J. Trump. While this message might not have resonated with everyone, it did find an audience. Then, unexpectedly, Joe Biden dropped out. Within twenty-four hours, Kamala Harris emerged as the presumptive nominee. What was the first crucial message she communicated to the world?
During a time when Americans are worried about putting food on the table and securing the Southern border, Kamala Harris's first message to the world was to call her opponents "weird." What? This surprising move makes sense when you realize it's the same staffers from Biden's campaign, but now without his strategic direction. Biden and his campaign managers had a plan, whether good or bad is beside the point. However, once Biden was out, Harris and her 2020 campaign manager stepped in. Their goal? To run a campaign in the only way they know, to focus on Terminally Online Progressives.
Instead of addressing issues that matter to the average American, Harris's campaign has shifted to tailoring a message for the online progressives she courted during the 2020 Democratic Primary. This strategy is a terrible idea that won’t secure her the election. The 2024 election hinges on a few hundred thousand undecided voters spread across a handful of swing states. Biden's 2020 victory was secured by just a few thousand additional rural white voters. Harris has essentially abandoned this crucial demographic in favor of people who were already going to vote for her. This strategic change clearly comes from the higher-ups in charge of the Harris 2024 campaign.
Shortly after this email was sent out by the same staffers who ran Biden's campaign, everyone jumped on board. Harris, at her next public appearance, called Trump and Vance "weird." Then, both Governor Waltz and Governor Shapiro also labeled Trump and Vance as "weird." This confirms it wasn’t just an offhand remark but a coordinated strategy by the Democratic Party. This underscores why Harris is unlikely to win the Electoral College. Vital voters in the Rust Belt are being abandoned in favor of appealing to online progressives, a demographic she already has.
This is evident in every aspect of her campaign right now. The first TV advertisement produced and aired by the Harris 2024 team is terrible. It focuses only on abortion and watching pornography, and it's not even well done. Inflation and immigration are the key issues of this election, yet she has not addressed them. Meanwhile, the Trump team is defining her on these issues with massive ad campaigns in all the swing states. Harris, on the other hand, is campaigning in Texas and has hired people for Florida. Joe Biden conceded these states and the Sunbelt, knowing that their demographics and concerns about immigration almost guarantee them for Trump. So, why is Harris there?
She is there because online progressives (and conservatives) believe in online hype as reality. I won't deny that Harris has far more progressive energy behind her than Biden did. This correlates with online discussions, as the more extreme members tend to get locked into echo chambers where the hype—or lack thereof—becomes infectious. Once Harris became the presumptive nominee, multiple left-wing influencers claimed that Texas, Ohio, and Florida had incredible energy for Harris.
The online progressives in those states have received a massive jolt of energy, but for every progressive she energizes, she's losing a rural Biden voter and a suburban GOP-leaning Biden voter. This strategy might win a Democratic primary, but it won't secure a national election. To counteract this, Harris might choose a "normal" Vice President, likely Governor Beshear or Governor Shapiro. Will this matter? I don't think so. Shapiro has already attacked Trump for being weird and will follow the campaign's directives. Beshear would do the same. So, can Harris utilize a "normal" VP pick? Probably not. Harris will continue to alienate the last white rural voters in the Rust Belt and GOP suburban voters in the Sun Belt. Trump is defining her, while her counterattacks fall flat. Her team, including her manager and advertisement people, have only run in Democratic primaries. They aren't ready or experienced enough to run this election. Don't be surprised if about a month before the election, she changes out the higher-ups.