WAS: What Adults are Saying about Trump fueling Harris' Victory
The gal new to the battle has masterfully campaigned and widely deployed her secret weapon
As stated previously Kamala Harris will be America’s 47th President. This is a remarkable outcome given the duration of her campaign and until a mere 90 days ago the country was set for a Biden/Trump rematch. But things changed so rapidly to a contest that was already “through the looking glass” it might take a generation just to digest it all.
Many from the GOP will languish about what was a “guaranteed” Trump victory the morning after Joe Biden went to a political debate and promptly acted like a contestant on What’s My Line? By the time its candidate appeared at his convention backstage, knives were already out among “colleague’s” to win the most desirable posts in a new White House. Billy Shakespeare rides again! Alas, that’s not to be and instead we will elect our first woman President who will be inheriting a country that looks far more like 1865 than the 21st century.
Roughly speaking two major factors will account for this and despite an obscenely expensive election, money isn’t one of them. In legal and reported channels Harris has had the fundraising advantage—no question. Which may beg the question what is the merit of “legal and reported” financial channels in elections post Citizens United? Nonetheless, her haul has been important and has blunted the Trump grab from Wall Street, mercurial billionaires, gold-encrusted prophets of Jesus Christ, foreign interests and who knows where else. In this close election many bricks of gold have been spent to simply create a stalemate.
But what has mattered is first, Harris and her campaign. Unorthodox is a diplomatic way to describe how in mid-July she had to rapidly make a campaign from a panicked party, a sizable war chest and (largely) Joe Biden’s staff remnants. Though it seems like eons, one forgets it wasn’t even clear the donkey’s would survive intra-party fighting to determine if she would replace Biden. But that concern was quickly snuffed, the party arrayed behind her and even before the convention the nomination was secure. This largely occurred because organized Democratic strategy worked—a phrase seldom spoken or heard in the long history of Presidential campaigns.
Immediately Harris had to be all things to everybody. She had to be Presidential-looking while accessible; on point without parroting Biden; carving her own style without rejecting her roots; worthy of the job while open; sharp but not shrill (something never said about a man); empathetic but not a “bleeding heart; well-spoken but not effete; engaging but not cackling. Her assignment was a tall one and like the 93 year-old mother of a certain author on this platform might say, “thank God they gave that task to a woman.”
With a plan, lots of help, bi-partisan endorsements, loads of cash and strong but not manic or wild energy, she has methodically made her case. The attention she has commanded has been impressive. Maybe even more importantly, her approach has often been refreshing with hopeful flashes of authenticity—something seldom associated with political campaigns.
In that main stream media (MSM) has largely been AWOL in providing professional coverage, in the campaign’s closing weeks she’s even acted like an assignment editor for the public-at-large. As she styles with the talking stick Harris frequently urges all to “listen to what he’s saying” or “watch one of his rallies” to support her claims. She even ventured into the GOP broadcasting arm otherwise known as Fox News. In this era of corporate campaigns to broaden one’s appeal, who suggests voters attend to the other guy or sit down to be grilled by his lackeys posing as journalists? Now in the adult world where common-sense and bar arguments are frequent, shining a light on the other doofus is a common tactic. But in big-money corporate campaigns?
Well, her approach has been invited by the second factor that matters—one Donald J. Trump. More than anything he has been Harris’ “secret weapon”. It’s impossible to find the syntax or descriptors to point out how utterly incompetent he’s been during this campaign (could it be he doesn’t want to win)? But for the world to see and voters to assess there he has reliably been—uttering a spillage volume that rivals the Exxon Valdez. Plus his professional enablers echo the bell round-the-clock so that his latest nonsense is always circulated as fresh. Just as Cousin Eddie reminded Clark Griswold about the jelly-of-the-month club, Trump is the gift to the Dems “that gives the whole year long.”
Not a thing he has said or done since his convention has favorably mattered nor created energy for his followers. He is making it easy for enough voters to see that the “new boss” won’t be the same as the old one—or in this case—at least the 45th one. Inexorably then, GOP balloons leak, dirty tricks accumulate (burning dough on cornering Crypto betting markets—Really?) and if post-mortem analyses reveals in swing states differences in supporter intensity accounted for a Harris win—don’t be surprised.
In an odd way this creates a dilemma for Harris. Precise reviews of polling trends since August suggest whenever she leaves the news-cycle stage for 48 hours the already close race tightens. This “tightening” is typically a tiny poll shift that is amplified by MSM. As rapidly as she returns to marquee news placement, this small shift evaporates. This has been observed repeatedly including in the second week of October. So she and staff are left with scheduling a Presidential run, while being the sitting Vice President, with consideration of how long do they let the opponent child babble to help her—at which time does she go out to help herself? In most books that’s a WOW!
Trump’s election as our President eight years ago was judged by many as heavily enabled by the incompetent Hillary Clinton campaign. Now he has done the same—and though he too has plenty of help—he’s either too dim, gone, indifferent or fawning over all “the good things” brought by Hitler to heed advice. Like an old hippie at his last concert Trump can see the “notes coming out of the guitar” and is indifferent to their sonic value because the high is so good.
This has left Harris with an important reflection that is as much political as existential. How much of her pending victory is from her careful campaign and how much is Trump playing Santa Claus early? Until now she’s masterfully navigated this for optimum impact. If you look carefully the results are evident. Last week’s disco-party in Pennsylvania means our 45th President has, or will soon, soil himself—which in politics—is when the fat lady sings.