I hate to say it, but Donald Trump is the most recognizable name in the United States. Since he used that golden escalator in 2015, he has dominated the American airwaves and algorithms. Whether they hate him or love him, people know exactly what Mr. Trump’s steak is.
This is why, despite every dire outcome of his presidency, Mr. Trump’s approval rating has never wavered. Mid to low 40s For approx A decade into his divisive policies, covid, impeachment, who his No. 2 was or whatever he rants on social media, the jury of public opinion is settled on Donald Trump.
This is the biggest political advantage for Vice President Kamala Harris in the next two months.
Since the early 1990s, political history has shown us that when a popular president is not on the ballot, we do in fact have a change election. If Bill Clinton won in 1992 on a message of change and, conversely, if Barack Obama won in 2008 on the audacity of hope, and if Mr. Trump ousted him in 2016 on the empty promise of reviving America’s remnants, 2024 is fresh and new. Who is rotten will be won by. It’s quite simple: Tomorrow’s shepherd wins the sheep.
But what’s not easy: we have a sitting vice president running against a former president in a change election. From Labor Day to Election Day, Ms. Harris must successfully drive to victory and become a certified freshman candidate on the ballot in November in order to boost Mr. Trump’s political career.
1. Help Mr. Trump hurt himself in the debate.
If there’s one thing Americans love, it’s train wrecks. That’s why we’re addicted to the “Dance Moms” and “Real Housewives” franchises. Just two months ago, we witnessed a real-time, and human uprising against an incumbent president’s re-election campaign by his own party. I guarantee many voters are salivating for another round. Only this time, Mr. Trump must be a train wreck, and it’s up to Ms. Harris to derail.
I always believe that a good joke is worth 100 fact checks. For the most part, Ms. Harris is departing from the usual fear-mongering way of going about Mr. Trump; Instead of framing him as a threat to America, she laughed and shook her head at voters, saying of the former president and his crew, “They’re out of their minds.” People laugh when they think that a politician has his opponent’s number and they like him or her calling him. weird And Suspicious And paints a broader picture Mr. Trump as a tired old tapestry. And we already have some hints of his team Preparing her Just to do this.
In the Sept. 10 debate, Ms. Harris must enable exactly what her campaign fears to death: let Trump be Trump. She should let him talk about it. Don’t just let him but get him to spread crazy conspiracy theories about the last election. She must use her sense of humor at key moments to get under his skin and show that he is not getting her. And she should welcome personal attacks as a badge of honor. And each time, no matter how many times he does it, respond with this refrain: It is The same old tired playbook, And I focus on a new way forward.
2. Break from President Biden on policy.
Mr. Biden has been one of the most accomplished presidents in US history, bringing us back from inflation and epidemics. Political tensions also limit legislative progress. But Mr. Biden is not in the race. To be a certified fresh candidate, Ms. Harris must clearly and decisively break from Mr. Biden on the set of policy priorities that she believes will define her presidency.
Here’s an idea: do it one day in swing mode, just a hair after the discussion. Hold a rally. Lay out an extensive list of “new ways forward” policies that detail why she’s breaking with the current president on given issues and what change she’ll bring to the American people. And after that rally, hold a news conference on it, so the media organizations stop cranking their clamshells about the lack of access. Don’t run away from your differences with the President. Embrace them respectfully and honestly.
For Ms. Harris to break more clearly from Mr. Biden than she has done so far would not be an insult to his legacy, just as Mr. Biden’s objectively more progressive policy agenda was not an insult to Mr. Obama’s. Instead, it more intensely shows that she is passionate about her own ideas and represents change more than equal.
3. Demonstrate a clear growth mindset from the 2020 Democratic primaries.
Ms. Harris’s political dance will get more complicated ahead of Election Day. At the same time she must fend off some policy moves from Mr. Biden, she has one lingering responsibility she can’t get ahead of: the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination campaign, in which she and a gaggle of candidates are increasingly favored. foreign status Within the Democratic Party. As demonstrated in last week’s CNN interview with Ms. Harris, this will be a consistent plotline deployed on her throughout the campaign. It is important that she responds to these attacks in the same way every time. The answer may be simple: I learned from my tenure in the White House. These are my positions. Take it or leave it.
The good news is that, by doing so, Ms. Harris will demonstrate an ability that Mr. Trump lacks: a growth mindset. (He just a unclear Flip-flop on Florida’s abortion referendum — just the latest in his many reversals on reproductive freedom.) Mr. Clinton famously said“When people feel insecure, they prefer someone who is strong and wrong to someone who is weak and right.” After nearly a decade of dealing with a man who believes himself to be perfect in every way, a leader who can openly admit to a change in his understanding will feel like a breath of spring air to many voters.
Throughout my nearly 40 years of campaigning, through every election loss and victory, one thing has remained consistent: The loudest roar in politics is the boom of a page as it turns from one chapter to the next. This November, will we retreat again, succumbing to the politics of fear and anger, or will we instead do the bravest thing we can and once again turn the page on a new chapter in American life? I know Kamala Harris represents that next chapter. If she stays fresh, soon the American people will too.
Post James Carville: Kamala Harris’ Best Strategy to Beat Trump appeared first New York Times.