Staff Reports
In a stunning twist of irony, Democratic Representative Dean Phillips from Minnesota has taken a break from his usual party line to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s like watching a cat encourage a dog to chase squirrels—entertaining, but also a little mind-boggling. Phillips, who briefly dabbled in the 2024 presidential primary before retreating faster than a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar, has pointed out that Harris is putting all her eggs in the basket labeled “bash Trump” rather than offering voters something appealing. His concern? She might just waste over a billion bucks in the endless pursuit of condemnation instead of inviting voters in for a little political chit-chat.
Phillips, in his colorful commentary on X, highlighted a New York Times article with the curious headline, “Starring in Kamala Harris’s Closing Argument: Donald Trump.” Instead of using her stage time to present a robust agenda different from President Biden, Harris seems locked in a never-ending wrestling match with the ghost of Trump. The representative is dishing out advice on how to win voters, which might sound a bit rich coming from a Democrat, yet his point stands: it would be better to focus on solutions than to provide a masterclass on finger-pointing.
A billion dollars will have been wasted on losing voters by condemnation versus winning them by invitation.
She just needed to be clear about what she believes, what she will do differently than Biden, and offer common sense solutions to our problems.
Instead…. pic.twitter.com/1RUHMfffT4
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) October 21, 2024
The New York Times has described Harris’s strategy as an effort to paint Trump as erratic and unfit for office, yet when you’re using Trump as your primary argument, it raises the question: what exactly does Harris believe in? If she’s trying to create a compelling closing argument, she might want to consider reflecting on something beyond her predecessor’s Twitter rants. Harris appears to be banking on fear and uncertainty rather than a solid political platform, making the ultimate gamble that “voting against Trump” is enough to draw voters into the fold.
Polling data is revealing a bit of a pickle for Harris. As election day looms closer, reports indicate she is either neck-and-neck with Trump or trailing behind him in key polls. The Decision Desk HQ’s election forecast gives Trump a 52 percent chance of winning, while Harris stands at a disappointing 42 percent. Looks like the strategy of incessant Trump attacks hasn’t quite landed her in the sweet spot after all; it’s almost as if voters prefer to hear someone say what they stand for instead of merely what they are against.
The polls also highlighted a grim trend for Harris as they showed a decline in her popularity. Now, only 43 percent of voters view her positively, compared to 49 percent who view her unfavorably. A drop like that can only mean one thing: voters are not exactly clamoring for more of what she’s selling. Perhaps what Kamala Harris really needs is a decisive pivot from the Trump theme song and a compelling narrative that includes genuine solutions instead of throwing insults across the aisle. It’s a lesson Phillips seems to have grasped, even if it leaves one wondering how much deeper the Democratic party will dig their heels into this losing strategy.
