Harris stays "on message" while Trump spirals out of control
September 14, 2024
There is a great line in the movie Broadcast News: The protagonist Holly Hunter is complaining to her friend Albert Brooks about the state of her love life. She says, “I am beginning to repel people I'm trying to seduce.”
Although Trump hasn’t entered “Holly Hunter territory” just yet, he is doing his best to get there. You know things are going badly when Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lindsey Graham, and Thom Tillis are begging you to hang out with a better class of friends. All three urged Trump on Friday to ditch well-known bigot and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. Loomer did not take the intervention gracefully, responding that Marjorie Taylor Greene is “Like a hooker [who] sells herself to the highest bidder.”
Trump's sudden fixation and joint travel with Laura Loomer caused the always-staid Matt Drudge to run a series of headlines proclaiming:
LOOMER MAGA LOVE!
HAS HE FOUND HIS SOULMATE?
WHERE'S MELANIA?
MTG CALLS DON IN RAGE
CIVIL WAR ESCALATES
CAMPAIGN IN CRISIS
I am not a campaign expert, but none of those headlines seem like the type of coverage that is helpful with 52 days remaining until the election.
As bad as Matt Drudge’s innuendo about Trump's relationship with Loomer is, the worst part of the day came as Trump vowed to send the influx of immigrants in Springfield “back to Venezuela.” [Trump appears to believe Haiti is a city in Venezuela.] Trump also claimed that the Haitian immigrants in Springfield were “destroying the way of life” in the Ohio town, to which JD Vance added that Haitians in Springfield had allegedly increased the level of communicable diseases in the city. If violence is directed at the Haitian community in Springfield, the vilification by Trump and Vance will be the proximate cause.
Florida has between 100,000 to 300,000 Haitian immigrants eligible to vote. See Los Angeles Times, Trump's Haitian immigrant comments stir outrage in Florida. Insulting the Haitian community is hardly a way to motivate turnout for Trump.
It is difficult to imagine a more “off-message” day for Trump and Vance—after an off-message week in an off-message month.
We can’t count on Republicans to beat themselves, but it is helpful to recognize that the GOP campaign is reflecting Trump's personal chaos and disordered personality at a time when Kamala Harris is running a disciplined but energetic campaign.
V.P. Harris held a standing-room-only rally in Pennsylvania on Friday. The video is here: Rally in Pennsylvania with Vice President Kamala Harris. It is worth watching the first few minutes of Harris’s speech. The enthusiasm level of the crowds seems to be increasing over time. (So much for the media’s “honeymoon” theory that claimed the enthusiastic support for Harris was a temporary phenomenon.)
Although Harris varies her speeches to reflect local issues and races, she is sticking to her stump speech—a traditional campaign strategy to ensure that candidates stay “on message.” She is expanding her speech only to add attacks on Trump's latest missteps and most recent outrageous statements—additions frequently delivered with a pointed sense of humor designed to deflate Trump's overblown ego.
Concluding Thoughts
Volunteers working to elect Kamala Harris should take confidence from the fact that their hard work is being respected by a candidate who remains on message. Imagine trying to generate enthusiasm and turnout for a candidate who lobs self-destructive political hand grenades into the news cycle each day.
We have a disciplined, mature, effective communicator at the top of our ticket. By staying “on message,” Kamala Harris empowers her volunteers to communicate the Democratic message That discipline gives us plenty of reason to be hopeful but no reason to be complacent!
Have a good weekend! Talk to you tomorrow!
Daily Dose of Perspective
The Cave Nebula—2,400 light-years from Earth. Taken from my backyard in Los Angeles! The waxing moon in the evening sky limits the number of objects suitable for photography, so I am returning to objects I have previously photographed.
The Law of Unintended Consequences:
1. JD Vance trolls Springfield to "harm" the Harris-Walz campaign.
2. Trump magnifies the effort in a so-called debate with Harris, ironically making him look even weirder.
3. Radical far-right extremists hear the dog (!) whistle call for violence, and participate against Springfield Hatians.
4. Several hundred thousand Florida Haitians get offended and vote for Harris in retribution.
5. Harris wins the election, having gained Florida's 30 Electoral votes.
I'm feeling like it's finally (!!!) the Year of the Woman. Including being able to indict a mess like Looney Loomer! Women this year are being seen as people first! Do you know what I mean? Kamala is holding her own. Taylor Swift is elegant and strong. Hillary Clinton has found her likable voice. We are being heard over the bluster of hot air bags like Trump and Vance and Cruz and the entourage of white men who want to put women and all other people in marginalized groups on the sidelines. I think we are being supported by white men strong and secure enough to let women rule. It took a long time, baby, but women have been willing to aim high, get up after being knocked down, and the world is ready for hands of all kinds to join together. America, the beautiful!