It’s the Economy Stupid!

People focused on how Kamala had the most successful 60 days of campaigning in history. What the campaign didn’t do was address Vice President’s campaign weaknesses, e.g. the economy/inflation, immigration and other domestic issues. Kamala had changed many of her positions from when she ran for office just a few years ago. That’s ok as politicians change their mind and positions all the time. Kamala didn’t want to say or admit she changed her mind and explain why. As a result, she gave vague, unsatisfying answers.

Her team did not prepare good answers to questions on inflation and the economy or immigration. When asked these questions instead of giving an answer she avoided answering them. This made her look evasive like the traditional politician. That made her seem untrustworthy. People point out that Trump doesn’t answer questions directly. But she isn’t him. What we have learned from Trump is people want to hear an answer, even if they disagree, or if you must spin it. Bill Clinton was great at that. What people don’t like is non answers like Harris provided on inflation, the economy and immigration.

When it comes to inflation, I still don’t know why she didn’t blame it on COVID. Just like people are still dying from COVID and some are still suffering long COVID.  There are students who had their education disrupted as a result of COVID and they are still recovering. Some food companies too advantage of the situation to raise prices. That was not the reflection of our policies but greedy companies. The economy is suffering from long COVID, but it is getting better.

 I don’t buy groceries weekly, but I couldn’t help but notice cookies that I bought two for $5, were now selling for $5 each. People were complaining about the high price of everything from cereal to deodorant.  Telling people the US economy is performing better than any other economy in the world or that inflation was coming down didn’t change the reality that you were worse off than you were four years ago.

Trump’s argument was easy to follow. Biden-Harris are in charge of the economy, they are the ones to blame for your economic hardship. Things weren’t like this when I was in charge. Put me back in charge again. The Harris campaign never refuted that argument or Trumps management of the economy, COVID or anything else. This left people to believe that Trump was a good manager with a bad personality. People were willing to accept that if it meant more money in their pocket.

 Her team never developed an explanation of what she accomplished when she oversaw immigration. They just kept avoiding the topic. Nor did her team explain what she accomplished with the responsibilities in her portfolio. As a Black woman said to me, “What did Kalama Haris do for us [as Vice President?”] This further left her undefined.

In terms of immigration, even when Democratic governors and mayors complained of the Biden-Harris approach to immigration. The complaints fell on deaf ears.

The campaign wanted people to see the contrast, and they kept pointing out Trumps flaws that made him too extreme or unfit. But people already knew that, you couldn’t drive Trump’s negatives any higher. When Biden ran he could get away with I’m not Trump. Kalama couldn’t do that. She never made the case as to why we should support her. It was not clear what her “WHY?” was for running.

We understood Make America Great Again. We understood, “Yes we can.” Or hope and change. But we never got that bumper sticker theme for the Harris campaign. She threw out several, “A New Generation of Leadership” “A President for all People.’ Something clear and crisp.

Her team knew she would be tied to Biden claiming she would be the same as reelecting Biden. The same thing the Obama team did to John McCain. Yet, the Harris team didn’t develop a response. When it came to doing something different, she could have said she would have pulled out from Afghanistan differently and saved those American soldier’s lives. But saying you can’t think of doing anything different, just supported your opponent’s argument. That left Kamala very vulnerable.

In foreign policy, younger voters who were concerned with global issues might have appreciated a more decisive stance on the war in Gaza or a more transparent critique of how Israel wasn’t providing or letting aid into those is Gaza. Not doing so left Palestinians and Arabs feeling like they had no voice and college students felt the administration was tone deaf.  Pointing out some differences with Biden would have highlighted Harris’s autonomy and capacity for leadership. The lack of a clear position on these pressing issues contributed to a sense of missed opportunity in reaching younger and more globally conscious voters.

I really think the Haris campaign didn’t want to admit any mistakes or differences with Biden and in the end people rejected Harris the same way they would have rejected Biden. When over 70% of Americans said they wanted a different choice between Biden and Trump, they didn’t mean they wanted Biden light.