Staff Reports
With just over a week left until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris has stepped up her game by using the age-old name-calling tactic. In a last-ditch effort to rally her base, she has labeled former President Donald Trump a “fascist,” effectively likening him to Adolf Hitler. This tactic, however, is not expected to win her any converts in the swing states that often decide elections. Not even the polls are feeling the love for her dark approach.
According to a RealClearPolitics poll average, Trump currently holds a razor-thin 0.1-point lead. Harris’s vehement name-calling hasn’t helped her cause; if anything, it seems to have backfired. Salena Zito, a senior columnist at the Washington Examiner, noted that voters typically respond more positively to aspirational messages. This would involve a sunny proposition of improving things rather than a campaign reminiscent of a dystopian horror flick.
Salena Zito predicts Harris campaign’s ‘dark message’ won’t appeal to voters https://t.co/ZJY46ZPsB7
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 29, 2024
Zito emphasizes that both Harris and her Democrat predecessors, including former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, have adopted an alarmist narrative, warning voters that “something wicked this way is coming.” Such a grim outlook seems unlikely to resonate with a populace seeking hope and progress. Instead of promising voters a brighter future, it feels more like a push to the faint-hearted who might be cowering in their basements.
In the electoral arena, Harris’s sudden emergence as the candidate of choice indicates her party is scrambling for a front-runner after President Joe Biden opted out of running for re-election. However, her status leaves many voters uncertain, wandering the labyrinth of political extremism that characterizes her platform. Harris’s inconsistent messaging complicates her bid to convince the average American that she is anything other than a far-left radical.
Zito also suggests that overtly scaring voters with what could happen if Trump returns to power is ineffective. Instead, Harris might want to consider a platform that presents a more positive vision—a policy roadmap, perhaps. But alas, the Democrats often seem to prefer the dark arts of fear-mongering over uplifting rhetoric. As history has shown, badgering voters with ominous threats rarely equals electoral success, and even a faint lead can quickly evaporate if the closing message remains lackluster.
