Staff Reports
Kamala Harris seems to think she’s found the secret sauce for her campaign by implying that age is just a number, particularly when that number belongs to Donald Trump. In recent debates, she’s been doing her best to paint Trump not just as an ex-President but as a relic of a bygone era while she positions herself as the fresh-faced alternative America needs. Apparently, her plan hinges on the hope that voters will choose a “new generation of leadership” over someone like Trump, who is practically ancient at 78. Who wouldn’t want a leader that’s almost two decades younger, right?
The timing of Harris’s attack on Trump coincides with her attempt to shake off the bad juju of her boss, President Biden, whose policies have not exactly been winning any popularity contests—especially when the shopping cart bill keeps spiraling as inflation rates climb higher than a kite. The Vice President is every bit aware that associating with Biden’s disastrous record could cause more damage than a leaked TikTok dance video. By leaning into generational differences, Harris aims to dodge the fallout from the administration’s failures while pushing the narrative that she is not just another cog in the political machine.
Kamala Harris: "I offer a new generation of leadership for our country"
You are literally the Vice President of the United States RIGHT NOW. Put the DON JULIO down, Kamala!
— CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) September 11, 2024
Despite her claims of change, skeptics see Harris as the epitome of the status quo she’s trying to escape. A professor from Northeastern University believes that while she may spin a tale of transformative leadership, her policies largely mirror Biden’s, putting Harris in the same boat as the very leadership she seeks to distance herself from. Polling has shown that a significant portion of voters is tired of the current regime, which is precisely why the hope for Harris’s supposed freshness lacks some serious credibility.
Her upcoming “New Way Forward” tour could just as easily be called the “Farther Backward” tour, given the debate about whether anyone really wants to take the same old path laid out by the Democrats. A Republican strategist noted the irony of Harris criticizing Trump for his age while her policies seem like reruns of the last few years. Meanwhile, other GOP bigwigs have pointed out that competence—rather than age—is what truly matters come November. They argue that Harris, like Biden, has failed to inspire confidence in her abilities, opting instead to avoid serious scrutiny.
As Harris tries to bask in her generational glow, the Trump campaign is locked and loaded, ready to remind voters that she is quite literally tied to the administration’s record of failures. From skyrocketing grocery bills to chaos at the southern border, the Republicans are more than eager to capitalize on Harris’s attempt to invoke youthfulness as a weapon against Trump. In what can only be described as classic Democratic strategy, she’s asking voters to ignore her connection to Biden’s dismal term and instead accept her as a breath of fresh air—good luck with that.
The reality is that Trump’s opponents can throw around age all they want. Still, when it comes to competency and accountability, the running theme in Republican strategy seems to hinge on one essential truth: If you enjoy the state of the nation under Biden and Harris, the last thing you should do is vote for either of them again. There’s talk about needing to better connect with voters who feel disenchanted with the political establishment. Still, with the direction Harris is going, she’ll be lucky if she finds a single voter who wants to hop back aboard this sinking ship of liberal policies.
