Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris is gearing up for a showdown with former President Donald Trump that could make or break her bid for the presidency. The stakes are astronomical for Harris, who has spent an unusual amount of time out of the public eye since she was declared the Democrats’ nominee. This debate on ABC isn’t just a chance to throw a few jabs at Trump; it’s her last, best opportunity to convince a skeptical nation that she can handle the role of commander-in-chief. If she flops, she may end up cementing her legacy as the latest political casualty at the hands of Trump, who clearly established a pattern for sending his opponents packing in just one evening of debate.
The last time Trump graced a debate stage, he showcased Biden’s many shortcomings, effectively exposing the elder politician as the mental lightweight conservatives had been pointing out for years. The results of that debate almost immediately caught the attention of former Biden-Harris administration officials, who began to latch onto Harris as a potential stand-in for a president unable to keep the competition at bay. This surge of media buzz about her as the Democrats’ latest darling quickly transformed into a more ambitious scenario where she became viewed as their best shot at unseating Trump.
BREAKING: Recent New York Times/Siena poll shows Trump with almost a 100% chance of winning the electoral college this November. pic.twitter.com/mujMaS3RNe
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) September 9, 2024
Biden’s recent endorsement of Harris after his announced exit from the race created a temporary polling bump for her, which was quite the feat considering that she had been standing on historically low approval ratings, even among her own party’s base. Harris’s background as a prosecutor presumably gave her an edge in arguing against Trump, but that edge might be duller than the blades of the kitchen knives in most middle-American homes. As the election countdown clock ticks down to fewer than 60 days, it’s evident that Harris’s initial honeymoon phase is history. Polls indicate that Trump has a clear path to winning the Electoral College—and in some cases, even the popular vote.
The upcoming debate is Harris’s one chance to make a case for her campaign, and she has the good fortune of starting from a position of low expectations courtesy of the media. Pundits from the left have been quick to label Trump as a skilled debater, shifting the narrative from presenting him as a clown to framing him as a formidable opponent. This, of course, raises the question of whether or not Harris has been handed a tactical advantage with such low bars set. If she fails to meet even these conservative expectations, it could reflect poorly on her campaign, akin to how Trump ended Biden’s political viability just a few months back.
BREAKING: Trump has a whopping 27.8% lead over Harris in Nate Silver’s updated electoral college prediction poll.
Trump – 63.8%
Harris – 36% pic.twitter.com/3o3TyCV4R2— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) September 8, 2024
Despite the media’s hype and their apparent willingness to lower the bar for a Democrat, there’s a glaring issue: the majority of voters still don’t have a clear grasp of who Harris is or what she stands for. For her to win over the American people, she’ll need to do more than just regurgitate party talking points. She must actually address real issues affecting average Americans, something she has a chance to sidestep given her recent discussions of low expectations. Yet, if the debate immediately turns into a litany of “I’m speaking!” interjections without substantive policy responses, families struggling with soaring inflation and crime will see right through the theatrics.
There’s a looming reality that Harris’s views on issues such as abortion may resonate with far-left audiences but leave average families scratching their heads. In the eyes of most middle-Americans, issues like the economy and family well-being are far more pressing. With households grappling to keep food on the table and manage skyrocketing bills, her speeches won’t fill refrigerators or produce jobs. As the Biden-Harris administration continues to showcase chaos and disarray, especially with new challenges at the border, any misstep in Harris’s performance could signal to voters that she is ill-equipped to handle the crises created by her own party. If she stumbles, no amount of debate preparation or media-friendly narrative will save her from being branded as yet another ineffective leader in a long line of Democrat disappointments.
