Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Let's Just Get This Out of the Way Regarding Trump and Kamala Harris


As the market melts, one stock is primed for a reset: the political capital accrued with Kamala Harris. Her candidacy is a textbook political bubble. And we’ve seen this movie before—it’s as if everyone forgot her 2020 campaign, which was a complete and utter disaster. She dropped out before a single Democratic primary voter could vote for her. That’s what’s so perverse about this switcheroo—it’s definitionally undemocratic. And if we lose this year, only one thing needs to happen.

Should defeat come, the Republican Party must retire from national politics. The Republicans’ chances of holding the House increased with Joe Biden on the ticket. The Senate map is laughably favorable for the GOP, and Trump was cruising to a 1980-like drubbing of Biden. They were also preparing for Biden to quit the race since May, so why does it seem like the Trump camp doesn’t know how to attack this joke of a candidate? 

It's not shocking, but it is scary how the media has adopted this nonchalant attitude toward what’s arguably a coup: Biden was forced out by party bosses, donors, and top congressional Democrats, and his candidacy transferred to a woman no Democrat has ever voted for in a primary. It was only done because she’s the only person who could legally inherit Biden’s war chest. Yet, given how much money she raised in 72 hours, I’d think a Ficus plant with zero infrastructure would have raised the same amount; Democrats just wanted Biden gone. Then again, the Democrats had no one else—no rising star or governor wanted to be part of this political mess. Governors Newsom and Whitmer are looking to 2028, as are other Democrats with presidential ambitions. 

With less than 16 weeks to go, Harris has temporarily fixed the Democrats’ fundraising and voter enthusiasm issue. Yet, there’s a race to define her candidacy and find a running mate, which will be announced supposedly later today. The fact that the best one—Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro—might be a problem for the br because he’s Jewish and pro-Israel says all you need to know about the foot soldiers of this party: they’re all antisemitic and pro-Hamas. 

It makes winning this year even more crucial, not to state the obvious. When will Harris return to Earth? Because she doesn’t have the political skill to win, Barack Obama’s former team is racing to prop her up. But Kamala is not Obama, and this candidacy will barely be out of its infancy once the debates begin…if they happen. Trump isn’t obligated to debate Harris since she’s a do-over candidate, and all negotiations were made when Biden was still the nominee. Trump hasn’t backed out of anything, though Harris has retreated from her debate with JD Vance if we want to play this silly game. 

The media and some Democrats trying to sell the narrative that Trump is afraid to debate Kamala is only adding more hot air to buoy this vapid woman. It will make her potential destruction on the debate stage even more devastating since there is no third bite of the apple. Trump must find someone in his debate prep who can get under his skin and get used to it when the vice president thinks she does it. It’s like water rolling off a rock or tech suit since the 2024 Summer Olympics are happening. The former president must be as cool as a cucumber when Harris attacks him on that stage, keeping the persona he masterfully adopted when Biden imploded. Then, redirect in a calm, presidential way and keep her away from the scripted attacks; Kamala is lost without her talking points. If Trump can make her enter word salad territory and keep her there, it’s the ballgame. 

But if we lose this election to Harris—everyone in the GOP should be fired. And something new should be put in its place. It’s our election to lose still. And it’s a shame that a woman as unqualified, messy, and chaotic as Harris is riding this high. Can Trump detonate her candidacy as he did with Biden, or will she implode alone? With Iran pushing us toward war in the Middle East and the markets melting down, will the media press on what a “President Kamala” would do? They should, but the vice president has decided to avoid the press because we all know she would say something that carries the risk of making us all dumber.