Does anybody else feel like the growing dread these last few weeks about a Trump victory is being largely fueled by the Harris campaign? Is this a concerted effort to scare complacent voters to the polls? Surrogates like Sen. Fetterman are ramping up the gloom and doom messaging.
Haven’t heard anything about Fetterman, but I think its the media reacting to the polls more than anything else.
They haven’t created the slight worsening of the polls, but yeah I think they are feeding the narrative.
FWIW, most of the countless campaign e-mails flooding my inbox have a distinct “WE ARE LOSING- HELP!” vibe. I hope it’s just a tactic.
I’ll admit that I got off my butt and volunteered for some shifts at the local Dem office once I began to feel the race really tightening. Feeling confident that we’ve got this in the bag doesn’t motivate people.
Worried about the outcome? Find something to do at mobilize.us.
Well, here’s a bit of encouraging news, for those fearing Gaza would diminish Muslim votes for Harris:
More than 100 Arizona Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and progressive Democrats and community leaders have signed a letter making the case for those reluctant to support Kamala Harris against Donald Trump.
“We know that many in our communities are resistant to vote for Kamala Harris because of the Biden administration’s complicity in the genocide,” the letter, published Thursday night, reads.
“Some of us have lost many family members in Gaza and Lebanon. We respect those who feel they simply can’t vote for a member of the administration that sent the bombs that may have killed their loved ones,” the letter continued. “As we consider the full situation carefully, however, we conclude that voting for Kamala Harris is the best option for the Palestinian cause and all of our communities.”
How much difference this will make is anybody’s guess, but every little bit helps, right?
Oh, and don’t read the comments.
Same here. I am probably getting four to six emails a day, purportedly from the Harris-Walz campaign, all of which have variations on “we desperately need your donation now!”
Hell, I’ve been getting those for 2 months now. I’ve never seen a campaign email that reads, “we don’t need your money, chill.”
I’d call her- and Swift- as a pop singer who can certainly sing C&W if they choose to.
Definitely. But what I was thinking of when I made the suggestion was the group of singers beloved by right-leaning Americans. I was thinking of what a useful shock it would be if entertainers they look up to would say ‘Trump is dangerous; Harris is the smart choice, here.’
I don’t think either Beyoncé or Swift are, necessarily, the entertainers that a lot of long-time Republican, “country”-identifying voters look up to. (Which is no slur on the musical talents of either lady.)
Swift was before she endorsed Clinton in 2016. Her country music roots and the fact that she stayed apolitical for so long had them believing she was secretly one of them.
Yes, I remember that making the news–the right-wingers had been calling her “our Aryan queen” (ick).
(I thought about making a thread on Campaign Tactics, but it probably would fit fine in this one, instead.)
On this board there’s been discussion of the fact that Trump seems to be doing a bit better, poll-wise, in recent days. There’s also been note taken of how far he’s been going in the FUD—Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt—direction:
Of course Trump has always said hateful things about immigrants—and about his opponents. But some believe the negative rhetoric has been ramped up—and that there may be a connection between that and his recent strong performance in polls.
Some observers have said that the Harris campaign is ALSO going more negative, with an increase in ads that emphasize Trump’s fascism and the danger he poses to democracy:
My question is: if the Harris/Walz closing message is 100% the danger Trump poses, then aren’t they re-enforcing the message Trump is Strong …?
I know there’s plenty of research supporting the idea that what motivates voters to get out and vote is FEAR. For the Trump side: fear of immigrants (and also of Democrats that Donald hates). For the Harris side: fear of what Trump almost certainly will do if he gets power.
But there’s another fact about Trump that might have the power to affect the vote: his weakness. His insecurity. His submissive deference to Putin. His mental decline.
Many Trump voters are motivated to get out there by the mistaken belief that Trump is Strong. These voters NEED ‘Strong.’ Why not show them that Trump is anything but? There are hundreds of moments of video and photos that could make a good ad: his inability to walk down a ramp without someone to hold on to. His cowed look of servility at that summit with Putin. A medley of his misspeaking and nonsense. His problem with getting a glass to his mouth.
Why isn’t this being played up, in addition to the ‘Trump is dangerous’ theme? If Fear is the only thing getting Democrats to the polls, then why not add some Disgust to dissuade Republicans from the polls?
The Lincoln Project has done some ads along the Disgust lines. They could come up with a Super-Disgust ad that could be given heavy airtime in the coming dozen days.
Isn’t it worth doing? Can’t we counter these sad low-information “bros” who mistakenly believe that Donald is the strongman they want to identify with? Can’t we show them what he REALLY is?
Well, of course; they always are sending the emails because they want your to contribute money and/or volunteer.
I got another email from the Harris campaign a few minutes ago. The subject line is: “Outspent. Tied. Falling short.” The body copy reads (underlined words are both underlined and highlighted in yellow in the original email):
To me, this sounds less confident, and more desperate. YMMV.
This is what every single fund raising email looks like.
My good friend Hannibal Lecter (deceased) has been getting similar emails from the Republicans on the junk email account I set up for him. Ted Cruz has been sounding especially desperate lately.
I mentioned it elsewhere, but James Carville was interviewed on NPR’s Here and Now the other day.
(If you click the link, I warn you that the segment begins with Frank Lutz, who may make you stabby).
He addressed this. He said arguing both of these is a nuanced position, and one he could make, but for simple people (those last minute undecided voters), it comes across as contradictory to argue that Trump is an antidemocratic menace and inept. And of the two options, he thinks it’s more urgent to warn people that Trump is dangerous than to mock him as a dunce.
How about “dangerous because he’s a dunce”, like the portrayal of Reagan in “Land of Confusion”?
I really wish that, post-debate, they’d leaned more into how easy it is to manipulate him. That captures well the “dangerous and an idiot” idea.
But I guess that runs the risk of making Harris look manipulative.
Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo, MI today. DAMN!