# What could the Harris campaign have done differently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 6, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798 "2024-11-06T16:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/243 "2024-11-13T03:47:42Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think we have to accept that at this moment, the US is not ready for a female president. The evidence is overwhelming that incumbent parties have been losing worldwide. And the one notable exception was Claudia Sheinbaum. Female. Ethnic Jew. And she did more than fine among Latino men. And, in the U.S., women senatorial candidates won in three states Harris lost (Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada). The problem was not Harris’s gender, but her being linked to the unpopular Biden administration. That’s what there was no helping. Still, I think I have to accept that your opinion is commonplace among rank in file Democrats. The Democratic Party is therefore unlikely to nominate another woman in the next twenty years ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/244 "2024-11-13T03:56:49Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > The evidence is overwhelming that incumbent parties have been losing worldwide. FWIW, here in Washington, Democrats swept the statewide elections, we elected our sixth consecutive Democratic governor, defeated three out of four maga ballot initiatives, and Trump-endorsed congressional candidates lost in two battleground districts, one of them to the district’s first-ever Democratic representative and the other to one of the two remaining Republican congressmen to impeach Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/245 "2024-11-13T15:00:44Z")
Harris was an awful candidate and she ran a horrible campaign. Here are a few reasons why her campaign was so bad: 1 - She didn’t do a single big interview until far into the campaign, and the first one she did was a co-interview with Walz. Harris is also not good at interviews. She’s great at giving pre-written speeches and remembering talking points, but when hit with questions she was not prepared for, she was bad. 2 - “Trump is weird”? Wtf kind of stupid idea is this? Democrats had a jolly good time making fun of Trump and Vance, but it had, at best, no effect, and probably a negative effect. You don’t win a personality war with Trump. Ask Marco Rubio. Then she went and made the author of that comment the VP choice. Then during the debates, everyone thought Harris was brilliant for baiting Trump into talking about crowd size and other issues. It didn’t matter. It was a useless strategy that didn’t harm Trump in the least. 3 - The liberal media and Democratic elites coddled her for the first half of the campaign. Everything she did was brilliant, while everything Trump did was horrible. Take the VP picks for example, Walz was God’s Gift and the best choice ever, while Vance was the worst choice and would spell Trump’s doom. Then the VP debate came and destroyed that narrative. 4 - She tried to both take credit for Biden’s accomplishment and distance herself from him. You can’t have it both ways, you have to choose one or the other. The only choice would have been to embrace Biden and flip the narrative on the economy. But that would be difficult since Democrats forced Biden to resign from the campaign. Running away from Biden wouldn’t have worked. Candidates will be tied to the current administration whether they want it or not. Look at John McCain in 2008, he wasn’t even part of the Bush administration but was damaged by the economic collapse. Anyway, those are a few reasons why the campaign was so awful, and this doesn’t even get into the fact that Harris herself was just a bad candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/246 "2024-11-13T15:46:12Z")
1. She had _four months_ to run a campaign, while her opponent had _twelve years._ She was more than a little busy. Don’t forget- Trump also avoided difficult interviews… but _that_, for some reason, was called “strategic” and “smart”. For like the last month or so of the campaign, Trump’s primary exposure to the public was his rallies- and even those had trouble filling seats. 2. The “Weird” appellation clearly struck a nerve with Trump, considering how often he and his supporters brought it up. I thought this was one of the smartest things her campaign did- it cost them nothing, and had a disproportionately large impact. 3. And this is different from Trump’s campaign in what way, exactly? Trump has Fox News and the entire cavalcade of right-wing media to sanewash his every insane rambling. 4. She was already tied to Biden- who, reminder- was actually still in office, and who had a ridiculously successful economic turnaround. She could either distance herself and lose his supporters, or embrace him and be held responsible for the perceived failures of his administration. I don’t see how there was a good way out of this one for her. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/247 "2024-11-13T16:31:57Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Well Shapiro does have that friend whose wife “committed suicide” by stabbing herself _in the back of the head_ ten times. > > I’m not saying Shapiro covered up a murder. But I would like a better explanation from Shapiro himself as to why it looks like he covered up a murder. Unless Josh Shapiro stabbed someone, why should I care? And if he could have helped defeat Trump, frankly, I might be okay with him having been the murderer. > [@Lightnin](#): > > She had _four months_ to run a campaign, while her opponent had _twelve years._ She was more than a little busy. Don’t forget- Trump also avoided difficult interviews… but _that_, for some reason, was called “strategic” and “smart” This is a pretty clear case of moving the goalposts. Yes, Trump preferred a friendly interview (though he did at least one hostile one) but he DID them and he was good and Trumpy during them, which Trumpists like. > [@Lightnin](#): > > The “Weird” appellation clearly struck a nerve with Trump, considering how often he and his supporters brought it up. I thought this was one of the smartest things her campaign did- it cost them nothing, and had a disproportionately large impact. Can you please demonstrate where at the ballot box it had an impact? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/248 "2024-11-13T16:39:12Z")
> [@Monocracy](#): > > She tried to both take credit for Biden’s accomplishment and distance herself from him. You can’t have it both ways, you have to choose one or the other. Can’t? It’s impossible to think/argue that someone did a really good job on some things _ **and** _ disagree with them on other things? It’s impossible to argue that Biden did the right thing on A.B, and C but you’ll do X & Y differently? You must paint your predecessor as either the greatest thing since sliced bread or “worst evah!!1!”, no middle ground? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/249 "2024-11-13T16:40:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Can you please demonstrate where at the ballot box it had an impact? Can you demonstrate exactly how Walz calling Trump “weird” made Harris lose? Of course you can’t- because in elections there’s never a direct correlation with electoral results. Even the “Dean Scream” can’t be directly tied to his loss. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/250 "2024-11-13T16:43:48Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > _how did Trump pull in 75 million votes_? [This](https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/09/politics/video/smerconish-commentary-donald-trump-digvid) commentary by CNN’s Michael Smerconish has some answers from a “big picture” perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/251 "2024-11-13T17:20:17Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > It’s impossible to think/argue that someone did a really good job on some things _ **and** _ disagree with them on other things? It’s impossible to argue that Biden did the right thing on A.B, and C but you’ll do X & Y differently? “So if you didn’t like what Biden did those times, why didn’t you say anything?” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/252 "2024-11-13T17:27:06Z")
I’ve been thinking about the “what would you have done differently than Biden?” question. After a few weeks contemplating it, I can think of anything I would say if asked that question. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/253 "2024-11-13T17:47:56Z")
There are still, incredibly, some votes to be counted on the West Coast, but even after that Trump will end up winning the popular vote by about 1.8%, meaning the polls did in fact underestimate his support by about two, two and a half points. Assuming he didn’t cheat, which many are now claiming. I was assured this wasn’t going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/254 "2024-11-13T18:59:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > There are still, incredibly, some votes to be counted on the West Coast, but even after that Trump will end up winning the popular vote by about 1.8%, meaning the polls did in fact underestimate his support by about two, two and a half points. This is completely consistent with _post hoc_ poll bias in his previous campaigns. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/255 "2024-11-13T19:09:56Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think we have to accept that at this moment, the US is not ready for a female president. I disagree. Hillary was very much disliked by a significant part of the electorate and Trump was an unknown that voters thought talked a big game but would not do what people were afraid he would do. 2024 was just weird with the late dropout by Biden and the unexplainable love for Trump because we forgot about 2017-2021. Remember if Harris had gotten 200K in each of the 5 eastern swing states (and a lot fewer than that in a couple of them), she would have easily won the Electoral College. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/256 "2024-11-13T19:12:36Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Remember if Harris had gotten 200K in each of the 5 eastern swing states (and a lot fewer than that in a couple of them), she would have easily won the Electoral College. That’s not comforting. This shouldn’t have been close. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/257 "2024-11-13T19:22:27Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > they voted for a fascist candidate because they want fascism and think that a wanna-be strongman is a better solution than working through the messiness and compromise of democratic processes. Is part of the problem that there is such a limited range of options on the table? I don’t just mean a 2-party system, but the fact, so well expressed by the political pundit Waylon Jennings, that there ain’t a dime’s worth of difference between the two? That is, little reason for many to vote, and they didn’t; the effect of one’s vote is minuscule, not just in terms of numbers but also in the fact that no politician can be expected to do what they pledged. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/258 "2024-11-13T20:45:18Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > I don’t just mean a 2-party system, but the fact, so well expressed by the political pundit Waylon Jennings, that there ain’t a dime’s worth of difference between the two? Except that’s nonsense, as even a casual examination of Trump and Harris (or Biden, or Clinton) shows. People didn’t vote for Trump because there’s no difference, they voted for him because he is different and they _wanted_ that. Trump is stupid, ignorant, bigoted, a sexual predator, and t_hat’s what Americans want and admire._ They _want_ tyranny and cruelty, bigotry, ignorance, and mass murder. They want to drink blood. And they’ll get it. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/259 "2024-11-13T21:09:12Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Trump is stupid, ignorant, bigoted, a sexual predator, and t_hat’s what Americans want and admire._ Well, 1/3 of them, anyway. And likely some who did vote for Trump had different motives for supporting the stupid, ignorant, bigoted sexual predator other than the stupid, ignorant, bigoted sexual predator himself. My point is really simply the Democrats have a hard time running on the issues because on many issues, they are virtually indistinguishable from the Rs, and the difference between them is even less when you look at their actual policies in many cases. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/260 "2024-11-13T21:09:50Z")
I don’t know whether running a woman, and a woman of color was an issue or not. But it does seem to me that sometimes the Democratic party trips over its own feet by running candidates who are ideologically and politically correct, but not actually viable candidates. Why risk alienating those voters who think that’s a bad thing? In my opinion, it’s more important to _win elections_ versus sending some kind of politically correct message. Run old white men; that way you eliminate variables. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/261 "2024-11-13T21:12:57Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > My point is really simply the Democrats have a hard time running on the issues because on many issues, they are virtually indistinguishable from the Rs, and the difference between them is even less when you look at their actual policies in many cases. I don’t think anyone cares about the “issues” anymore. Trump didn’t win because he has more attractive policy positions. Nor did Harris lose because of her economic plan. A slight majority of voters are simply deplorable, and there’s nothing the rational candidates can do about it. We’re screwed for some time to come. Personally, I’m done sending money or hoping for good results on the national level. For some reason, Washington State remains with a slight majority of sane voters, so I’ll count my blessings. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798/262 "2024-11-13T21:16:21Z")
> [@bump](#): > > In my opinion, it’s more important to _win elections_ versus sending some kind of politically correct message. Run old white men; that way you eliminate variables. Therein would be an issue: why should anyone who’s not an old white man feel that they’re represented? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-the-harris-campaign-have-done-differently/1009798.md?page=14)