Democrats will tell you they are excited about Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
The delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, this week kept talking about how much fun they were having and how much “joy” they were feeling. Democrats who watched the speeches on television gushed about how amazing they were.
Some of those feelings were real. But remember: that’s how Democrats feel, not how other Americans feel.
The convention, objectively, was not so great.
The United Center was a logistical mess, and lacked any of the carnival atmosphere or festive charm that Republicans enjoyed at their convention in Milwaukee last month. The music was mediocre; the speeches, except for Harris’s, were far too long; and then there was the Beyoncé no-show debacle.
The weather outside was perfect; the city was shining; only one delegate was robbed at gunpoint. Not bad — for Chicago.
But the convention itself failed to explain to the American people what Kamala Harris intended to do as president. There was no vision, no policy.
The constant, spontaneous refrain was: “We’re not going back.” But there was never an explanation of where Democrats are going to, or where Harris wants to take the country.
Until the last evening, when a string of speakers discussed foreign policy — all Ukraine, no Israel — the only policy discussed was abortion.
Harris’s speech was all about biography, and attacking the opposition. (The “special guest,” whom many had hoped would be Beyoncé, may as well have been President Donald Trump, whom Harris mentioned fifteen times in total.)
Trump’s acceptance speech was perhaps too long; Harris’s speech was too short. It showed no sense of leadership and never reached out to independent voters or wavering Republicans. (A cameo by Adam Kinzinger will not do the trick.)
There was little drama at the convention — by design.
Democrats arranged their primary to ensure President Joe Biden would not face a challenge, then allowed party insiders to pick Harris as his replacement. There were no dissenting blocs, save for the pro-Palestinian “Uncommitted” delegates, who were a tiny and sullen minority.
There weren’t even amendments offered when party leaders asked for a vote on a platform that does not have the word “Kamala” in it.
The truth is that Democrats aren’t feeling “joy.” The word “relief” might be more accurate — relief that they no longer have to pretend to support an ailing, and failing, Biden.
There is some genuine happiness at nominating the first black woman, or the first South Asian candidate. But many speeches betrayed a sense of anxiety.
Michelle Obama, of all people, spoke about “deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future.” They know Trump can win.
The convention was the high point for Democrats, the end of a month in which Kamala could set the agenda and the media could protect her. Now it is up to Trump.
If he talks about policy, if he projects an inspiring vision, and if he rallies his supporters to believe that he can win despite all the Democrats’ institutional advantages, he will succeed.
He must look to the future; that is what Democrats have left wide open. If he dwells on the past, Trump will lose.
Here are the stark realities of the electoral map. Kamala Harris is not going to win more states than Joe Biden did in 2020. She cannot afford to lose more than one or two of them. She is playing defense, everywhere.
She risked losing Pennsylvania by choosing left-wing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Gov. Josh Shapiro. She could lose Michigan if the “Uncommitted” voters stay home. And Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp are finally on the same page in Georgia.
But early voting and vote-by-mail allow Democrats to run their turnout machine. The media will shut out pro-Trump news and views. The debates won’t matter; Democrats will tell followers on social media that Harris won, regardless. We no longer run elections where we try to persuade each other; we just turn out our own side. Those in the middle go with the winner (and, in so doing, choose the winner).
Trump needs to be that winner, the best version of himself.
