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Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a rousing speech that fired up Democrats to close out the Democratic convention, and the more-or-less perfect convention has come to a close. Harris will likely continue to strengthen in the polls, as she typically does after a convention, and there’s no doubt that Democrats are in a better position now than they would have been if they had retained President Joe Biden as their nominee.
More than anything, what Harris did was bring back key Democratic voters, including black voters, young voters, women and elites, which brought the race back to at least an even playing field.
The second thing the convention did was make it seem like former President Donald Trump was the sitting president responsible for the last four years and not the Biden-Harris team. The future is Harris and the past is Trump in their messaging, and there was little to no attempt to justify the last four years – they simply did not exist.
DEMOCRATS DEFEND HARRIS’ LACK OF SUBSTANCE: AMERICANS ‘DON’T VOTE ON POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS’
Perhaps the surprise of the evening was Harris’ clear statement that she would defend Israel and be prepared to defend herself against Iran. Those elements had been absent from nearly every convention speech and were absent from Biden’s remarks.
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. (Reuters/Mike Segar)
The massive and feared anti-Israel protests did not happen and were replaced by a few thousand extremists whose leaders called for the destruction of Israel and who should never have been honored by Biden. Harris did not repeat that mistake.
Despite the criticism Trump receives every time he criticizes Harris, the vice president and most major speeches have attacked Trump in highly personal terms and often misrepresented his views. The speech called for national unity and was then harshly criticized.
Trump does not support a national abortion ban, and the Supreme Court has not issued one. Nor has he supported the 2025 bill. The immigration bill Trump opposed would allow 5,000 migrants to cross into the United States in a day before the border closes, or about 2 million entries into the United States per year, about the same number as now.
Aside from promising lower prices, Harris has offered no real plan to address inflation or the economy. Earlier in the day, her campaign said it supports all of Biden’s proposed tax increases in the budget, and more, which would be the largest tax increase in history, eliminating the capital gains tax, taxing unrealized gains and raising the top federal rates to about 45%, with combined rates in large states approaching 60%.
These massive increases could essentially kill innovation and financial markets, discouraging investment of all types and sinking 401(k)s.
Harris completely avoided the energy issue and did not answer the question of whether she would continue to support the Green New Deal. She stayed away from divisive social issues, even though she clearly rallied women behind reproductive freedom.
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“Coach” Tim Walz proved to be more of a liability than an asset, as questions about her military background and left-leaning leaning emerged, highlighting that she probably would have been better off with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, but vice presidents rarely matter that much.
Trump called into Fox News after his speech, ignoring the political rule that artillery is not answered with gunfire, and it underscored the challenge he faces in getting out of this.
Vice President Kamala Harris, after her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, is joined on stage by her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and their spouses, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, in Chicago, Illinois, August 22, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Just a few weeks ago, Democrats were in a downward spiral, and Trump was consolidating his support nationally. Democrats turned the tables by installing a new team, spreading a new message, and reviving their chances.
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The challenges for the Trump campaign are to define the differences in the issues and leadership that matter to voters in their daily lives on war and peace, inflation, taxes, crime and immigration and to paint Harris as equally responsible for four miserable years.
Nearly two-thirds of voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, oppose open borders, call for tougher crime laws and believe the administration is responsible for inflation that is effectively increasing taxes for all Americans. Still, the Harris bandwagon keeps rolling.
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