Count me skeptical that the DNC convention really moved the needle in any serious fashion. You know it’s bad when the Democrats feel the need to play the kinds of tricks they did to keep people tuning in to the event. Keep watching, they said, because maybe Beyoncé will come! Or maybe it’s Taylor Swift! It’s going to be a special guest on the last night! I’m not a big fan of Congresswoman Nancy Mace, but the GOP representative from South Carolina represented me when she tweeted: “Watching night 4 of the DNC so you don’t have to. I hope their super secret special guest is policy!”
Mace is exactly right. It might be useful to remember the infamous line used by Bill Clinton’s strategist James Carville during the 1992 campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.” I don’t want to suggest that economic matters should alone be talked about, but they are certainly among the most salient. The Trump campaign and those rooting it on might fruitfully consider adopting a slightly broader version: “It’s the policy, stupid.” Presenting concrete policies that will make life better for Americans is where the Trump-Vance campaign is undoubtedly superior.
From a purely practical standpoint, I don’t blame the DNC for going a bit light on the policy angle. After all, Kamala Harris has been the Vice President for four years. If she had had any policy knowledge before now, especially concerning policies that might address the sputtering economy or the porous border, it would have been visible by now. Spoiler alert: it is not visible.
In fact, what keeps being brought before our eyes is the fact that “Bidenomics” has been a big dud that only gets worse when its true effects are known. This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U. S. economy gained 818,000 fewer jobs from March 2023 to March 2024 than previously reported. This was on top of the weak jobs report in July of this year.
Oh, by the way, while we’re talking about weak job growth, Tim Walz, the number two on the Dems’ ticket, is the governor of a state that even ABC News acknowledges “has lagged behind the nation as a whole in the number of jobs created since the outbreak of the pandemic” (0.5% non-farm payroll growth vs. 5.8% nationwide). So, not only is the U.S. economy doing worse than we’ve been told, but we are being sold on the governor of a state that isn’t even as good as the country as a whole.
You can see why Democratic strategists might think it more effective to start rumors about celebrities giving concerts or push media narratives about Kamala as a source of “joy” and Tim as a new masculine role model, referred to alternately as “coach” and “America’s dad” by the media and political handlers.
These narratives were themselves kind of weird since Harris has a reputation as a boss and co-worker who brings more terror than joy, and Democrats have spent so much time downgrading masculinity that they don’t really know how to deal with it. The Babylon Bee captured the weirdness of the joy meme with their headline “Kamala Explains 93% of Staff Quit Because They Couldn’t Handle The Joy.” To show that the Democrats’ own media poodles would not be outdone in absurdity by a mere satirical site, CNN’s Dana Bash explained with a straight face to a panel of talking heads during the convention that Walz (and Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff) appeal to men who “aren’t testosterone laden.”
It’s tempting to jump in on the bandwagon and focus on the weirdness of the Democrats. But this way lies danger. Some GOP pundits such as Ann Coulter mocked Walz’s son, Gus, a young man who has several behavioral disorders, for his emotional standing ovation for his father. We can all agree to leave out the minor children of politicians from our calculations. If there is anything about Tim Walz that is admirable, it is that, like Donald Trump, his children seem to like him.
As Dana Bash’s example shows, the outlandish and bizarre quality of the Democrats is best demonstrated by…Democrats themselves. Simply getting them to talk when they think they’re among friends, as one comedian walking around the DNC convention did, is the best way to deal with the weirdness aspect. Democrats will agree to tax credits for dogs and free gender-affirming care for immigrants if one only asks them.
Which is why the attention of Republicans should be fully on the policy. When Donald Trump, J. D. Vance, or any other figure supporting them is talking, the focus should be on the nuts and bolts of what will make Americans’ lives better. There needs to be more talk precisely about the failed policies of Harris’s and Walz’s home states and why we cannot afford to allow the rest of the country to become like California or Minnesota.
As Joel Kotkin observed in a recent essay on “Californication,” Harris’s own state may be able to survive the “hegira elsewhere” of so many people since it still holds three of five of the world’s largest tech companies, but spreading this model to the rest of the country will make it unlivable. “Most of America is not California, with its beauty, mild climate and enormous legacy of technological and cultural achievement. Michigan, Indiana or even Texas still may have trouble gaining the affections of those who can afford California; it might challenge them to endure either the north’s cold or the Sun Belt’s blazing heat.”
Minnesota’s economic problems and its loss of high-earning residents are no doubt related to its own mimicking of the economic and social policies of the Golden State. People put up with a lot less in the frozen north than they do in Pasadena.
While many say it’s simply about images, the reality is that people do actually care about issues. It is policy decisions that make people leave the cold of Minnesota and even paradisal southern California. Trump and Vance are ready to defend the policies they have presented. In contrast, Harris and Walz have barely formulated positions and do not even have a section detailing any on their campaign website.
Kamala Harris’s bump, if bump there was, may be over at this point. If the “super secret special guest” of policy has not come out yet, there is a reason for that. The policies she’s been a part of or supported in the past are not winners. The GOP needs to be pushing her on the question of policy even as they show that their own policies will really be good for Americans all over. As Lincoln observed, you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time. But, if Kamala Harris is forced to get more specific, there won’t be enough “joy” in the world to fool enough people to win an election.
David P. Deavel teaches at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. A past Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute, he is a Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. Follow him on X @davidpdeavel.
This morning a group of Gen Z’s were drooling over the idea that the Government is going to give them $25,000 to boy a first home.
News flash Gen Z’s, the Government doesn’t earn much $$$, they steal money by taxing your parents, grandparents and anyone that’s earned a decent living, and your children and grandchildren will be paying off that debt for many years!
She doesn’t speak on policies because you can’t speak about things that do NOT exist.
We can only hope that Harris’ new-found popularity will collapse under the weight of the slightest scrutiny. And so it should… and soon. In the upcoming debate(s), if they happen, she will be presented with opportunities to explain policy that leads America toward a bright and prosperous future. But wait… we’re talking about a vacuous, inexperienced paper-pusher. She claims she has flipped a burger “for spending money”, but decided a career deciding people’s futures was more to her liking. Oh wait… did she actually earn those positions or did… her… “positions” get her those earnings?
Are we going to let her decide our future? Do we want her to do that?! What tempting morsels will she dangle in front of our eyes to keep our attention and to win our votes? Don’t fall for it, fellow citizens. There is nothing of substance she said at the convention–it was all smiles and platitudes without substance.
Vote for Trump/Vance for a future solidly grounded in prosperity and freedom.
I would really like to see Trump/Vance to hound the Harris/Walz the issues on the economy and policies.
DNC knows how ( D) Dumb their voters are – they believe lies ????????????
Komrade Kommielala is not just another tax-and-spend Democrat, she is a committed Marxist. If you want to live in a third-world **ithole, vote for Komrade Kommielala and Tampon Tim.
Harris is a house of cards about to crumble.
The democrats follow the communist handbook. Gaslighting the people. Joy is another word for the WEF slogan “by 2030 you will own nothing but you will be happy”. Just put joy where they put happy. The whole convention was a farce. If there had not been a Trump there wouldn’t have been a convention. Trump got more publicity by everyone every time they mentioned his name. Which was bij all accounts close to 500 times in 3 days. The 4th day their own candidate had no policy but an anti Trump speech. They have been at it since 2015 when Trump announced he was running. And those now speaking at the convention were then all of a sudden anti Trump. Oprah, Whoopie, MSM, P, O, ole Joe. Only there are still videos around from the Oprah show, the View, CNN etc with Trump talking the same policy he talks now. We got Kameltoe and she has flip flopped after 4 years of VP and a few years as senator. She has no policy. All she wants to do is be a dictator and make America a communist country. Run by the elites like Soros, and Bezos, Gates, and let’s not forget Spritzker and Bernie and Obama the multi billionaires and millionaires of the democrat party. The Obama’s talk that only middle class upbringing makes a good president. No it makes them millionaires and still they resent the Republic. Why is that? Because deep down they know, including Kameltoe that they are wrong. The resentment, I should say hatred, they displayed at the dems convention towards Trump and his supporters was palpable. They openly showed their hatred for half of the American citizens. No policy was discussed no policies of the last 4 years reached were discussed. Because there was none and there is none for the future. Only thing they have is hatred for Trump. Because he will get things done and they have nothing on how to get it done. They will tax us and mandate us and get us into wars and America will be in debt so far that it will go broke and every citizen with it. Because whatever savings the citizenry has will be worthless. They promise an e v in every garage to save the planet. But they are so dangerous we all will have a time bomb in our garage. Let us vote for those who were open and honest 25 years ago and send those wishy washy dems home to think about what they have done to this country since 2008. VOTE TRUMP/VANCE to save America.
Take a look at this survey of Democratic voters done by the Media Research Center.
The numbers show that a significant majority of Democrats are not aware of their nominee’s radical positions.
While I don’t expect the government to make my life better, the left’s weird marxism/depravity hybrid ideology sure makes everyone’s life worse…even the lives of the ignoramuses that delusionally support those power lusting tyrants.
Clear thinkers care about what is coming. Turn headlights on. We have to keep emphasizing good policy and searching for important differences.
The DNC was the pits. She still had not listed her policies nor has she stated anything she is running for. As for the idiot who is running with her, he could not run anything.
A VOTE FOR KAMELTOE AFTER GETTING RID OF JOE IS LIKE CHANGING YOUR SHIRT AFTER YOU CRAPPED YOUR PANTS
Harris and the Democrats understand that it’s the policy, stupid. That’s why they are hiding their policy positions, with the help of the media, as much as possible. They can’t ask our citizens to vote for four more years of a poor economy that doesn’t keep up with the inflation they caused by buying votes four years ago.
Americans must wake up to r e a l i t y…we are under the scope of Communism. Many see it and many do not and don’t want to believe it and/or do not understand the real meaning of this ideology. Use a dictionary, if needed, to educate yourself.
Stupid. Describes Harris to an upside down “T”
The Dem’s do have some policies… they’re called MIRAGES!
What the GOP NEEDS to do is to put out Ads that just have their Dem opponents SPEAKING THEIR LIES and THEIR OLD POSITIONS publicly!!! We HAVE THEM. We should USE THEM. Most people don’t KNOW. And better for THEM to HEAR THEM speaking, than for someone to just ‘tell them what they said 5 yrs or less ago’. SHOW THEM! These are HORRIBLE PEOPLE! on video BEING HORRIBLE! Show them!
Why is she hiding from the American People? Is she afraid that since she acts like a communist radical idiot she might open her huge mouth and prove it?? We CAN’T allow this new socialist progressive style of control into OUR government. VOTE her and he chinese loving partner AWAY….save the children from indoctrination into marxism control.
People still haven’t learned that every time democrats get in office Taxes go up, Prices on everything go up, our Constitutional Rights threatened and taken away, attack our Religious freedom, attack our 1st Amendment Rights, Weak Military, Weak National Security, appease our enemies, Inflation goes up, Food prices go up, Open Borders giving Illegal Aliens more rights and money at our expense, Kids education decreases, Farms and Manufacturing disappear to foreigners, Communist China buying land by Military Bases, Communist China Spy Ballon’s flying over the U.S. for weeks while they go to the beach on vacations, Illegal Communist Chinese Police Stations on U.S. soil (Act of War by Invasion) and nothing still done about it, Crime increases, they want to abolish prisons, Attack Americans and political opponents illegally, Illegal Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Shut down the country for 2 years but allow Illegal Alien Terrorist to run amuck in our country bringing in diseases and viruses including none indigenous animals and insects into our country, loser Woke policies, One-third of our Food with everything watered down at outrageous prices, try to rewrite American history to their Communist agenda, Surrender to Terrorist and give them more money and our Military equipment with weapons including getting our Soldiers killed while hiding taking vacations all the time, Kill our Energy Independence, Sell our Oil from the National Strategic Oil Reserves to Communist China and don’t replace it (Act of Treason), they Lie on everything, Bow down to Communist China and Terrorist, and anything American they destroy. The list continues. None of these things ever happened under a Republican President.
These are many of the reasons why I am voting for President Trump because he puts Americans and the United States of America FIRST.
GOD Bless the United States of America.
Dems thought up ‘the dumbing down of America’ JUST SO SOMEDAY they WOULD be able to do this to America! Gotta hand it to Dems, they plan ahead! while Repubs never seem to know what hit them! and are ALWAYS soooo LATE, everything’s OVER before they get their nametag on! But at least once they finally figure things out, they start picking up the pieces… But it’s kinda like Humpty Dumpty. I just hope we’ve learned something from all this… We have to get out IN FRONT! We have to LEAD THE WAY! America is HUNGRY FOR CHANGE – but NOT the ‘hope and change’ that Dems had in mind for us! Americans now want a CHANGE BACK TO SANITY, JUSTICE, and THE AMERICAN WAY! And with Trump and Vance, it’s looking like that could HAPPEN! They HAVE what America WANTS!
The problem is that the “dumbing down” of America has worked to a tee. Most of the younger people don’t understand that this is supposed to be about policy and the direction of America, they simply want to be entertained. Well, there go those “votes”. Many of the older people still know better but have become the proverbial “ostrich sticking its head in the sand”, they’re just glad no one is calling them out on it. Thank you media, once again you FAIL at everything. Now that the mainstream media has become an arm of the Democratic Party, there are almost zero checks and balances. When are they going to lose their special rights of protection from prosecution? They’re not doing their jobs so they should be eligible for lawsuits, etc.. We need a huge revamping of the “news” industry and our political system. No, we definitely don’t need socialism, we just need a reboot on our current system. We should start by making the voting age 21 again. We lowered the drinking age and voting age to 18. We realized that it wasn’t a good idea so we raised the drinking age back to 21 BUT somehow we left the voting age at 18. Well, unless you’re active duty military, you should not be allowed to vote until you’re 21. It is too much responsibility for a group of people that mostly care about video games and their sex drive. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that but the “professors” and media have tilted over 90% of voters under 21 to vote for liberals. No policy, no substance, simply following the lead of others. Have you ever watched videos in which someone asks Americans (what should be) common sense or geography questions and the person is a total moron? Yeah, well, that’s where most of under 21 voting group is at………. clueless. Parents are at fault as well. When you don’t instill core values and morals in your children, they riot in the street and decide that law and order are their enemy for no real reason, just because it’s cool to do. Our youth is really one of our worst problems and the liberals have harnessed their energy and their ignorance. That’s just the facts.
If recent historical but current administrative patterns are any indication, and having paid close attention/tracking to those actions, Biden actually expanded on Obama’s policies, so I have found good reason to believe that Harris will naturally expand on Biden’s policies by constantly and, as already demonstrated by certain actions as VP (border), always proclaiming “Save the Democracy” — save and expand on what their policies have done TO our country in the past 3+ years to ensure that they their Socialistic/Communistic/One World Government Agenda won’t be compromised? It makes sense to me that she is refusing interviews with the media.
Watch their use of terminology/words! Our Founding Fathers created an official “Democracy in a Republic!” Simple personal responsibility and freedom and limited government! The choice is ours!
Sounds like Z Zhu is part of that democrat brain trust everyone is looking for.
A wise man once said, “Bees don’t waste their time explaining to flies that flowers taste better than crap.” What democrat will read this missive? Oh … it makes sense to me, and to most people with a brain … but unfortunately that group includes few democrats, and Amac … is an association of mature, citizens. Not hardly the brain dead democrats who are buying the hype of kamala, after mostly hating her, until she was thrown into the position of running for Presiden.
The Democrats can not Rule! America will suffer greatly ????
Truth & heard None from DNC day 1
True! But the real problem is the main stream propaganda machine that doesn’t have a unbiased opinion and has shown time and time again that it is willing to lie to the American people.They only show one side of the narrative and only those of us who care about the TRUTH seek it out.
Why was the democrat/communist national convention so important that all 4 major networks had to eliminate regular programing during prime time? Also, just like professional sports, they had to make the night news even though most of us had to work the next morning.
The network “news” commentators are definitely trying to influence the election blue. How much “equal time” do these networks owe the republicans? The “democrat/communist” news media is doing its very best to make sure an inept, lazy woman wins the election. She was given 1 job by President Biden and couldn’t, or more, likely wouldn’t do it. She says our borders are safe. She has not even gone to our southern border to see for herself. Why? Is she afraid she will be molested, raped, or murdered by a gang of illegal aliens? Safe borders? The Canadian border, maybe but not the southern border. They are even trying to give these legals the right to vote.
The big 4 networks and their so-called news reporters are doing the best they can to help the democrat/communists steal another election.
Fair is fair. They owe trump and the republicans 4 days’ worth of free election advertising. Maybe one doesn’t because they covered the republican convention. I am so sick of all the lies coming out of both sides, I may turn in a blank ballot or write Mickey Mouse and Goofy. I am sure they could do a better job than anyone running for office across the county today.
“Policy? What’s that??……… Let’s light some up in my hookah.”
Do your research on Harris/Walz Ticket. They don’t have any policies, just bad ones. They are full of BS and this Dem party will do anything to keep their Power. I am looking forward to the 9/10 Debate between Trump
None of the truth matters to the acolytes of the Demorat party. They are stuck in the era of “cool”, where its was acceptable to be a “feelie” fool, and protest for “equality”, and advocate for cheap tuition, along with deferment from the draft. To them, truth is relative, with a hundred of yours being inferior to one of theirs. Its emotional bias to an irrational degree, and stubborn to self-destruction.
Definitely Policy!How
What a cowardly echo chamber this is.
All in the name of God of course. I’m certain that THIS comment will disappear as well.
Never thought I’d see so many frauds in my life.
I’d like to add on to these comments but they seam to be there! We have a great bunch of people out there just read what they have to say! God bless us every one!
For four years this useless woman sat on her F*t duff and kackled her way thru! Now she wants to fix what?? What she help break in the first place? She had the chance to show the American people she could be a real leader. Instead she sat back, let the puppet masters manipulate everything! I hope many people will wake up and see that she is bad news. Her socialism will ruin what little we have left.
Word is, any brainstorm she broadcasts is from Trump’s playbook….. That is their playbook…. Wow she must’ve had a V8, not a car engine.
Go to their campaign website (Kamala Harris for President)!
I challenge anyone to find anything not related to “donations” or “meet Kamalla”. There is absolutely NOTHING of substance anywhere on this site! No policy, no plans and certainly no thoughts about the future of our country whatsoever.
Harris and Walz are joinind at the hip as far as doing ANYTHING to help the Country. They are in the same boat as far as doing anything to help our country. The trouble with both of them are they are on tapes and tapes don’t lie, so that leaves it up the people and there consepion. The mentality of of the country has gone way SOUTH that is what the demacrats are betting on. Open borders (which then put in place) was put in place for that exacted purpose. Vote for the country not the color of ones skin.
I do think people are starting to see this! God bless us all!
We need to have patience & see what happens at Sept 10th debate. For starters, need to ask both what they think of cryptocurrency and why ? This could make or break our economy in my opinion.
Both parties need to review their economic policies at this time.. It would not take much to put us into recession or deeper. Both parties need to study the history of the last 50-years and see how the USA dodged the bullet. Look at how past POTUS and cabinet performed to stop a recession & then do what is best for all Americans. This is important to the USA that the right decisions are made in the next two years.
I agree with the need for any party to deal with “Policies” and how they propose to conduct the government. Few do in modern times. A deceit. One cannot accept what the current politicians say, they must evaluate what they actually do. These things are rarely equal.
I am a 5th generation Californian at 89 years of age. I am neither Hispanic nor Indigenous. The once beautiful large cities are unlivable. I find most of California , and particularly it’s one party government, unsustainable. The California Goose and its Golden Egg are about extinct. Whatever policies they have promoted for the past 60 years have led to the destruction of a once powerful and truly progressive culture.
is policy yea
You know what I’d like to know us: who are these idiots who subscribe to AMAC who apparently have nothing else to do but oay for a subscription just to pepper the comment sections with BS under faux log-ins? They not know about Twitter X or Facebook?
Trump’s policy team did publish Project 2025, but it turned out to be highly unpopular and he’s trying to avoid talking about it. If anything, Trump’s popularity is much more about his personality than policies. If Republicans just wanted Trump’s policies, why not nominate one of the many other Trumpy candidates who don’t have all Trump’s scandals?
But what policies does Trump have? If the issue is high prices, ideas like stepping up a tariff war and mass deportation of the lowest-paid workers don’t seem likely to help.
Sounds like a DT Toadie with his head in the sand! Any embrace of DT is usually from these guys, nostalgic for the 50’s and with no sense speaking to a chorus cued to cheer empty GOP provocations. The world is changing and the only constant is change, as it has been said. Get aboard – and try using a more inclusive tone or get left behind in the debris of electoral irrelevancy