How do accomplished radicals elect a mediocre far-left presidential candidate?
The task might at first seem impossible.
Kamala Harris is currently a radical incumbent vice president. For more than three years, she was second in command to an unprecedentedly unliked Democrat president, his failed policies and his unpopular record.
Harris herself had compiled a hard-left trail over her own entire career while loudly boasting indiscreetly to leftist audiences of being proudly “woke” and “radical.”
Most challenging for a Harris candidacy makeover was the long, entrenched Democratic Party’s reluctance to remove a debilitated President Joe Biden from the Democratic ticket.
Why?
Because Harris was deemed such a liability that she had become a Spiro Agnew-like insurance policy for a failing Biden.
Until just recently, Democrats had considered an unpopular and enfeebled Biden nonetheless far preferable to an incoherent, lightweight and widely ridiculed potential replacement Vice President Harris.
After all, she had never before entered a presidential primary. She never won a single delegate by voting. She failed miserably as a candidate in 2020.
And she co-owns the unpopular record of an even more unpopular president.
The complete Harris makeover requires 15 radical rules followed to the letter:
- Remake Harris as an entirely fresh happy face. She’s about joy and vibe — which trumps position papers and policy statements. Banish all thoughts that she is an incumbent vice president and co-owns the last four years of the Biden administration.
- Ignore/deny that Harris as vice president could have long ago enacted her new makeover proposal — or could do so right now in the remaining five months of her administration’s tenure. She was the last person out of the room when Biden made those awful decisions.
- For the next 70 days, reinvent Harris as a moderate. Xerox much of Donald Trump’s current more popular agenda. Have Harris claim it as her own. Reboot her as a border hawk, a China hawk, a defense hawk, a budget hawk and a law-and-order hawk.
- The word-salad Harris must not do a single unscripted media interview, live town hall, extemporaneous chat, ambush hot mic or lecture without a teleprompter.
- Harris must not offer any policy proposals such as her harebrained price controls that deviate from her 70-day new centrist image and teleprompted scripts.
- Do not mention Biden at all. Harris is not to be seen with him in photos or at events. Create a vaguely joyful but completely imaginary, “Harris record.” Separate it from the miserable Biden-Harris administration. Leak that she was unhappy with Biden.
- Call Trump a mobster, criminal, insurrectionist and dictator nonstop. Never provide any evidence to support such charges. When challenged, double down and let loose with worse invective.
- Talk about abortion nonstop. But never dare mention the word. Relabel abortion “reproductive rights.” Falsely reinvent Trump as a radical anti-abortionist who wants a federal ban.
- Follow the 2020 successful Biden “basement” strategy: Keep out of the public eye, silent on the issues, reliant on 70 percent of the ballots not being cast on Election Day and outsourcing the campaign to the fusion media and billionaire class.
- Harangue about race and gender nonstop. Define the election as a stark binary between a “young” oppressed but dynamic black woman and an old oppressor racist white guy.
- Reinvent the “journey” and life “story” of Harris — the child of two PhDs — into a hardscrabble, lifelong struggle against poverty, systemic racism and greedy “billionaires” like Trump. She is always to be from Oakland — never Berkeley.
- Talk about transparency nonstop. Feign a willingness to have three or four debates. But agree to hold only one — and only on a left-wing network. Promise interviews and town halls endlessly. Enter into discussions about them. But always delay, stonewall and evade for the next 10 weeks.
- Meet privately and endlessly with the megarich donor class that helped to remove Biden. Assure Wall Street, Hollywood and Silicon Valley grandees that banter about wealth taxes, taxes on unearned income and higher corporate taxes are mere campaign posturing. Then outraise Trump again 3-1.
- Privately assure leftist activists and Democrat politicos that any backslidings from supporting lifelong left-wing advocacies are temporary and necessary 70-day pretexts. Instead look at what Harris actually does after Nov. 5, not anything she must say before then.
- Control and modulate the street. Anti-Trump protests are a legitimate “movement” that are “not going to let up. And they should not.” Any violent anti-Trump demonstrator should be bailed out immediately.
All anti-Democrat, anti-Harris demonstrations should be deterred. A large police presence must be proactive with as many arrests as possible, with barriers and plenty of backup. Protest leaders should be given private concessions and incentives to tone down their people.
Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. He is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author of “The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won,” from Basic Books.
Reprinted with Permission from The Daily Caller – By Victor Davis Hanson
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
In other words, deceive and pull the wool over peoples eyes just to get voted into office for power and to control other people. Just like Hitler did in Germany.
Sorry, but I refuse to vote for Commie Kamala and her Marxist agenda!!!
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Kamala Airhead Harris cannot be reconfigured as of a pig with lipstick doesn’t change pork to beef. Unfortunately elections have become a predatory procession rather than a deliberate thoughtful event.
Or just create another pandemic or border terrorist attack and walla Marshall law a Zelensky 2.0 .
The FAIRY TALE continues. Like anything else, the ignorant will fall into this “VENUS FLY TRAP” and disappear.
VDH is spot on, as usual. It is sad that half the country will be fooled. Mr. Hanson, please instruct the Republicans how to stop the inevitable cheating which is no doubt taking place from now through November 5th and as far as necessary beyond that date.
What are you saying. I thing Comalla looks great in a brown shirt. However, I do think the small center lip mustache is a bit much!
Sounds about right. I think the author hit the nail on the head.
Looks like the CCP bots are trolling AMAC.
All you have to do is look at San Francisco and other cities in California and see how they are running. Now if Harris ends up in the Whitehouse, our Country will look just like CA, if not worse. Let’s do our research before we vote. Turn off the news and make your own choice and dont let the news clutter up your mind. Question is: Are you better off now or when President Trump was in office? Hmmm, that answer is easy.
The fifteen rules mentioned in the article aren’t working with me.
I’m generally onboard with most positions the good Mr. Hanson takes with some important exceptions. The man always claims his conservative bona fides but in too many respects he, like the neo leftists, supports many of Americas never ending wars over issues that are none of our business and which we should stay far away from rather than initiating conflict with demanding the “offering party” bow to Americas way of thinking. Sometimes Mr. Hanson seems to just have a taste for Palestinian childrens blood if one has ever seen the mans slavish support for “Gods Chosen”. One wonders as to whom dispensed what with Mr. Hansons published works and if AIPAC was involved and just what Mr. Hanson now owes.
Never forget that at his core Mr. Hanson is a Californian and remains in that malignant hellhole. Unlike the vast majority of the citizens of that state its funny that it doesnt appear Mr. Hanson is hurting financially despite being primarily a teacher (again one wonders at how much AIPAC has assisted Mr. Hanson).