Mornin’ Politocadoes!
Democratic strategists are privately worried about the state of the so-called Blue Wall in the upcoming Presidential and Senate elections. Polling both nationally and internal polling by Senate candidate show Vice President Kamala Harris in a tough spot as the race tightens. Democratic advisers believe that the race may well come down to two states: Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The Michigan electorate is the most complex. Democratic support has eroded among union workers, Arab Americans, but also with young men in general. Despite Harris’ efforts with unions it seems like a tough sell for some reason, and young men are notorious for leaning right anyway. The real big issue, I think, is losing the large Arab American population over its justifiable anger for the Biden-Harris administrations unfailing support of Israel during the Gaza Genocide.
Some people are worried that Harris is now stuck. David Axelrod has said recently that he believes the momentum gained from the Harris-Biden switch has finally plateaued. Others are urging the campaign to show “the real Harris” in union halls and talk to more people. If there’s anything that seems to have become a bromide in this race, it’s that people don’t know Kamala Harris. If true, it’s been an advantage as the Trump campaign has failed to really paint her in any specific way a la Al Gore.
But the thing that actually undergirds this “voters don’t really know her” is the old saw “lack of authenticity”. Whether the media is aware of it or not, this is the same trope they pulled with Hillary Clinton. It begs comparison with Trump whom often loudly and proudly reminds us what he is: a bully, a liar, and racist. Kamala should not have to keep proving how authentic she is when pitted against someone like him. Yet she’ll have to. Clinton tried to ignore that and the idea took hold in centrists’ minds anyway.
All of these remain issues to overcome, to say nothing of the dirty tricks the Republicans are bound and determined to use. The race remains within the margin of error in these states so it may well not matter in the long run what is causing the cracks in the Blue Wall. Or it could be everything. My perspective is that any one of these will be an explanation in many toss-away articles or books written by hacks on how the election unfolded. None of it really matters, the only thing that matters is which voters turn out and how many.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. Something to keep in mind! Police are using digital data to prosecute abortion seekers, and Facebook and Google are helping them! Even if they are not legally required to do so, the tech giants will aid them in this since it’s technically against the law. Please be careful when looking for abortion providers or helping someone who is looking for that assistance.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues even if the emergencies end, continue to vaccinate using the latest version of the FDA approved vaccines by Phizer and Moderna. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures in accordance with current CDC guidelines. Also, according to recent polls approximately 50% of adults are not planning on getting their Covid-19 boosters. So please get them and older adults should also look to be vaccinated for RSV!