www.washingtonpost.com
Open in
urlscan Pro
23.37.45.67
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/24/harris-cnn-town-hall/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=...
Submission: On October 24 via api from BE — Scanned from DE
Submission: On October 24 via api from BE — Scanned from DE
Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM
<form class="wpds-c-gRPFSl wpds-c-gRPFSl-jGNYrR-isSlim-false">
<div class="transition-all duration-200 ease-in-out"><button type="submit" data-qa="sc-newsletter-signup-button" class="wpds-c-kSOqLF wpds-c-kSOqLF-uTUwn-variant-primary wpds-c-kSOqLF-eHdizY-density-default wpds-c-kSOqLF-ejCoEP-icon-left">Sign
up</button></div>
</form>Text Content
Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Democracy Dies in Darkness OpinionsEditorialsColumnsGuest opinionsCartoonsLetters to the editorSubmit a guest opinionSubmit a letter OpinionsEditorialsColumnsGuest opinionsCartoonsLetters to the editorSubmit a guest opinionSubmit a letter OPINION ‘IT WAS FRUSTRATING TO WATCH’: 3 COLUMNISTS ON HARRIS’S CNN TOWN HALL Harris’s town hall gave her a last-minute chance to reach undecided voters. How did she do? 11 min 1620 Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. (Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images) By Matt Bai October 24, 2024 at 10:29 a.m. EDT You’re reading the Prompt 2024 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. The candidate’s “closing argument” is a cliché of modern campaign coverage, but for Vice President Kamala Harris, it’s pretty urgent. The election might hinge on a few voters who haven’t made a final decision, and her CNN town hall on Wednesday night might have been her last chance to reach a large number of them. How did she do? Sign up for Shifts, an illustrated newsletter series about the future of work Joining me are my Post Opinions colleagues Shadi Hamid and Jim Geraghty, who are rarely undecided about anything. 💬 💬 💬 Matt Bai: We’ve seen plenty of strange firsts in this campaign, but still I was struck by hearing a nominee for president call her opponent an actual fascist — and in the first three minutes of a town hall! I think I would summarize Kamala Harris’s closing argument from the night as: “You really need to vote for anybody but Donald Trump. And I’m anybody.” Right? Do we think that argument landed? Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Jim Geraghty: Yes, she tried to paint Trump as extreme and dangerous all night. Besides calling Trump fascist, Harris repeated the line that Trump allegedly called fallen soldiers “suckers” and “losers.” The Atlantic reported that back in September 2020. More than 74 million Americans voted for him two months later. I know lots of Democrats think that line should be disqualifying. And the Jan. 6 attack should be disqualifying. And Trump’s four indictments should be disqualifying. And his conviction should be disqualifying. But for those remaining undecided, they aren’t disqualifying. Stop making the argument that this crowd has heard and rejected a hundred times. Find another argument about Harris’s qualities. Follow Matt Bai Follow Matt: It’s almost as if Trump were an incumbent, isn’t it? She’s trying very hard to make the whole campaign a referendum on him and his fitness. Which might be her best argument, but as you point out, Jim, it’s not as if voters haven’t factored that in at this point. Shadi Hamid: It was frustrating to watch. Maybe not being Trump is enough, but I think voters want to be inspired beyond lesser-of-two-evils arguments (or “vibes”), and she struggles to offer that. The core of her message seems to be that Trump is really, really bad. Which he is. But that clearly hasn’t been enough for a large number of voters. Trump is pulling even or even slightly ahead in electoral college forecasts. The other thing we saw is that she still struggles to answer questions directly and clearly. I think part of the problem is that she doesn’t have strong core convictions, so she often has to calculate what to say instead of just stating what she actually thinks. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Jim: We can debate whether that crowd was genuinely undecided. Perhaps CNN found the one Swarthmore College political science professor who’s undecided — between Harris and Jill Stein, maybe? — but you could sense the crowd hungering for one clear policy distinction from Joe Biden. Matt: Yes, exactly. Not to pile on, because I thought her indictment of Trump at the outset was pretty bracing, but I was struck by the answers she doesn’t have at this late stage of the campaign. CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked about tax policy, and she responded: “We can’t have this conversation ... . It’s a very complicated situation.” She couldn’t answer a question about expanding the Supreme Court. She’s been asked about a thousand times about her shifting positions on fracking and health care, and somehow she hasn’t found a direct answer. I don’t really understand it. But I think if people are asking why she isn’t running away with this election, you saw the answer. Jim: I think Harris looked and sounded a little tired at this town hall. Nothing serious, just the consequence of a grueling campaign. I don’t think I saw anything that suggested she’s panicking or senses she’s losing, but she certainly didn’t sound like a candidate who’s confident she’s going to win. She sounded as though she sees what the rest of us see — seven swing states that are all jump balls. But I guess if you feel as though any wrong answer, any policy proposal could cost you that 1 percent in a state you need, you get terrified of getting too specific on anything. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Shadi: I think she’s so afraid of alienating people with the wrong answers, but this can lead to the worst of both worlds, where she ends up offering answers that satisfy no one. Voters respect conviction and authenticity. This is at the core of Trump’s success and appeal: You might not like what he says, but at least he says what he thinks. Matt: Look, as we talk about this, I can hear friends of mine and readers shouting: “But she’s better than Trump! Why are you criticizing her for not having specific answers when he wants to suspend the Constitution?!” And I get that. I agree on the choice. But if the question here is why can’t she close the deal, then you have to acknowledge the obvious. Her answers are not reassuring to voters who for whatever reason need to feel as though the alternative to Trump is someone they can feel good about. I get why it frustrates Democrats to have that conversation. But it frustrates me, too, as an independent. I want her to clear that bar, and I’m mystified as to why it’s so hard. Shadi: Her answers on Gaza were a textbook example of completely punting on tough questions. I’ve been very critical of the Harris campaign on this. I think it could cost her Michigan. Once again, she acknowledged that too many civilians have been killed, but she refuses to say anything about America’s complicity in the supplying the weapons that kill them. She speaks about Palestinians in the passive voice, as if they were victims of some natural disaster. The audience member who brought it up wasn’t asking for pro forma expressions of thoughts and prayers. She wanted to know what Harris would do to stop a war that is made possible through U.S. weaponry and billions of dollars of military aid to Israel. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Matt: There were a lot of answers like that — probably more than there were clear ones. Let me ask you guys this: Do we think she’s speaking to the right voters right now? I do think these moderate Republicans and independents will turn the election in close states. I think tactically Harris and her campaign have been very smart. But I also hear the argument from Democrats who feel as though she should be shoring up her base and getting it to turn out. Shadi: I find myself somewhat baffled by her strategy. Instead of addressing the very real anger from Arab and Muslim Americans and young progressives about war in the Middle East, she has spent the past few weeks touting the support of Liz Cheney and other old-guard Republicans. In the closing weeks of a tight campaign, turnout and enthusiasm are key. If you’re undecided, you’re probably already alienated from the political system, so hearing that some Republican elites think Trump is unstable isn’t likely to be particularly compelling. Jim: I wonder if what we’re seeing is a consequence of being an elected official in California — where once you’ve won the primary, you’re home free. Before 2020, she never had to close the deal in a place like Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Harris has a billion dollars, and she’s running against Donald Trump; her campaign should not have any problems getting out the Democratic Party’s base. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Matt: I do think that’s part of the excessive caution, Jim. She seems very aware that she is not in California anymore. But you would think that would have become more routine by now. Shadi: This is what’s plagued her from the beginning: excessive caution. And it’s worth noting that Trump is the polar opposite — completely indifferent to calculating or thinking through anything he says before he says it. Presumably there’s a middle ground? Matt: Not in this campaign — no middle ground. Maybe she’s right to rely on that contrast. What was her best moment at the town hall? Jim: Two good moments for Harris: The first was when she came close to drawing a meaningful distinction between how she would govern and how Biden governed by emphasizing that she’s at a different stage of life at age 60 compared with Biden’s almost 82. Harris said she looks at American life through the experiences of the “sandwich generation” — people who are taking care of their kids and elderly parents, simultaneously. That wasn’t exactly brimming with policy detail, but at least it offered a sense of how her life experience would shape her policy priorities, at least in domestic policy. The second was her surprisingly personal response to a good question from Cooper about her pastor. Why are we just hearing about her religious/spiritual side now? Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Matt: Especially given the voters she’s trying so hard to reach. I agree that those were good answers. And I thought her opening volley on Trump was pretty tight. Sure, we’ve heard it all before, but at the end of the day, it’s her best argument: “I’m not perfect, but for crying out loud, I’m not him.” I also give her credit for doing the town hall. Trump didn’t bother. I think actual voters bore him. Shadi: I was pleasantly surprised by her remarks about her pastor and her faith. It was a bit jarring, because we’ve heard so little of that from her. It could just be the standard Democratic discomfort with talking openly about religion. Good on her for opening up about it here. But not doing that more over the past three months seems like a missed opportunity. There’s a widespread perception — and not an entirely unfair one — that the Democratic Party has increasingly secularized and become less hospitable to people of faith. Democrats shouldn’t allow religion to be right-coded. If they do, they’re going to continue having major problems, including with Black and Brown communities, who tend to be significantly more religious and socially conservative than White liberals. Matt: Okay. One last question: How badly do we think Harris wants you to know that she won’t ban fracking? It should have been a drinking game. For a second there, I thought she might just whip out a drill and start fracking through the auditorium floor, just to make the point. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Jim: Frack yeah, baby! By next week, Harris will be leading a cheer of “Drill, baby, drill!” Shadi: My overall assessment is that even if it was frustrating, it wasn’t a disaster. The fact that she doesn’t seem to have strong core beliefs could, I suppose, even be spun as a positive. After all, do we really want an inflexible ideologue in the White House? Sometimes it’s good to flip-flop, because it shows you’re responsive to popular opinion and are willing to adapt to changing circumstances. Still, I can’t help but feel there’s a middle ground: clear core beliefs plus some degree of nimbleness around specific policy questions. This wasn’t nimbleness. Again, it wasn’t that bad, but is “not that bad” really all we should be expecting at this late stage? Matt: She actually tried to give that exact answer! Not as clearly or succinctly, but I thought there was a good answer in there somewhere about pragmatism and evolving in your beliefs. She was right. Jim: Harris fans will argue, fairly, that she’s getting grief for vague or evasive answers, while Trump is giving direct and disturbingly specific answers on the pressing issue of Arnold Palmer’s zucchini. Share 1620 Comments NewsletterSundays The Week in Ideas Thought-provoking opinions you may have missed amid the news of the week. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Choose your plan → Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Company * About The Post * Newsroom Policies & Standards * Diversity & Inclusion * Careers * Media & Community Relations * WP Creative Group * Accessibility Statement Sections * Trending * Politics * Elections * Opinions * National * World * Style * Sports * Business * Climate * Well+Being * D.C., Md., & Va. * Obituaries * Weather * Arts & Entertainment * Recipes Get The Post * * Become a Subscriber * Gift Subscriptions * Mobile & Apps * Newsletters & Alerts * Washington Post Live * Reprints & Permissions * Post Store * Books & E-Books * Print Special Editions Store * * Today’s Paper * Public Notices Contact Us * Contact the Newsroom * Contact Customer Care * Contact the Opinions Team * Advertise * Licensing & Syndication * Request a Correction * Send a News Tip * Report a Vulnerability Terms of Use * Digital Products Terms of Sale * Print Products Terms of Sale * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Cookie Settings * Submissions & Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Sitemap * Ad Choices washingtonpost.com © 1996-2024 The Washington Post COMPANY CHEVRON ICON * Diversity & Inclusion * Careers * Media & Community Relations * WP Creative Group * Accessibility Statement SECTIONS CHEVRON ICON * Trending * Politics * Elections * Opinions * National * World * Style * Sports * Business * Climate * Well+Being * D.C., Md., & Va. * Obituaries * Weather * Arts & Entertainment * Recipes GET THE POST CHEVRON ICON * * Become a Subscriber * Gift Subscriptions * Mobile & Apps * Newsletters & Alerts * Washington Post Live * Reprints & Permissions * Post Store * Books & E-Books * Print Special Editions Store * * Today’s Paper * Public Notices CONTACT US CHEVRON ICON * Contact the Newsroom * Contact Customer Care * Contact the Opinions Team * Advertise * Licensing & Syndication * Request a Correction * Send a News Tip * Report a Vulnerability * Download the Washington Post App * About The Post * Policies & Standards * Digital Products Terms of Sale * Print Products Terms of Sale * Terms of Service * Privacy Policy * Cookie Settings * Submissions & Discussion Policy * RSS Terms of Service * Sitemap * Ad Choices * washingtonpost.com * © 1996-2024 The Washington Post COOKIE CHOICES FOR EU, SWISS & UK RESIDENTS We and our 93 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting "I Accept" enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under "we and our partners process data to provide," whereas selecting "Reject All" or withdrawing your consent will disable them. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the ["privacy preferences"] link on the bottom of the webpage [or the floating icon on the bottom-left of the webpage, if applicable]. Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy. If you click “I accept,” in addition to processing data using cookies and similar technologies for the purposes to the right, you also agree we may process the profile information you provide and your interactions with our surveys and other interactive content for personalized advertising. If you are an EU, Swiss, or UK resident and you do not accept, we will process cookies and associated data for strictly necessary purposes and process non-cookie data as set forth in our Privacy Policy (consistent with law and, if applicable, other choices you have made). WE AND OUR PARTNERS PROCESS COOKIE DATA TO PROVIDE: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select content. Use limited data to select advertising. List of Partners (vendors) I Accept Reject All Show Purposes