Harris can’t let go of the burden he’s been through.
Intention Kamala Harris Can they overcome the American people’s dissatisfaction with the U.S. economy and the impact that the Biden-Harris administration’s policies have had on it?
The Vice President said:Not limited by what can be done or what has happenedIn a bit of poetic justice, her hopes of winning the presidency may depend on the American people forgetting her role and her past support for economic policies and inflation.
Kamala Harris’ Four Minutes of “Letting Go” pic.twitter.com/S4X5mfGKRm
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 17, 2023
In the weeks following his debate with President Donald Trump, attention was focused on President Biden’s physical and mental decline. Biden was already unpopularAt the time, Americans thought the economy was in bad shape and viewed Harris’ economic leadership as a failure. Now that Biden has named her as his successor, Harris will face an uphill battle to distance herself from Biden’s failures.
Biden is about three points behind Trump in the Real Clear Politics polling average. economistThe poll, conducted between July 13 and 19, showed Biden down two points at 41%, Trump at 43% and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 4%. In a hypothetical election in which Harris had run instead of Biden, Trump’s lead rose to five points.Trump got 44 percent, Harris got 39 percent and Kennedy got 5 percent.
This poll was conducted before Biden announced he was ending his candidacy, but there was speculation at the time that he might do so. Only 88 percent Fifty percent of those who said they supported Biden also supported Harris, who will be running in the race. Without the full support of Biden’s supportersBut that may be changing, as Democratic elected officials are showing signs of endorsing her candidacy.
So, Where will the defecting Biden supporters go? Everyone picked Trump, which isn’t surprising. 2% said they would switch to Kennedy. Jill Stein and Cornel West got 1% each, the same percentage of people who said they wouldn’t vote. 2% chose a different candidate. 5% said they weren’t sure who they would support in a match between Harris and Trump.
Harris is disliked and seen as lacking in compassion
This is not a case of Biden “passing the baton” to a much more popular successor: Just 38% of voters in the YouGov poll said they had a favorable opinion of Biden, 20 points lower than the 58% who had an unfavorable view. Harris was slightly more favorable.39 percent were favorable; 54 percent disapproveSo while she may be less liked than Biden, she is also much less disliked.
Looking at the breakdown of Republicans: Harris is not as hated as BidenAmong Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, 94% said they had an unfavorable view of Biden, but just 91% said they had an unfavorable view of Harris. The difference in favorability was small, with Biden at 5% and Harris at 6%.
Among independents and voters leaning independent, Biden’s approval rating is 21 percent, while his disapproval rating is 63 percent. Harris is neither loved nor hated.18 percent approve, while 54 percent disapprove. The percentage of independents who said they were undecided was significantly higher for Harris (28 percent) and Biden (15 percent), suggesting that now that she has become the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, there is a significant number of independents who can be considered to be “in the race.”
The YouGov poll also asked respondents how much they thought Harris “cares about the needs and issues of people like you.” Twenty-one percent said she “cares a lot,” 20% said she “cares somewhat,” 10% said she “doesn’t care very much,” and 20% said she “doesn’t care very much.” 40% said they weren’t concerned at all.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris raise their glasses to toast during a reception in the East Room of the White House on January 24, 2023. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott via Flickr)
it is Her negative opinion is even higher than Biden’s.When it comes to the current occupant of the White House, 22 percent of Americans say they “care a lot,” 19 percent say they “care somewhat,” 16 percent say they “don’t care very much,” and 36 percent say they “don’t care at all.”
Among independents and swing voters, 37% say they don’t care at all about Biden and 18% say they don’t care very much. For Harris, that negative opinion is split with 43% saying they don’t care at all and 10% saying they don’t care very much. The impression of a total lack of considerationHarris is worse than Biden.
Economic policy impasse
Harris, who is disliked and viewed as unsympathetic by many in the U.S., will have to clearly articulate her vision for the U.S. economy, particularly inflation. Differences with BidenTwenty-five percent of voters say inflation is the most important issue, making it by far the biggest issue in this election. 58% oppose inflation. Biden’s Fight Against InflationOf those, 47 percent said they strongly opposed it.
Can Harris convince voters that she can do better than Biden on inflation and the economy? Not likely. Harris is a strong supporter of Biden’s economic policies. And they even repeat the president’s favorite lies and exaggerations about his record.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a virtual event for the American Rescue Plan with President Joe Biden at the White House on March 12, 2021. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz via Flickr)
From every angle, Harris is falling into the same intellectual trap that blindsided the Biden administration in addressing public discontent with the economy. I’m convinced the American people are wrong. Their harsh criticism of the economy and inflation is a belief that has hindered their ability to pivot to better policies. Their strategy so far has been to argue that things are better than people think, and hope that one day people will see things that way.
In short, Harris Deadly for BidenShe fought to the end over the president’s unpopular economic record, which will make it all the more difficult for her to convince Americans that electing her president will make a difference.
