Perhaps the most important moment in the presidential campaignDisconnectedEvents are happening right now that are out of step with the realities of American history.
Every election campaign is subject to distortions, exaggerations, insults and smears, but these usually die away after Election Day.
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were no exception.no wayVerbal attacks.
In 1968, Richard Nixon told Americans,Secret PlanTo end the Vietnam War. Because the plan was top secret, it took five years to execute and ended with a disastrous withdrawal from Saigon.
Barack Obama and Joe BidenDecidedHe failed to deliver on his promise to “bring the country together.” Donald Trump vowed to “Make America Great Again” but ultimately failed to do so, despite claiming the credit for it. Of course, there is a clear difference between sound bites and slogans and effective policy statements.
A seemingly simple question explains why this year's election campaign is so disconnected from reality.EmbedMany of the promises, aspirations and assurances given to the public are lacking in specificity, substance or are ill-defined, but do they underlie the key policies proposed?
The answer is also simple: they won't. Cynics and bettors would wager that the chances of landing on the sun next week are far greater than the chances of eliciting realistic answers on these issues from Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
thisDisconnectThere is always a gap between promises and reality. Candidates running for office for the first timeNot EnoughPersonal experience to create a coherent plan and program regardless of the quality or background of the advisors and counselors.RewriteIn the first term, turning something good into something bad is a given.
The crucial difference today is the size of this gap with reality.
The most pressing domestic priority iseconomyHow will each candidate carry out the required actions?ImproveHow do we jump-start our economy by stimulating growth, controlling inflation, controlling the debt and deficit, and providing economic security for all Americans? Priorities include keeping unemployment low, reducing wealth inequality, and ensuring free and fair competition and trade.
Internationally,warThe situations in Gaza and Ukraine and the future of Russian-Chinese relations are the most pressing issues and priorities.
Harris has yet to announce her thoughts or policies on any of these issues.PromisedTrump intends to end the Ukraine war as soon as he takes office, but he hasn't given the slightest idea how he'll do it.ClaimedElecting Harris will lead to World War 3.
The perhaps infamous 1964 “Daisy GirlIn a one-time television commercial, Lyndon Johnson promotes his rival, Barry Goldwater.UnstableThe threats of nuclear weapons sufficient to spark a nuclear war were more graphic than Trump's predictions, but the range and number of over-the-top insults and spiteful insinuations were more than enough.Recordtoday.
The tragedy is that voters are not given the opportunity to judge what each candidate would do if elected, or how reasonable their ideas are.
Consider one of President Trump’s foreign policy pledges and one of President Harris’ domestic policy pledges.
Trump declared.endHe plans to end the Ukraine war on his first day in office, or sooner. How will he do it?
The terms would need to be agreed to by both Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky. What are the payoffs and incentives that could make this happen? Neither combatant is likely to cede the disputed territories or withdraw from Russian and Ukrainian occupied territories. Reparations could be a deal-breaker as well.
And what about a future security arrangement to guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty and resolve Russian claims? The only obvious plan would be for Trump to demand that Zelensky accept the Russian proposal and deny future U.S. assistance if he doesn't?
If Trump wins, what will he do? What will be most effective?methodThe only thing the US can do to end the war immediately is to force Ukraine to surrender, because it does not have the leverage to force Russia to accept an agreement. This disconnect from reality defies logic.
Similarly, Harris has yet toEconomic PlanningShe has proposed nothing but a list of giveaways. It is not a plan. The fiscal and monetary policy statements have not been followed up with concrete actions to curb inflation and grow the economy through productivity and strengthening infrastructure, a further sign of denial of reality.
But who will win the election? And what will the next president do to reconnect action with reality? Will these delusions continue? And if they do, is America strong enough to endure?
Harlan Ullman (Twitter @harlankullman) is a senior advisor at the Atlantic Council and lead author of “Shock and Awe” military doctrine. His twelfth book, “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Disarmament Attacks Became a Looming Existential Crisis for a Divided Nation and the Entire World,” is available on Amazon.
