With the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention last week, the United States now has two official presidential candidates: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
But do we?HarrisandTrumpThe previous personality has “gone away” and been replaced by another.
From the Democratic PartyperspectiveAs far as the last three and a half years are concerned, it seems like those things never happened.
Harris, who was inaugurated as vice president on January 20, 2021, is what most objective observers consider to be ” masterpiece Acceptance speech. Speech skills are “Word salad” were disjointed pieces of writing, not connected by a common theme or meaning, but the transformation was astonishing.
The Biden-Harris administration record The article was edited to erase the setbacks and failures, and to credit the victory primarily to the vice president, who vanished without a trace after President Biden finished his farewell speech and departed for a vacation in California.
In fairness, Harris’ speech was statesmanlike and powerful, and the speechwriters should be commended: with one stroke of the pen, we now have the “most qualified” Kamala Harris.CandidatesThe “Democrats” running for president have appeared as if created from the forehead of Zeus or from the Democratic Party.
A similar phenomenon occurred with former President Trump. TransformedJust as Harris’ criticism was ignored, Trump’s character and policy flaws were ignored. Gradually accepted Republicans saw Trump’s worst gaffes and mistakes as far worse than anything a Harris-Waltz administration could deliver. To them, Trump is still the man he is, despite his ego, vanity, vulgarity, legal troubles, and criminal convictions. preferable And make America great again.
President Trump’s first term, 2017-2021,BestIt was the best economic boom in American history. The economy was stronger than it had ever been. gallon Gas and Cheeseburger The prices are roughly the same, and you get change at either if you pay with a $5 bill.
Regarding diplomatic relations, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza It would never have happened Under a Trump presidency, his personality would be enough to convince combatants not to take up arms, and, unspoken, we can assume that Trump might take a seventh day off to play golf after making the world safer and more secure.
The world has certainly wondered how this astonishing transformation could have produced two completely different personalities. Russian With President Vladimir Putin China Xi Jinping would understand this well: the Soviet Union was notorious for rewriting history, and the People’s Republic of China had no qualms about erasing unpleasant events from its record.
So what’s next? Superwoman Harris will have to keep it up. As reported, Harris There was no press conference. Or a serious interview where her defensive armor would be compromised. Without a prepared script or a teleprompter, it would be difficult to maintain her eloquence at a party conference. And so far, her policy positions have been unclear or blanket.
she Economic Policy It consists of a list of “perks” that do not reflect any serious monetary or financial thinking.25,000 She claims that helping first-time homebuyers will help the economy grow, but she also doesn’t mention how she plans to rebuild infrastructure or reduce the nation’s nearly $35 trillion debt.
For most peopleRepublicans,Trump’s failure is this “ExistentialThe threat of the Democratic Party. Donald may be the only Republican who doesn’t understand the rise of the “new” Trump.
A wise Republican Trump was urged Mr. Trump has so far rejected the advice to abandon the need for, or in favor of, an aggressive campaign that centers its strategy on personalities rather than policies.
Harris is not the “most qualified candidate.”recordand that of her boss.
Trump’s Fixation His tendency to put his own interests above all else is dangerous, made even more so by his belief in only his own narrative of the past, rather than reality and facts.
In short, America has entered a political wonderland that is unrelated to reality.
That means the race will be a battle of personalities, not policies. Trump’s willingness to change course and Harris’ ability to maintain this “new persona” will determine the winner.
Style has become substance, and when both are distorted, voters’ choices become painful ones.
Harlan UllmanHe is a senior advisor to the Atlantic Council and lead author of “Shock and Awe” Military Doctrine. His twelfth book, “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How a Massive Disruption Attack Became a Looming Existential Crisis for a Divided Nation and the Entire World,” is available on Amazon.
