On October 18, Branding Pundit Donny Deutsch observed on MSNBC’s Morning Joe:
“You feel the campaign – it’s within the 48-yard lines … [M]y message to … Vice President [Kamala Harris] is, ‘Just keep punching.’ People want to see strength. I know the ‘Joy’ thing was kind of okay for a while. ‘Joy’ is great, but strength and power and aggressiveness is what I think she needs right now.”
I raise this because TLOML was watching at the time, and she immediately looked at me and said, “He said exactly what you said!” (And here, I had been pretty sure that she had long since zoned out on my political rants 🙂 ).
For quite a while, I thought that Ms. Harris might catch a wave in the campaign’s last days as Ronald Reagan did in 1980 – that race was close until the end, when all the citizens seemingly leaning toward then President Jimmy Carter decided that they couldn’t support Mr. Carter for another four years and voted in a landslide for Mr. Reagan. I no longer think that’s going to happen for Ms. Harris, primarily because I’ve realized that the people who deserted Mr. Carter in 1980 were leaning Democrats. Democrats are mavericks by nature (remember the old Will Rogers line: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”), while Republicans are by nature more doctrinaire, more “Rah, rah, team.” The people she needs to desert former President Donald Trump in order to prevail are leaner Republicans. If she hasn’t persuaded them to vote against Mr. Trump before they vote, for too many muscle memory will take over in the ballot box. They’ll vote for Mr. Trump. If in the days remaining before the election, the main topic on voters’ minds is immigration or the economy (the latter inexplicable to me, even for those genuinely threated by inflation), Mr. Trump will win. If the main topic is Mr. Trump, she will win. She needs to set the dynamic.
Mr. Deutsch has earned millions dispensing his opinions; I haven’t, so I am confident you will – as you of course always do with all Noise – take the following with a grain of salt. If I was counseling Ms. Harris, and having seen clips of her speeches over this past weekend, I would have the temerity to qualify Mr. Deutsch’s (and my 😉 ) message a bit and advise this: You not only need to punch; you need to sharpen your jabs. The overriding tone of disappointment, regret, sorrow — what have you – that I see you exhibit on the stump about Mr. Trump’s rhetoric and past deeds won’t get you over the 50 yard line. You need to be angry. You need to be outraged. You need to be (speaking as I would if we were together in a Wisconsin pub) … pissed off. Although you dress impeccably – you look like a president – you need to take off the jacket, literally roll up your sleeves, and go after Mr. Trump. Also – it’s time to be explicit – you need to attack Fox News, try to bait them into airing your attacks on Mr. Trump.
In an earlier note, I suggested that Ms. Harris risked damaging her brand if she got into a mudslinging contest with Mr. Trump; we all understand the adage (again, excuse my lapse from blog tone), “You can’t win a pissing contest with a skunk.” Generally, good advice. However, I would suggest that if she picks her spots carefully, she can show anger and she can score. People never get offended by anger if you’re angry on their behalf, or they consider the outrage warranted.
Cue the tape, to the most important point first:
I leave it to you; I don’t — despite the title of the link – consider Ms. Harris’ remarks a “win”; I consider her tone in that clip a plaintive one of regret, NOT anger: that Mr. Trump’s despicable accusations are “a huge risk for America.” She sounds like she’s advising a friend against adding sugar and cream to a Starbucks coffee. She had the crowd –she led them right up to it – and then she dropped it. After talking about journalists, election officials, and judges, she should have ended with, “… and then … and then … he’s going to come after you. If you think enough of this campaign to come have out tonight as you have, you’re the ‘enemy within’ that Trump will target some day if he gets back in the White House. What are you going to do about it? And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
Fear mongering, you say? Not if the risk is real. I think it is. On to Mr. Trump’s lies:
We have two swing states, Georgia and North Carolina, which have been devastated by Hurricane Helene. Ms. Harris should go into the ravaged areas of these states and loudly declare, “Trump and Vance say we haven’t been helping you. [GA Gov. Brian Kemp/NC Gov. Roy Cooper] is saying that we’re giving you all the help he asked for. Trump and Vance are lying. They’re making you scared to get the help that is right there. They don’t care. They’ll sacrifice you and your family to win this election. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
On the Haitian migrants in Springfield, OH: “Trump keeps saying that illegal immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating dogs and cats. It’s a bald-faced lie. Trump and Vance are lying. The only animal being eaten in this campaign is the bull that Trump is feeding the American people. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
On the 2020 election: “Trump is still saying he won the 2020 election that he lost. Trump is a lying whiner. He lost 60 lawsuits challenging the results. He knows he lost. His election lawyers have pled guilty to criminal offenses for fraud. Hundreds of people are in jail now because they believed his lie. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
On January 6th: “Trump says that January 6th was ‘a beautiful day.’ Trump is lying. He started a violent riot. You tell the families of the cops killed that day by people that Trump told to go to the Capitol that it was ‘a beautiful day.’ And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
On Mr. Trump’s felony convictions and sexual assault verdict: “Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts, stemming from the fact he cheated on his wife with a porn star. A different jury found that he assaulted a woman that he said under oath looked like his second wife. He still denies that he cheated or assaulted. He’s been adjudged a liar. Even his supporters know he’s lying – they don’t want their wives or daughters around him. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
Finally, Ms. Harris should attack the macho image that Mr. Trump likes to project. I see two avenues:
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Polls show that even the majority of Trump supporters detest Putin. Inasmuch as Mr. Trump has criticized everybody at some point during his political career except Putin, I’m guessing that even Trump supporters think that there’s something … odd there.
“Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine over two years ago. Millions — millions — of innocent, peaceful Ukrainians have been killed, injured or displaced because Putin is a monster. Trump called the invasion “smart.” There are only two reasons why Ukraine is still free: because of the courage of the Ukrainian people and because of our support of NATO. Trump has said that he doesn’t care if Putin invades a NATO country. Trump says he’ll settle the Ukraine war. You know how he’ll do that? By selling Ukraine out to Putin. He’ll bend over and kiss Putin’s butt – if he can even bend over that far. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
Last: Mr. Trump’s refusal to debate Ms. Harris again. Mr. Trump has waved that away, and so far it hasn’t hurt him. I’d use his refusal to target the demographic whom polls indicate have the least affinity for Ms. Harris: young males of all ethnicities.
“You know that I’ve challenged Trump to another debate. I’d still be happy to do it this close to the election if he would. He has refused. You know why? He’s gutless. Because I kicked his butt the first time, and he knows I’ll do it again. He’s afraid to debate a girl. And you know what else? Fox News doesn’t have the guts to air any of this – they’re in the bag for Trump.”
Some reading this might be a bit offended by my suggestion that the Vice President of the United States, a candidate for the presidency of the United States, might refer to herself as “a girl.” I would counter that almost all have heard Finley Peter Dunne’s fictional Mr. Dooley’s observation that “politics ain’t bean-bag.” Such is the kind of usage that those she is wishing to move understand – and it sounds decidedly “unwoke,” a major plus. It’s time to put niceties aside; democracy is at stake; it’s time to win. Actually, the fictional Mr. Dooley’s full declaration was:
“Sure, politics ain’t bean-bag. ‘Tis a man’s game, an’ women, childer, cripples an’ prohybitionists’d do well to keep out iv it.”
Are the suggestions here too strong? Should the Vice President instead continue the tempered tone she has maintained thus far? Will maturity bring enough people over to her for her to eke out a victory? I obviously have significant misgivings, but it’s up to her to decide. These are the kinds of nuanced calls we expect our president to make; if she is elected it will be up to her to decide whether recalcitrant Congressional Republicans should be cajoled or bullied, how to respond to Putin’s recurring threats to use tactical nuclear weaponry in the Ukraine war, etc., etc., etc. Either way, it’s time to prove that at the American presidential level, Mr. Dooley had his head up his ass. (I know, I know; let the importance of the struggle by my excuse 😉 ).
In the meantime, I’ll take solace from the fact that after almost 50 years, my most important audience of one apparently still listens to me — at least once in a while 🙂 .
McCoy's Noise 
Jim,
I agree it’s time to seriously step up the attack on trump. Your prescriptions look good to me.
I would add: I’d like to believe that the Harris team is already in touch with Kelly, Mattis and Milley to step up, in a campaign communication aimed at the 47% of voters who would most benefit by a rudimentary history lesson from these highly credible retired military leaders. A lesson about fascism that highlights the catastrophic outcome when, as in the Third Reich, a leader tramples on political speech, the rule of law and freedom and subordinates the military. The candidate and her surrogates need to speak more forcefully and explicitly and to the widest possible audience of the horrific decisions Trump likely would have made (were it not for his “enemies” within and their resistance) while President — and likely would make if he were to be elected again.
Dan
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