By Christopher M Peeks November 16, 2024
An election analysis class on the 2024 presidential candidates
Every political science curriculum needs to implement an election analysis class for the 2024 presidential candidates. The Republican and Democratic nominees committed a comedy of errors that appeared as both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris were trying to lose the election. One gaffe followed another as Harris, at the end,stood alone as the candidate who committed the most self-inflicted injuries.
Not racism or sexism
No, contrary to what David Axelrod claimed, racism and sexism did not cost the vice president her shot at residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A culmination of missteps derailed the Harris campaign. I have laid out what I believe were the 2024 Democratic nominees top 10 most egregious errors.
The Top 10
10. Should have immediately went on the talk show circuits and did interviews following Joe Biden's withdrawal. If she did them in August the mistakes that she made in October would have been forgotten by November 6.
9. She attempted to try to explain her past policy positions too much. Should have went to the Roger Stone playbook. Admit nothing deny everything counter attack.
8. Failed to capitalize on her debate performance. I would have made commercials of her best moments and Trump's worse.
7. Focused too much on abortion.
6. Should have abandoned Georgia North Carolina and Arizona and made the Blue wall her firewall. We would have lived and died in Michigan Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
5. Allowed Trump to set the narrative of the campaign.
4. Attacked Trump the wrong way. By now everybody knows everything there is to know about Donald Trump there's no negative ads that are going to hurt him. She should have highlighted all the bad images from his first term: images of the covid body count rising, George Floyd riots, Charlottesville, January 6th and delivered a message of I will be a Uniter not a divider.
3. Used cliches instead of explaining what she wanted to accomplish and how to do so.
2. Did not articulate a strong message.
And the number one reason:
1. Could not separate herself from the Biden administration.
Analysis
President Biden, in the end, proved to be an albatross around Kamala Harris's candidacy. Pundits can debate for years how she should have campaigned, but none of that matters now. When asked if there was anything she would have done differently, she replied, "nothing that I can think of." Nothing could undo that damage. You break it, you bought it.
Summary-
I'm sure Kamala Harris wakes up thinking about the things she wished she had done differently. Watching a campaign with the kind of mishaps hers did is like watching a disaster unfold. Arguably, no candidate has ever had a worse month in October than her, and to the vice president's credit, she remained within striking distance at the end. She battled all the way until the last day. So something can be said for that.
Conclusion
Kamala Harris, much like Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton will become a foot note in history and makes one ponder who or will America ever elect a female president?
Christopher M Peeks
Reporter and Columnist
Alabama Political Contributor
Nice filde