DThere they sat: two opposing politics, with no common ideology, side by side in perfect harmony. This week, Kamala Harris, in the final American presidential election, chose a curious partner. At his side there is no left-wing icon like Bernie Sanders or Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez to woo the undecided, but – look twice – a Republican.
“What an honor to be here with you,” former Congresswoman Liz Cheney told the candidates at a joint appearance in the state of Wisconsin earlier this week. “Thank you,” replied Harris. Both smiled. They mirror each other, cross-legged, wearing nearly identical pantsuits with flags on the lapels.
Strange picture. But there is a strategy behind it.
With just a week and a half remaining until Election Day, Harris faces a crossroads. He will no longer get a large audience because Trump denied him a second debate. Time is a rarity. The candidate, who had stagnated in the polls, was unable to give equal votes to all his voters.
So, does Harris have to choose: force growth to the left or to the right? This has been the last one.
‘Legitimate fear’
Harris’ campaign shone like a ray of light this summer. In contrast to the dark rhetoric of Joe Biden, who as a candidate portrayed an apocalyptic vision of the future under Trump, Harris has adopted the word ‘joy’ as her campaign keyword. And Trump? It was more ‘weird’ than scary.
Harris has come a long way. He succeeded in reviving the spirit of broken Democratic supporters with a sense of optimism. It’s gone. Harris has reached the natural limits of her happy message. Three months does not seem like a short time for a candidate to sell himself to a country of 336 million people.
So Harris is now returning to an old abandoned strategy: if you don’t vote for me, she told moderate voters, then at least vote against Trump.
During an interview at CNN – programmed as a substitute for a debate that Trump rejected – Harris no longer hesitated to call her opponent a fascist. He offered a direct message to Republican viewers. “More than 400 members of the previous Republican administration supported me,” Harris said. “And the reason is a legitimate fear of Donald Trump’s words and actions.”
Beaten to death
Democrats know from focus groups how difficult it will be to convince weary voters, now experiencing Trump as a candidate for a third term, of his authoritarian nature. That is also why Biden’s rhetoric was not accepted. Facts like the storming of the Capitol are commonplace and accusations of ‘anti-democracy’ from political opponents quickly sound hyperbolic.
But the campaign also noted that moderate voters are shocked when they hear things like this from former Trump supporters.
So last week Harris stood on stage in her home state of Pennsylvania alongside more than a hundred ‘insurgent’ Republicans, including former Congressman Adam Kinzinger. Their collective name: Republicans for Harris. Countless campaign ads revolve around scathing quotes from former Trump loyalists.
And that’s why Harris is touring during this crucial final stretch with Liz Cheney, the daughter of the generally controversial and hated former Vice President Dick Cheney (who also supports her). As a right-winger, Cheney has been one of Trump’s most effective critics.
Snake Man
Harris also received reinforcement from an unexpected source. Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly, who worked closely with him, called out his old boss by name in a scathing interview New York Times Tuesday ‘fascist’ and ‘definitely autocrat’. The newspaper was even allowed to publish audio recordings: new ammunition for the Harris campaign.
Donald Trump himself now offers many opportunities. Although his planned campaign moments largely revolved around light publicity stunts – making french fries at McDonald’s – he proved himself to be a bit more radical in his unguarded moments.
He described his political opponents as ‘internal enemies’ for whom he considered using the army. Last week he publicly called Harris’dirt‘. Meanwhile, his party colleagues should try their best to correct his words.
Secretly choose
Therein lies Harris’ greatest opportunity, he believes. The most progressive left-wing voters, angered by US arms support for Israel and Harris’ commitment to the fossil fuel industry, may be out of touch. Harris wants to give moderate Republicans a sense that they can actually turn to her.
A fifth of Republican voters voted for Trump’s opponent, Nikki Haley, in the primary, even after she dropped out. With elections so closely linked, a small portion of the group could be decisive.
“It is my promise to work with Democrats and Republicans,” Harris vowed in a conversation with Cheney, under a banner that read Country Party Above. “Harris will be a president for all Americans,” Cheney said. Even if, like them, you are an “anti-abortion conservative,” your vote would still be better spent on Harris than autocrat Trump.
Viewers at home received some unorthodox advice from Cheney. If necessary, Republicans suggest, support Harris quietly. Because who would know? “You can absolutely vote with your conscience,” Cheney said. “And you don’t have to tell anyone.”