The Trump-Harris race is close, but it shouldn't be: Either candidate can take a solid, consistent lead, but neither will do what it takes to maintain it through November.
Vice President Kamala Harris won a few points. In a national opinion poll rear Discussion She did well, while former President Donald Trump did not: Sure, the moderator was terrible, but Harris seemed articulate and hopeful, while Trump seemed angry and barely able to form coherent sentences. (Related article: J.D. Foster: Trump needs to step up his game before it's too late)
But Harris' approval ratings are already slipping. Voters were reassured that the rhetoric-slinger could speak clearly if well prepared, but they also wanted to know what she would do if she were president. Optimistic talk of “new progress” and an “opportunity economy” is only useful if it's backed up by credible ideas.
Harris stubbornly refused to give any meaningful answers. She responded to friendly questions: Philadelphia interview She spoke of her plan to lower grocery prices, a mainstay of her rallying cry, and began her response by saying that although she grew up middle-class, she wasn't: One of her parents was a professor at Stanford University, the other a highly accomplished biomedical researcher.
Then she said, “I grew up in an area where people take great pride in their lawns.” Could a clean lawn provide protection from Biden-Harris' grocery price hikes? Who knew?
Asked again about economic policy, she said, “My approach is about new ideas, new policies at this time. And, frankly, my focus is on what we need to do in the next 10, 20 years. It's about the challenges as well as the capabilities to catch up with the 21st century.”
Peggy Noonan called Harris. “A callous escapee” A pointless dodge of every question. A good dodger makes you think you've answered a question, only to realize on reflection that you learned nothing. Harris is terrible. Anyone listening can see right away that she has nothing to say, and is using the best possible words to say it. A callous dodger, indeed.
This was Harris' chance to chip away at enough of her policy substance to reassure voters she's more than just a talker. With a little substance, Harris would provide more determined leadership and never look back. Instead, she hopes she can charm voters with a smile and a twinkle in her eye all the way through November. That won't happen.
Ms. Harris left the door wide open for Mr. Trump, but he too has failed to seize the moment. Mr. Trump has all the big issues on his side — immigration, inflation, the perception of a weak economy and the Biden-Harris administration's many foreign policy missteps — but he has failed to stay focused on the issues that matter to voters. (RELATED: Experts say key battleground states are 'pivotal' to Trump's chances of retaking the White House again)
Instead, he starts complaining. Attack on ABC He will criticize them for their poor job during the debate and then make some lame remarks about Biden and Harris afterwards.
he attack Attacking Jewish Americans who won't vote for him is a strange way to rally support in any election.
He talks about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Eating petsWhether true or not, Trump (and Vance) sound crazy, and voters who agree with them need to be reassured that they don't want to hear this in order to gain their support.
Focus on how well the country was doing before the pandemic. Talk about the border and how families are suffering under a Biden-Harris Administration. Go full MAGA. What Americans want to hear is about restoring our nation, not about putting our pets on food.
If Harris quit her role as presidential candidate and offered some credible policies, or if Trump quit his role as angry entertainer and focused on Biden and Harris' misconduct, then either candidate would take the lead. But with Harris addicted to her newfound popularity and Trump drowning in anger, neither candidate is expected to gain a significant lead. How did this happen?
J.D. Foster, a former chief economist for the Office of Management and Budget and former chief economist and senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, now lives a life of relative freedom in the hills of Idaho.
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