Five Post-Debate Action Steps for Kamala Harris

Distance from Joe Biden and attack the cost-of-living crisis.

Sep 12, 2024

There is a consensus that Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday’s debate, but also that she remains in a precarious political position given public anger about the economy and her ties to an unpopular incumbent president. With this in mind, I want to submit five action steps — inspired by my genuine concern that her new campaign strategy of focusing on Trump’s “fitness for office” will prove ineffective — that I believe Harris should take in order to build on momentum from Tuesday and improve her standing:

First, Harris — who is more popular than President Joe Biden — should seize the opportunity to “cut Joe Biden loose,” as Jonathan Chait recently argued. More bluntly, Harris shouldn’t shy away from opportunities to throw Biden under the bus on his worst issues: immigration, inflation, and Gaza. However you want to phrase it, Harris must honor that Americans are unhappy with the past 3.5 years and openly criticize some of Biden’s shortcomings. On immigration, she could say he was hyperfocused on the Northern Triangle countries instead of human trafficking of immigrants from around the world at the Darién Gap. On inflation and the economy? Harris might point out that the White House wasn’t quick enough to recognize the inflation problem and mitigate its harms. Gaza? Harris should argue that Biden has been too deferential to the right-wing Israeli prime minister. The public needs to be informed — and this might seem a bit counterintuitive — that vice presidents have relatively little influence, and that Harris would have approached some controversial policy challenges a little differently than Biden. Surrogates can also help her to deliver this message with subtlety and nuance.

Second, with early voting ramping up everywhere, Harris needs to narrowly focus on a couple big issues about which voters are most angry — the cost-of-living crisis and immigration. The “opportunity economy” language — I’m not a huge fan of this term, but it’s hard to get rid of it now — can stay, but Harris needs to pivot from vague generalities about lifting up the middle-class to talking about how fighting the cost-of-living crisis will produce an economy that generates opportunity for all Americans. She should constantly discuss plans to make housing, child care, health care, and car ownership — add some progressive language about quality public transport, as a treat — affordable again. On immigration, she should acknowledge that some communities are struggling with integration and assimilation of new migrants, and offer constructive ideas for how the federal government can help states and cities to provide support, resources, and policy guidance to places experiencing rapid change.

Third, avoid the temptation to focus on Trump’s heinous rhetoric and “greatest hits.” Voters already know Trump is a racist, unhinged moron — and where he stands on a variety of issues — so Harris must spend the little time she has left establishing her own identity as a credible change agent with bold, transformative policy ideas to mitigate harms from the past few years of inflation and address public anxiety about irregular immigration and security. New York Times reporting suggests that the former is the messaging approach Harris will adopt for the next two months, so it would be helpful for her to remember that such an approach didn’t work for Hillary — who should have devoted her time to sharing ideas for reinvigorating the Rust Belt, not elevating Trump’s well-known character flaws.

Fourth, while intentionally emphasizing substance over Trump’s unpleasant personality, Harris should seize the opportunity to frame herself as the serious candidate and drown Donald Trump in substance. If Trump wants to spout bullshit about tariffs fixing unaffordable rents and child care, Harris should talk about her policies to crack down on rent-setting algorithms and increase the supply of child care professionals. If Trump mentions hardworking Haitian factory workers eating cats in Ohio, Harris should talk about a strategy to rout out and crush the vicious Tren de Aragua gang. Where will she do this? Lots of interviews (with serious journalists and not just “unconventional outlets”!), town halls, and press conferences — in the swing states that matter. This isn’t about turning Harris into Elizabeth Warren, but about painting an issue-based contrast with Trump.

Fifth, Harris should resist the temptation to divert attention from Pennsylvania to the South. For the next two months, Tim Walz should essentially be parked in the Keystone State — with frequent jaunts to Michigan and Wisconsin — and Harris should spend more time there than in Georgia and North Carolina.

While Harris dominated and won the debate, it’s unclear that she’s winning the post-debate spin campaign. By taking the aforementioned steps, I believe the vice president will reduce the chance of a Hillary 2016 redux and increase the likelihood of victory.