Why Kamala Harris Is The Perfect Contrast To Donald Trump
Kamala Harris’s candidacy of joyful, optimistic, pro-democracy competence is proving to be an effective contrast against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s weird, dark, vindictive authoritarianism.
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It’s been only one week since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. What’s happened since Biden’s historic decision has been nothing short of extraordinary.
The Democratic Party has quickly coalesced around Kamala Harris as their new presumptive nominee, and the Biden Campaign transitioned into the Harris Campaign with lightning speed. In the first week of her campaign, Kamala Harris raised over $200 million, 66% of which came from first-time donors in the 2024 cycle, and garnered 170,000 new volunteer signups.
Hundreds of thousands of Black women, white women, and “white dudes” have been gathering on Zoom events, fundraising millions, and organizing thousands for Kamala Harris. Countless pro-Kamala TikTok edits, featuring charming moments of the Vice President set to Charli XCX songs, have gone viral.
Polls are tightening, with Kamala Harris erasing Donald Trump’s lead, her favorability ratings rising, and Democratic enthusiasm skyrocketing. It’s still a close race, and there’s a lot of work ahead, but the energy online and on the ground is unbelievable, drawing comparisons to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
I have a theory on one of the key components providing the basis for this excitement: the positivity of Kamala Harris. I think Republicans underestimate how many Americans are tired of their relentless negativity. That’s why Kamala Harris’s candidacy of joyful, optimistic, pro-democracy competence is such an effective contrast against Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s weird, dark, vindictive authoritarianism. I sent this sentiment out in tweet form and thousands appear to agree. I think this theory has some truth to it.
Americans can now look at this election at a glance and almost instantly understand the options. Not only are the identity and policy differences clear as day, but the vibes of the candidates couldn’t be more different.
The choice has never been clearer.
The 2024 election now features a prosecutor vs. a convicted felon. A pro-choice woman vs. a man who is “proud” of his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. A joyful young woman seeking freedom for all vs. an angry old man seeking to implement oppressive authoritarianism in America in retaliation for his own looming accountability. A Black, Asian American woman vs. a white male-dominated right-wing movement that claims any person of color or woman in power they disagree with is a “DEI” hire or “childless cat lady.”
Joy vs. anger. Love vs. hate. Democracy vs. authoritarianism. It’s so simple.
Elections are won on contrasts. Presenting a clear choice to the American people is how you avoid the false “both sides suck” narratives that have plagued our politics for decades.
Right out of the gate, Vice President Kamala Harris is doing exactly that.
How Harris Is Presenting A Stark Contrast With Trump
“America has tried these failed economic policies before,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last Tuesday. It was her first rally appearance since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee. “But we are not going back,” Harris asserted to the crowd, emphasizing every word. The crowd roared.
Harris repeated, “We are not going back!” The crowd roared louder and began chanting, “We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!” You could see a grin form on the Vice President’s face as she realized she just struck gold.
“And I’ll tell you why we’re not going back,” Harris continued. “Because ours is a fight for the future! And it is a fight for freedom!” The crowd went wild.
The unofficial campaign slogan that Kamala Harris may have incidentally landed on resonates so powerfully for a reason. “We’re Not Going Back” is the perfect rebuttal to “Make America Great Again.” And in its simplicity, it embodies the contrast at the core of this election.
Kamala Harris represents an optimistic future, while Donald Trump represents a vengeful return to the past.
In that campaign rally, Kamala Harris rose to the occasion, making a compelling case against Donald Trump while also outlining a positive vision for the future. She has made a point to spotlight another key contrast in this race.
The “prosecutor vs. felon” message has already become a key part of Kamala Harris’s stump speech. The first time she said it, it was at the now-Harris Campaign Headquarters:
“Before I was elected Vice President, before I was elected United States Senator, I was the elected Attorney General of California. And before then I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds.” Harris paused for effect. “Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type."
This is such a concise and effective message. It encapsulates how many Americans feel about Donald Trump and the frustration many have with his seemingly never-ending ability to evade accountability. Seeing someone effectively prosecute the case against Trump is thrilling for the Democratic base, and who better to do this than a former prosecutor?
When it comes to the freedom vs. authoritarianism contrast, Kamala Harris is making that argument not in broad, esoteric terms but in a way that articulates how these policies will directly impact American lives.
In the Milwaukee rally, Harris spoke about the Republican assault on reproductive rights while also speaking about the action she will take to protect those rights:
“And we who believe in reproductive freedom - we'll stop Donald Trump's extreme abortion bans because we trust women to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do. And when Congress passes a law to restore reproductive freedoms as President of the United States, I will sign it into law.”
That’s a very clear way to message this. Those comments also came in the context of her mentioning Project 2025 earlier in her speech.
There’s another way Kamala Harris is effortlessly contrasting herself with Donald Trump: she’s a happy person. The TikToks going viral of Harris are ones where she’s having a good time. Harris has an unquantifiable likability factor that shouldn’t be underestimated.
The reason Trump can’t find an attack line on Kamala Harris is that her campaign is leaning into the memes and turning what Republicans foolishly think are her weaknesses (her laughing, dancing, funny quotes) into her strengths. Trump's Campaign can’t keep up, and their critiques of her enjoying herself just make them look like the anti-joy party.
This is why Democrats calling Trump, J.D. Vance, and their far-right movement “weird” really captures what the majority of Americans feel. The right’s strange culture war obsessions, their degradation of women, their need to oppress others to feel big. It’s just authoritarian, loser, weirdo behavior. It’s the opposite of the energy Kamala Harris and Democrats are exuding right now.
Another contrast we’re seeing arise is from Kamala Harris’s VP contenders. Democrats like Governor Tim Walz (MN), Governor Josh Shapiro (PA), Governor Andy Beshear (KY), and Pete Buttigieg have been taking cable news by storm with a blitz of incredibly effective appearances. Others who are not currently VP contenders, like Governors Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Wes Moore (MD), and Gavin Newsom (CA), have also been effective outspoken surrogates for Kamala Harris.
All of this shows just how deep, brilliant, and talented the Democratic bench is. This is a glimpse into a positive future. It’s an exciting depiction of optimistic leadership while Republicans are showcasing pessimistic demagoguery from a weak bench of grifters.
It suddenly feels cool to be a Democrat again. Anti-authoritarianism doesn’t have to be joyless. In fact, joy in the face of oppression is an act of defiance. It’s central to pro-democracy movements.
When I went on a civil rights learning tour in the South in April, Mr. Charles Mauldin told me something about joy that stuck with me. He was a foot soldier of the Civil Rights movement who was the sixth person behind John Lewis as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. So, needless to say, he has a lot of wisdom to share from a high-stakes fight for freedom.
After a night on the April trip where our group was singing and dancing on the tour bus, Mr. Charles Mauldin took me aside the next day and talked about how it was joyful moments that kept the Civil Rights Movement going through seemingly insurmountable adversity.
“Music and common purpose create a type of chemistry.” Mr. Charles told me. “These moments of camaraderie, like last night, are the fuel that creates movements”
I think that’s what we’re seeing right now with Kamala Harris. A new, exciting, joyful, intergenerational, and multiracial movement once again fighting for freedom.
Perfectly stated, Ahmed. I was going to say Amen except I’m not really a religious person. But when the spirit moves me, it is a great word to express joy. Go Kamala!
Her campaign chose the right word: "weird." Her campaign communications director is brilliant. I just love those news releases her campaign puts out after one of his ridiculous but dangerous hate rallies.