Harris’ Chances against Trump: Put Away the Rose-Colored Glasses
Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 12 September 2024
by Manuela Honsig-Erlenburg (link to
original)
The reaction to the televised debate between the two leading candidates suggests that victory is within reach for Democrat Kamala Harris. Or is that just wishful thinking?
The tone in the days since the televised debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is clear: Harris rocked it. Donald Trump’s performance was terrible. Even Republican Party members and media that have traditionally been Trump-friendly are giving the former president a bad grade.
There is nothing wrong with that per se. Objectively speaking, Trump did not make a good impression. But the reasons why American voters continue to vote Republican are not objective. That was already the case in 2016, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton made her opponent Trump look old in the debate but still ended up losing.
Neck and Neck
In all seven swing states, Trump and Harris are neck and neck within the margin of error. The TV debate will probably not do much to change that because all the undecided voters already know that Trump lies, is politically incompetent, and lacks a moral compass. Also unchanged after the debate is the fact that Harris’ biggest weakness is still the economy. People are clearly blaming it on the current administration.
Here, most people are happy about Trump’s shellacking. Europeans prefer Harris because she seems to us to be more moderate. But that is not the case with Americans. In polls, most respondents say that they see Trump as the more politically moderate candidate. We should put the rose-colored glasses back in the drawer for now.
The tone in the days since the televised debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is clear: Harris rocked it. Donald Trump’s performance was terrible. Even Republican Party members and media that have traditionally been Trump-friendly are giving the former president a bad grade.
There is nothing wrong with that per se. Objectively speaking, Trump did not make a good impression. But the reasons why American voters continue to vote Republican are not objective. That was already the case in 2016, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton made her opponent Trump look old in the debate but still ended up losing.
Neck and Neck
In all seven swing states, Trump and Harris are neck and neck within the margin of error. The TV debate will probably not do much to change that because all the undecided voters already know that Trump lies, is politically incompetent, and lacks a moral compass. Also unchanged after the debate is the fact that Harris’ biggest weakness is still the economy. People are clearly blaming it on the current administration.
Here, most people are happy about Trump’s shellacking. Europeans prefer Harris because she seems to us to be more moderate. But that is not the case with Americans. In polls, most respondents say that they see Trump as the more politically moderate candidate. We should put the rose-colored glasses back in the drawer for now.
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