I don’t like this.
Let me clarify. I understand this, and why she’s doing it. But I don’t personally like it.
https://x.com/KamalaHQ/status/1818414386362409091
note: this is literally the only place I can say something like this, because in public I have to show 100% support. But this makes me feel icky and I honestly don’t know how effective it will be. I also know that she can’t just let Trump drive the narrative on this and had to say something.
Nothing good will happen with immigration or the border period. The best we can hope for is for the feds to remove the floating balls of razor wire in the Rio Grande. Nothing good will pass. Biden tried to restart DACA and the courts blocked it and the courts are worse now.
The best thing the administration could do is cut funding for border patrol, but Kamala isn’t doing that, so, if that pro-Kamala video is right, then Trump is better on the border. I think he’s worse on the interior though. I sure hope Kamala isn’t going to lead to more ICE raids in the interior.
eta: Oh yeah, Biden hasn’t removed the razor wire balls, so that’s probably hopeless too.
I see what you did there
I mean, we all see why. We all understand the old school crotch scratching, tobacco spitting 80-year old baseball scout “conventional wisdom” behind it.
I just don’t even see how it’s good strategy. It seems to fly in the face of every lesson we’ve learned about elections in this era.
Like at absolute most favorable grading of it from a strategy perspective is “we can’t know for sure that it helps on the net, and we can say for sure that there’s negatives influencing that net, and we can say for sure that there’s better alternatives to spending time on in the campaign”
I am also unsure on the strategy.
On one hand, our base will not like this.
On the other hand, I have seen several polls where it’s become obvious that the GOP has won the messaging war on immigration and something like 65% of voters want a crackdown and like 50-something % trust Trump more than Kamala on immigration.
The real question is, will those voters even believe Kamala/the Dems on this issue? Hopefully this is the only ad they put out on this and they pivot back to abortion, Project 2025, etc.
I hate when Democrats talk about immigration/border issues, because it reminds me that the mainstream Democratic position on that issue is absolutely horrendous. Yes, Republicans are worse, but not by that much. It gives the “both sides are the same” crowd (that I vehemently disagree with) some credibility.
Unfortunately, the median voter is also horrible on this issue, so it’s not like Democrats can campaign on open borders or anything like that.
But they don’t have to remind me that they suck. Stop talking about it, especially unprovoked. If pressed on the issue in an interview or debate format, say something like “We tried doing a bipartisan bill, but Trump blocked it. Now we’re going to have a new bill that takes out all of their contributions.” And then move on to a different issue where you look good.
After a brief moment of competence, Dems are back to co-opting Republican politics. Just like old times!
Like if I favored what Kamala says she wants to do with the border, I’d be mad she’s saying this right now, because it makes it less likely that she’s ever going to be President.
I can’t find it, but I’m sure the base wants more border cops. 42% of Dems want mass deportation, which is far more extreme, and 30% want to end birthright citizenship, which is Stephen Gorka territory.
Is this a quote from 1984?
Seems like a disagreement on what defines “the base”
Although from my perspective, the base is going to show up nearly no matter what.
The people who might be busy on election day are like young people and leftists and WAAFers, which isn’t the base
I’m no strategist but my gut says it’s bad. I am skeptical that voters exist who would vote Harris if she just moves right on immigration. The people constantly freaking out on the news about our border being invaded have to be fully in the tank for Trump. But I know several leftists who will hold their noses and vote for her but will snap sit out if they sense any sort of rightward shift on specifically immigration and Israel.
I am not sure if the Dems understand how important those issues are to a significant and fickle part of their base.
Just how well do you think open borders polls?
I think there can be a large gap between “supports mass deportations” when asked, vs someone who will actually base their vote on how hawkish Kamala is in her stump speech.
Yeah, I think strategically “the base” are the people you can ignore because they will vote for you no matter what. There are no on the fence immigrant haters who are going to vote for Kamala. If stopping immigration is your central issue, you are voting for Trump. Half the Democrats want to stop immigration, but it isn’t issue #1 for them.
There’s people turned off by it, and then on the other hand, you have 9 weirdos in Frog Balls Arkansas going “you know what, I was gonna vote Trump, but…”
And that’s it.
Like do you know the only actual person in the world who has ever said they pick biden/Harris over Trump because they’re better at being border cops (and cops in general)?
Richard Spencer. That Richard Spencer. Very good faith
