The reality on Harris is that she is the perfect liberal candidate for your average vote blue Democrat. For most of the electorate it’s all about aesthetics. Joe’s campaign was mostly aesthetics, Sweet Ol’ Grampa Joe here to bring tough love and common sense. Hers will be the same.
She’s a cop, facing down a criminal, she’s a girl boss (the KHive is buzzing), she’s a mother, she’s an ally, shes “youthful”, she’s the perfect surrogate for the corporate Dem platform. We arrived here due to a multitude of factors. Not the least the uncommitted vote in the primary and the low turnout for states that had them. The debate simply finished the equation that was already looking bad for Joe.
The mass movement to vote uncommitted was never going to manifest into a principled stance that would follow through to the election. The solidarity vote will dry up now that biden is out. People who voted uncommitted will feel unburdened, knowing now they can vote blue no matter who in November, regardless of the actual policy slate. They did their part, the time for critical thought is over. People who are apathetic will feel energized by change, and feel less inclined to doom scroll. Any dissenting opinion will be ignored, as the “adults in the room” already did their part getting Biden out, regardless of how valid the criticisms of Harris are. We’re back to our regularly scheduled program, where you better get in line or be the heel.
I think the typical “well meaning” democrat lib sees this as the light at the end of the tunnel. They will be able to put blinders on until November. Whatever momentum was gained for the left through principled action, organizing, and agitation will see these fair weather allies evaporate. Harris might have an equivalent stance on geopolitics to Joe, she might not, but the electorate will not entertain a second referendum on the matter. Been there, done that, this is the most important election of our lives sweety, time to vote.
This is far too pessimistic. I don’t think a lot of people who’ve accepted we’re supplying an active genocide are going to back off that position. It’s not going to help that Harris won’t back off Biden’s record or U.S. support of Israel even an inch.
The bigger problems are that the principled anti-genocide crowd is a small subset of Democratic voters, and there isn’t even a universal anti-genocide candidate. These could be improved with organization before November, though.
I think the people with real stakes will abstain from the vote or vote 3rd party, I think a small % of people without stakes will do the same, but a larger majority of that demo will return to the Democrats.
Swing state voters will feel the pressure hardest. I think the threat of Trump, plus the aesthetics of Harris make it a far more alluring flame for the fair weather activists. Biden’s age and visible decline and lack of opposition made it easy for these voters to be uncommitted. Now the slate is clean and I can bet they will attempt to paint Harris as “critical” of Israel, which will be enough.
I’ll gladly be wrong.
Harris is less zionist than biden or trump at least. Biden seemed to have some sort of personal principled defense of israel. Harris is just a feckless goon thatll toe the party line (which is still genocide)