CNN host and Washington Post writer, Fareed Zakaria has said the Kamala Harris presidential campaign is deliberately empty of substance and high on feelings and the Vice President and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are winning by leading a highly emotion-based, “vibes”-heavy campaign against Donald Trump.
“Voters choose from the gut and then rationalise their choice, consciously or not,” Zakaria wrote in an Op-ed published Saturday, August 10.
“Kamala Harris’s campaign seems premised on this latter, intuition-based approach.”
Harris’s campaign is giving Trump a serious challenge in swing states, according to recent polling that shows her topping Trump in 3 key battleground states. On Thursday, Trump did a fully charged press conference saying Harris cannot do a press conference like him as she is bereft of ideas or policies.
“Harris has run a remarkably focused and disciplined campaign, one that seems deliberately light on substance and high on feelings,” Zakaria wrote.
“Harris has not yet given extensive interviews or done news conferences which would force her to detail her positions on specific issues. Instead, she introduced herself to the American people in entirely human terms, presenting herself as a dynamic, warm, funny, and optimistic person,” he continued. “It’s heavy on vibes, and, so far, it seems to be working.”
Zakaria then praised the importance of Harris choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whom he said would have been the “practical choice.”
“Instead, she chose the governor of a bluer state — but one who projects an image that has resonated throughout the country: a folksy, affable, kindhearted man,” he wrote. “The Tim Walz pick reminds us that, sometimes, EQ is as important as IQ.”
The columnist argued that former President Trump and the Republican Party have long been “masters of the politics of emotion,” but Harris’ campaign, which is centered on evoking “joy,” is winning the public relations battle.
“So far, the Harris approach has allowed her to right the sinking Democratic ship,” Zakaria wrote.
“To prevail, Harris will have to start filling in the substance of her campaign,” he added. “The Democrats’ biggest strength is the issue of abortion, and the vice president has been eloquent and effective on it. Their biggest weakness is immigration, which galvanizes Republicans and even some independents.”