Republicans are keying on Vice President Kamala Harris‘s “joy” campaign amid tragedy in the Middle East and elevated prices at home to paint her as out of touch with ordinary people.
Harris and other top Democrats came in for harsh criticism after six hostages Hamas took on Oct. 7, 2023, were found dead in a tunnel underneath Gaza, a toll that included an American citizen.
“Hamas killed an American citizen with a bullet to the back of the kid’s head and Joe Biden has been sitting on the beach and Kamala Harris is on the campaign trail talking about joy,” conservative commentator Erick Erickson wrote in a post on X that got a lot of notice in political circles.
Harris, President Joe Biden, and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) took heat from conservatives for their responses to the news. Harris for campaigning on joy, Biden because he was wrapping up a two-week vacation at the time, and Walz for his lack of response to a question about the murders.
“What’s your reaction to the six hostages being found in Gaza?”
TIMOTHY WALZ: *walks away* pic.twitter.com/ESuNic3V5a
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 1, 2024
Republican operatives say the GOP should continue stressing the contrast during the rest of the campaign.
“They’re so tone-deaf,” New Hampshire-based GOP strategist David Carney said. “Walz, when asked about the hostages, should have said, ‘We mourn with their families, it’s a tragedy, and that’s why we’re working for a ceasefire.’ How is a politician who has been in office as long as he has not able to express his concern about hostages?”
Carney said the Harris campaign is trying to emulate with “joy” what former President Barack Obama had in 2008 with “hope and change,” but argued that Harris is no Obama and that serious issues must be taken seriously.
“Cumulatively, this is going to hurt them in terms of their credibility,” he added.
The Harris camp, however, maintains that the message is working. In a Tuesday email blast, her team said voters are connecting with “joy,” leading to increased voter registration and sky-high enthusiasm.
“That joy, that energy is really materializing in terms of volunteers that we’re seeing on the ground,” Democratic Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said on MSNBC. “You know, just today, the 50th [Pennsylvania] campaign office has been opened for the campaign.”
The Harris campaign also cited polling that found voter registration had risen 175.8% among young black women.
But Republicans see a vulnerability in campaigning on joy or vibes amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine and prices that have risen more than 20% since Biden and Harris took office in January 2021.
“I’ve actually been saying that for a few weeks now,” former Republican National Committee spokesman Doug Heye said. “Every time Americans go to any grocery store or restaurant or have to spend money on anything or make the choice not to, they are about as far removed from a joy campaign as can be.”
Criticism aside, Harris has made a big impact since replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket on July 21. She now leads in the RealClearPolitics polling average, in part due to her positive image among voters.
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But Republicans and former President Donald Trump’s campaign feel that the “honeymoon” period for Harris is ending, as new issues thrust her into the spotlight and she continues to largely avoid media scrutiny.
“Americans are getting slaughtered overseas, while Kamala is disparaging and making up lies about Gold Star families, and Biden is sleeping on the beach on this 16th consecutive day of vacation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They have blood on their hands! Sadly, this is the total lack of ‘Leadership’ that Kamala and Biden represent — one that allows terrorists to take American lives.”
