A Bold Miscalculation

Erick Erickson on Oct 25, 2024

It is possible that former President Donald Trump has peaked too soon. The momentum in the race feels like it has moved in his direction, and we should never underestimate the Republicans' ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. However, it does not really seem so much that Trump is increasing in the polls so much as Vice President Kamala Harris is fading. From the very beginning, Democrats made a bold miscalculation that could cost them everything.

These days, in a 50-50 divided nation, both parties want to claim some sort of mandate. Democrats made the calculated decision that they did not have to moderate. Presuming enough people hated Trump that they could have their cake and eat it, too, neither President Joe Biden nor Harris ratcheted down their rhetoric or positions.

Both Harris and Biden decided to go for abortion until birth. They never have supported restrictions and refused repeatedly to say if they would support something less than abortion until the child passes out of the womb. Not only that, Harris has even rejected the idea of religious exceptions to providing abortions. Just the other day, she told NBC News that because abortion, which is not in the Constitution, was a "fundamental right," she would not even consider religious exceptions, which is a fundamental right in the Constitution.

Harris has not walked back providing taxpayer dollars to cover the gender transitions of prisoners. She has not walked back her support for boys in girls' sports. Even on fracking, Harris has offered a mixed bag of positions while assuring environmentalists they could trust her.

Every opportunity Harris had to moderate a position and calm the nerves of those hesitant to vote for her, she has taken a "you will vote for me and like it" approach. It is arrogant and could be costly.

More baffling are the cheap dates from the GOP who allied with Harris because they hate Trump. They could have pushed Harris to restrain herself and moderate core positions for their votes. But prostitutes have more restraint and hesitancy to get in bed with someone than the Republican Harris supporters. She did not have to offer restraints on abortion, transgender issues, economic issues, foreign policy issues or any other issues. She and her team could go left, stay left, and these Republicans have not just justified voting for her but have tried to bully and shame others into voting for her. Given the opportunity to use their influence to pull Harris to the center, they gave it all up because Orange Man Bad.

When this election is over and when the GOP moves on from Trump, there will be no place in the party for those who were such cheap dates for Harris. They will have no voice, no credibility, no seat at the table and no hearing on what the future of the GOP will be. They could have just declared their antipathy for both candidates and sat it out as others did. Instead, they went all in without even a half-hearted effort to get Harris to move to the center.

In the end and of great irony, Harris, unburdened by what had been long-held centrist Democrat positions, let Trump move to the center. Trump has rejected nationwide abortion restrictions. Trump has signaled opposition to boys in girls' sports, but also signaled a child who has parental consent should be able to transition. Trump has signaled an embrace of long-held Democrat positions on economics, including tariffs and unions.

Harris abruptly started her campaign when Biden ended his. She had limited time to separate herself. She started with joy and has ended with fear. But for a candidate who claims Trump is a threat to democracy, she never showed Trump-weary voters skeptical of her that she was not a threat to them, their values and their pocketbook. She could have moderated. She decided she did not have to. That may cost her everything.

If the Democrats really, truly believed Trump was the threat they claim he is, they would have compromised and moderated instead of going for broke. Now, Trump is on the verge of breaking them.

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To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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