encountered a problem as they sought services and products they were looking to enjoy. Due to supply chain disruptions, there was a shortage of goods. On the service side it took long for establishments to re-hire the staff they had laid off, and due to the stimulus packages some people found it better to continue staying home. These bottlenecks resulted in inflation as there‘ was too much money chasing too few goods.’ This persisted for most of Biden’ s presidency and despite passing the Inflation Reduction Act it did not ease until August 2024 but by then the die was cast for the Democrat Party and its candidate. So the Presidency of Biden, for most of its term, out of really no fault of his own, was hit by high inflation as the price of household goods including food and groceries sky rocketed and his ratings fell to 32 % the lowest since George Bush in 1992.
So how did this affect Kamala’ s campaign? Inflation meant that people were dissatisfied or even angry, blaming President Biden for their dire situation. Research showed that 67 % of the voters polled said that the state of the economy was poor. Yet, Kamala failed to provide tangible responses on how she would improve the voters’ daily lives. Rather than articulating her arguments, she relied on government-provided numbers. On paper, things looked ok as inflation had eased, interest rates dropped, and the employment numbers looked good. The macroeconomic indicators, however, did not reflect on the average voter’ s grocery bill. In contrast, the electorate had more confidence in Trump’ s ability to handle the economy. During his term and right before Covid-19, inflation was very low at about 1.9 %. It is no wonder that out of those dissatisfied with the economy, 69 % voted for Trump and only 29 % voted for Kamala, a 40 percentage point gap. Bill Clinton nailed it on CBS TV Thursday 21st Nov, 2024, saying,‘ I would say that we can’ t keep saying that things are great in the economy. In some senses they are. But first of all, we are saddled with some cost of living challenges- which are not unique to the US, but it’ s pretty hard if you are out in the middle of the country and you are working hard and you have got 2 or 3 kids and you have to watch every penny you make.”
One columnist argued that capitalism is increasingly being questioned for its failure to improve life for the majority. With easy access to information, people can now clearly see that the rich are getting richer while the rest are struggling, highlighting the shortcomings of trickle-down economics. Had the campaign team looked microscopically at the ground they would have deciphered the pain points of the voters and the simmering disillusionment which the Republicans did and exploited to the hilt.
The Democratic Party, its policies, and top leadership, also hurt her shot at the Presidency big time. Many believe the party has lost its DNA, its very soul. Analysts point out that the Party is beset with hubris held captive by their donors and blinded by greedy consultants such as Global Reporting Initiative( GRI). Worst of all, its top leadership is not only out of touch with what used to be its core base, the working class whose cause they had for many years championed, but today they regard them with disdain and hold them at arm’ s length. Again if the Party had been listening to the ground, they would have caught and probably nipped in the bud the negative perception with which the working class hold the party today.
Bernie Sanders, the popular Senator of Vermont, who runs as an independent, has long championed the causes of the working class had this to say on X:“ It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them”.“ First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’ re right’.
In his book,‘ What is the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America’, Thomas Frank, wrote 20 years ago,“ It was assumed that the Republican Party was the party of the rich and the Democrats stood for the working people '. Not anymore. Today a family with three children is far more likely to be a Republican family, than a Democrat as the leaders have discarded the old notion of their party being for the poor.” He may as well be writing about today. And so Kamala carried with her the baggage of a party whose popularity by those who held it close to their hearts was chipping away bit by bit, probably unbeknownst to the party, but which should be no excuse.
Lastly, regarding the terrain, a candidate must also understand the competition’ s underbelly. Trump has been in the limelight of the American public for a long time- stretching back to before he ever ran for office. He has won once and lost once. It would have been useful to study his dance moves which despite being unpredictable have certain patterns that remain constant. Rather than do that and find effective ways to counter him, the Democratic Party as a whole spent much time painting a picture of how unfit he was. They positioned him as a‘ fascist, anti-democracy, misogynistic, mentally unstable’ candidate. This positioning caused his base to rally behind him, and undecided voters question whether that was all the Democrats had to offer. They also interpreted this as an attack on them;‘ when you call Trump all those names, it’ s me you are calling’ a young voter said. In addition, they said that they had no idea what most of the labels painted by the Democrats meant, but they‘ knew and are clear that the price of eggs were way too high’ and that’ s what really mattered to them.
In addition to this, his numerous court cases and sentences made his supporters feel that he was being unfairly targeted and persecuted by the political class. This turned him not into a villain but a victim of an unjust vindictive government, which ironically, claimed to be guided by democratic principles. The assassination attempts turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as they helped shape him into a hero. The iconic photograph of him, bleeding yet defiant behind the American flag, fuelled his transformation into a cult-like figure- one who believed he was saved by God for a purpose: to lead the nation to promised land of greatness and glory therein. No wonder the Republican Convention which took place soon after, was more of a religious crusade with some in the crowd shedding tears as he narrated his ordeal. The criticism and labelling of Trump may not have earned him votes but it made his base dig in and turn out in large numbers to‘ save their wrongly persecuted saviour’.
Take Home Two: Preaching to the Choir Adds Nothing to the Numbers
By focusing on issues of gender and identity, a very narrow base, Kamala was simply upped the volume of the sermon akin to the preaching to the choir. These people were already in her corner- the Democratic Party has always advanced their cause and provided a safe space for them. To make matters worse it was hurting her campaign for it may have alienated the conservative undecided voters.
What Kamala needed to do was recruit undecided voters in the swing states rather than spend time keeping her base energised. This is akin to a marketing campaign when one is looking to grow market share. The key strategy is to target nonusers while making sure they are not
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