Harris' campaign plans to ramp up its negative messaging against Trump

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Oct. 4, 2024, 5:17 PM EDT / Updated Oct. 4, 2024, 8:32 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is planning to more aggressively attack former President Donald Trump in the remaining weeks ahead of the November election, a new phase aimed at trying to move the small number of undecided voters her way, according to five Harris campaign officials.

The change is driven, in part, by internal campaign data showing that sharper messaging against Trump could persuade some still-unsure Americans to support Harris, according to three of the campaign officials. The effort is set to include new ads and harsher language on the campaign trail that highlights Trump’s past actions and rhetoric that Harris officials hope will tip these voters away from backing the former president.

“We are going to draw more contrasts everywhere we can,” Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said in an interview. Given Trump’s own rhetoric in the campaign, Richmond added, “I don’t think there’s any expectation that you criticize him with kid gloves.”

Leaning more heavily into negative campaigning is a strategic shift for Harris. While she has routinely been critical of Trump since becoming a candidate in July, and before that as President Joe Biden’s running mate, much of her campaign’s focus has been on defining her and explaining her record to voters.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/harris-campaign-plans-ramp-negative-messaging-trump-rcna174039

[Walleye]

1. How about this: would you let this man rape your daughter or grab her pussy?

[-misanthroptimist]

2. Honestly...

I think that that largely is a waste of money. Virtually everyone knows Trump is a POS.

I think that positive ads about policy will do Harris more good. Give undecided voters something to vote for rather than against. Of course, I don't have access to the forests of data that the campaign is looking at, but that's my feeling.

[Blue_Roses]

13. In a "normal" election

this would make sense. But, with Trump, we're not dealing with normal. People are becoming so used to negative rhetoric that it seems that's all they respond to...which is very sad.

[LymphocyteLover]

3. Excellent! I was just thinking when I woke up about how I'm not really hearing anything about his endless crimes

and what a scumball he is from the campaign. Like the classified documents case was incredibly serious and showed blatant crimes, but has been basically ignored this campaign.

I do think they need to light a fire under a bunch of folks about how horrible dump is who don't marinate in it like we do

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The campaign messaging actually did focus on his crimes at the outset

The "Prosecutor vs Felon" theme.

Then the media started whining about "What are her plans?" and there was a pivot. Then they started whining about "But we don't know anything about her!111!!!!" and on and on.

Literally almost ALL of the PACs that support her have been trashing him bigly, and being in PA, I have seen those ads first hand!

So I am guessing they are talking about her actual campaign's ads going down that road more.

[LymphocyteLover]

7. True... and I look forward to more ads trashing that evil POS in the next month

[BumRushDaShow]

9. The stuff that George Conway put out yesterday was hilarious!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143317449

[hlthe2b]

4. I hope they realize that they have to equally go after Vance. The Trump campaign is clearly more than happy to have

voters concerned about TSF's chaos think that Vance will ultimately be President...Vance's sociopathic ability to lie while appearing reasonable is a problem if not addressed.

[dalton99a]

6. It is long overdue.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. Dems have usually avoided a lot of negative ads

Because negative ads normally turn off voters and suppresses the vote. Normally

But we are not in normal times. Today, the other side never stops with the negative ads and there was rarely an answer back from the Dems. Since people who are turned off by negative ads are already turned off thanks to the GOP, responding back in the same manner won't suppress the vote anymore or less.

Allowing your opponent to denigrate you without responding back shows weakness to some voters. It shows that the candidate may not fight for your political ideals, or not fight to maintain his win when Trump challenges it.

In normal times when a fascist is NOT running to be dictator of the US and wants to throw out the US Constitution, doing positive ads is the way to go.

But now, when we have a Nazi style GOP, you can not constantly avoided negative ads because calling out what they truly are IS a negative ad. Just describing them is negative. And voters need to hear their real description.

I had to edit to add this in. In normal times the corporate media would describe realistically what both parties are doing. But in today's media landscape, describing Trump with all his sexual allegations, pedophile tendencies, convictions, civil court judgements, contradictory pledges to end democracy and obvious mental issues is rarely done. The corporate media avoids describe accurately what Trump has done or says.

The left is lambasted and accused by the media as failures while they never provide a full accounting of the other sides crimes and mental collapse.

If the Dems don't go negative very few people will get the full information on all of Trump's crimes and mental problems.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. As I mentioned upthread, the Harris-supporting PACs have gone ballistically negative

Anyone who is living in the swing states where ads are playing have seen it.

I think that was the strategy - let the PACs get in the dirt and use the campaign's time to promote the policies along with doing some "digs" at the opposition enough to show a "contrast" and "the danger" of picking the GOP.

When going "dirty" without care, there is the danger of an overzealous and frustrated RW-owned mainstream media to "fact check" the ad relentlessly. I.e., they essentially use their power (and "barrels of ink" ) of 24/7/365 repetition to neutralize the Democratic Party ads on the GOP's behalf, something they won't do against the GOP ads, simply tossing off the meaningless phrases "said without evidence" or "falsely claimed", as the furthest that they are willing to go to refute the GOP lies.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

11. Good. And do it largely in her own words to give message that this is a person of strength who can

stand up to bullies and two bit dictators around the world. Excerpts from acceptance speech and debate are good!! Remember there are people who dont hear NPR or ANY sort of left leaning/center media and havent heard ANY KH speeches but WILL hear these in your face ads on TV, radio, and online streaming services. We who post on DU may have heard several times such famous Kamala lines as "Hear me when I say - I know Donald Trumps type" but lots of these folks havent! It's a classic!!!! Get all that good stuff out there!

[kimbutgar]

12. Excellent idea

Show them who he really is by his own words!