Kamala Harris is everywhere—60 Minutes, The View, late-night talk shows and more. With just 30 days left until the election, is her media blitz the key to winning over voters? We break down her strategy, the public’s reaction and what it could mean for the final stretch.
TRANSCRIPT
Adam (00:00.509): Welcome back to Simplifying the State. I’m Adam Watson.
Nicholas (00:03.373): I’m Nicholas Perrin.
Adam (00:05:764): Today, we’ve got a few things to cover. We’re going to talk about Kamala Harris’ media blitz and the politicization—wait, I can’t say it. Nicholas, you take this one.
Nicholas (00:32.078): Politicization of the hurricane.
Adam (00:35.447): Yeah, that. We’ll discuss that and also Harris possibly distancing herself from President Biden. First up, her media blitz. This week, she’s been all over the place: “60 Minutes,” “The View,” a couple of podcasts—not ours, though.
Nicholas (01:05.528): Boo.
Adam (01:10.447): Can’t have everything, right? She also went on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and Tim Walz was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” With the election just 30 days away, do you think this media push will impact the public perception of Harris? She’s also hosting a town hall tonight.
Adam (01:33.431): Right. Tonight, Thursday, she’s hosting a town hall where she’ll be taking questions. It hasn’t happened yet, but what do you think this means for her campaign?
Nicholas (01:48.13): It’s similar to what she did when she became the Democratic nominee. She’s definitely taking up a lot of media space, which seems to be her strategy. If she dominates the media, people will mostly hear what she wants them to hear, focusing on her strengths.
Adam (02:14.008): Yeah, I get that. If I were running the campaign, I’d want the coverage focused on Harris while letting negative stories about Trump breakthrough. One of Harris’ biggest challenges, according to recent polls, is that many voters don’t know much about her policies. This media blitz seems like an attempt to address that in the final 30 days and gain ground in battleground states.
There’s been mixed feedback. The “60 Minutes” interview got some criticism, especially when she was asked about funding for her economic plan. She mentioned raising taxes on the rich, but some found her response shaky. However, most of the other appearances have been received positively. She even drank a Miller Lite on Colbert, which might be the highlight of the week for her campaign.
Moving on, let’s talk about the politicization of Hurricane Helene. The hurricane hit parts of Florida did significant damage in North Carolina and Georgia, especially rural areas. Trump and the far-right MAGA crowd are accusing the administration of failing to provide relief to these areas. Trump even suggested funds are being withheld from Republican regions. But Georgia’s Republican governor has disputed this, and high-ranking officials have confirmed that FEMA is providing aid. Nicholas, what do you think about this?
Nicholas (05:38.07): It’s in bad taste to use a disaster like this for political gain. I don’t think it’ll have much impact on the election, though. We’re too close to election day for it to change many minds, and most people can see through these false claims.
Adam (06:16.555): Right. Typically, undecided voters make up their minds in the final week or so, depending on what the big national story is at that time. This could be an attempt to make the hurricane the story, but we’re still over a week away, so the timing feels off. Plus, these claims are false. The governors of North Carolina and Georgia have both confirmed that FEMA is providing the necessary aid.
Now, moving on to Harris possibly distancing herself from Biden. She hasn’t publicly said much about this, but there have been signs. For instance, during the unveiling of her economic plan, she took a different stance on the capital gains tax than Biden, advocating for a smaller increase. In her “60 Minutes” interview, she was given a chance to express any regrets about Biden’s policies, but she didn’t take it. What do you think, Nicholas? Could she break with Biden on any major issues?
Nicholas (08:51.948): On Gaza, she’s pretty much aligned with Biden, calling it a humanitarian catastrophe, which mirrors his position. When asked if she would’ve done anything differently from Biden, she said nothing comes to mind. She’s also trying to emphasize that she’s not Biden, which suggests she wants to present herself as distinct, but she’s being vague about what exactly sets her apart.
Adam (09:54.283): Right, she’s definitely pushing the message that she’s not Biden and also not Trump, positioning herself as the candidate of change. That could be a smart strategy since polls show she’s seen as more favorable on the issue of change. The idea is probably to paint herself as the future and Trump as the past. I expect her to continue that message without publicly breaking with Biden on any major issues while still hinting that she has her own vision for the future.
Alright, that’s all for today’s episode of Simplifying the State. Thanks for listening! We’ll be back next week with another episode. Talk to you then!
