The Russia conspiracy theory is off the table and the economy is roaring. That leaves Democrats with just one cohesive issue to run on in 2020: their visceral distaste for President Trump.
Outside of that, there isn’t one theme, policy, or slogan among the 20-plus Democrats running for the nomination that’s inspiring any particular set of voters.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is “trying to reset her campaign by taking on Trump.” She committed to that reset at an NAACP event on Sunday, boldly declaring in Johnnie Cochran-like cadence that “This president isn’t trying to make America great, he’s trying to make America hate.”
The Times said that Harris in recent days has seen “the value of elevating her voice of opposition to the president and seeking direct confrontation with the White House.”
That’s her moment of clarity? When Republicans ran against then-President Obama in 2012, at least there were major policy areas that animated their opposition: Obamacare, the droopy economy, and Obama’s tepid approach to Islamic terrorism.
For Democrats, if it’s not a personal campaign against Trump, it’s nothing.
Joe Biden launched his campaign not with an upbeat narrative about continuing the Obama legacy (I wonder why), but by rehashing the media lie about Charlottesville and casting his campaign as a “battle for the soul of America.” He repeated that hammy line at a rally thereafter, undoubtedly praying that it would stick.
Beto O’Rourke was all but forgotten until Sunday, when he said Democrats’ favorite word: “Impeach.” Immediately thereafter, though, he was back to obscurity.
Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend, Ind., mayor who believes in God and wants to make sure everybody is really, really aware of it, has an adoring media beneath his wings, but he’s never offered a reason for running. His most remarkable moment to date has been his one-sided fight with Vice President Mike Pence about being gay. Ah, yes, the grievance card. Always a crowd-pleaser in the party ruled by the twisted logic of intersectionality.
Buttigieg has admitted he’s not really about ideas at the moment. During a CNN town hall forum in late April, Anderson Cooper told him it was difficult to contrast his policy views with the other candidates because it’s unclear what they are. Buttigieg said his focus right now is introducing his “values” (and also, his website wasn’t ready yet for policy rollouts).
Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are really giving it a go at convincing voters that the economy right now isn’t working for everyone, singing their golden oldies on free healthcare and free college tuition. Good luck with that — they’re both double digits behind Biden.
And poor Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. She has the right idea about her party, but she is just a little too desperate. On Sunday, she posted a video to her Facebook page of a man dressed in drag, thanking her for “sitting with a queer person, talking about queer issues.” The day before that, she pledged that if elected, “someone with disabilities” would be in her Cabinet. She is polling at less than 1% in the RealClearPolitics national average.
Democrats are dried out on popular ideas. The party is in a crisis, and they all know it.
