THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF THE CAMPAIGN, AND KAMALA HARRIS FLUBBED IT. It’s clear that Democrats and their allies in the press are euphoric over what they see as Vice President Kamala Harris‘s overwhelming victory over former President Donald Trump in the first and possibly only presidential debate. But at the same time, there is a morning-after sense that Harris, buoyed as always by celebratory media coverage, did not really shine when it came to the most important issue of the 2024 election.

It’s the economy, of course. Polls have consistently shown that voters do not give Harris high marks on the question of whether they have confidence in her ability to handle the economy. They think Trump would do a better job. And they rate the economy, specifically inflation and the general question of affordability, as the most urgent matter facing the country today.