{"id":2318052,"date":"2024-08-02T07:36:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T11:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/basement-blitz-harris-borrows-one-tactic-from-biden-another-from-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-02T07:43:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T11:43:10","slug":"basement-blitz-harris-borrows-one-tactic-from-biden-another-from-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/basement-blitz-harris-borrows-one-tactic-from-biden-another-from-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Basement blitz: Harris borrows one tactic from Biden, another from Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbasement-blitz-harris-borrows-one-tactic-from-biden-another-from-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2318052&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article\u200c discusses Kamala\u200c Harris&#8217;s presidential\u2062 campaign strategy as \u200dshe aims to win voters by presenting herself as a \u200dchange from the unpopular \u2064presidencies \u2062of Donald \u2063Trump and Joe\u200b Biden. Harris combines aspects of Trump\u2019s media-savvy, aggressive campaigning with Biden\u2019s more cautious approach, particularly in managing difficult public appearances. While\u200c she benefits from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-warms-up-with-newsom-debate-before-main-event-with-haley\/\" title=\"DeSantis preps with Newsom debate ahead of main event with Haley\">positive\u2062 media coverage<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-endorses-mike-pences-brother-without-mentioning-ex-vp\/\" title=\"Trump Endorses Mike Pence\u2019s Brother Without Mentioning Ex-VP\">high-profile endorsements<\/a>, she also faces the challenge of overcoming her previous gaffes and\u200d the negative perceptions from her past political \u200crecord.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s campaign\u200b relies on a shorter \u2062timeline, needing to navigate from summer to November while managing her visibility and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/queen-elizabeth-ii-death-leads-to-surprise-harry-and-meghan-william-and-kate-reunion\/\" title=\"Queen Elizabeth II death leads to surprise Harry and Meghan, William and Kate reunion\">public interactions<\/a> to avoid missteps. Although\u2062 her activism\u2064 brings energy\u200c to her\u2062 rallies, \u200dthere are concerns about her ability to handle tough questioning without sticking\u2062 closely to a scripted\u2064 format. Comparatively, her\u2062 communication skills are seen as more effective than Biden\u2019s, but often less spontaneous than Trump&#8217;s.\u200b <\/p>\n<p>Republican\u2062 critics argue that the media is protecting Harris by not scrutinizing her past decisions, and \u2062they anticipate that\u200c the Trump campaign will \u200bhighlight her previous mistakes to sway voters.\u200d The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cuomo-told-aide-he-would-try-to-mount-her-report-claims\/\" title=\"Cuomo Told Aide He Would Try To \u2018Mount\u2019 Her, Report Claims\">article concludes<\/a> that while Harris has advantages in her campaign style and energy, the upcoming\u200c election will\u200b test her ability to confront\u200c her past and articulate clear \u2062positions\u200d to \u200bearn voter trust.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Basement blitz: Harris borrows one tactic from Biden, another from Trump<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1720017\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>If Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> wins the top job, it will be because she can convince voters she represents a change from the last two unpopular presidents.<\/p>\n<p>But Harris&rsquo;s current campaign strategy is a fusion of the contrasting approaches that won former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> and President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Harris is flooding the zone with free media like Trump in 2016 while at the same time relying on Biden&rsquo;s &ldquo;basement&rdquo; strategy when it comes to tough interviews or unscripted moments.<\/p>\n<p>In a truncated campaign, Democrats hope this will be enough to get her across the finish line. Harris doesn&rsquo;t have to last 18 months like a normal presidential candidate. She just has to make it from the rest of the summer to November, with early voting starting in multiple battleground states before that.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris is highly given to gaffes,&rdquo; Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ted-cruz\/\">Ted Cruz<\/a> (R-TX) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;So I expect over the next 100 days for them to lock her in the basement as they&rsquo;ve done to Joe Biden for the last five years. To very tightly script every word that comes out of her mouth, put it on her teleprompter and to create an artificial candidate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Biden in 2020, however, Harris will keep an active campaign schedule. When she rolls out her running mate early next week, they will fan out across multiple swing states. She has brought new energy to Democratic campaign rallies, giving some that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3105745\/democrats-compare-obama-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>old Obama 2008 feeling<\/a>. The media coverage, which became unusually adversarial toward the Democrats in the weeks between Biden&rsquo;s bad debate performance on June 27 and his eventual withdrawal from the race, has become unrelentingly positive. Top entertainers and celebrities have rallied to Harris&rsquo;s side.<\/p>\n<p>While Harris has raised a lot of money, she is getting a great deal of her exposure for free,&nbsp;much like Trump in 2016, but without the hostility.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The media is doing all her work for her,&rdquo; Republican pollster Brent Buchanan told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Trump is having to spend money to counteract that. In a Biden versus Trump race, ads weren&rsquo;t going to be very important. Now they matter a whole lot.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Harris is a more effective and energetic communicator than an aging Biden, who at 81 has slipped in his ability to even read teleprompter speeches. She is also a more disciplined communicator than Trump, who often speaks extemporaneously and can veer off-script in dangerous ways.<\/p>\n<p>But most of Harris&rsquo;s gaffes have come in contentious interviews or debates. She also could face tough questions about the wholesale abandonment of her 2019-20 campaign platform as she reboots &mdash;&nbsp;if she is ever put in the position where she must answer them. Because no one is concerned about Harris&rsquo;s age or mental acuity, there is not the same political downside to ducking such encounters.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The media and the campaign are desperately trying to run away from her record whether it is her disastrous failure as the border czar or her being ranked by the nonpartisan trackers as the single most liberal senator in the United States Senate,&rdquo; Cruz said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris has never run a real general election campaign,&rdquo; Buchanan said, noting the leftward tilt of the California electorate &ldquo;even compared to New York state.&rdquo; Even there, Harris won her first California attorney general&rsquo;s race in 2010 by less than 1 point over Republican Steve Cooley.<\/p>\n<p>A carefully stage-managed campaign augmented by fawning press coverage could maximize Harris&rsquo;s assets and minimize the public exposure of her liabilities. Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whistleblower-democrats-stole-votes-for-joe-biden-from-every-developmentally-disabled-person-in-milwaukee-homes-she-spoke-with\/\" title=\"Whistleblower: Democrats Stole Votes for Joe Biden from Every Developmentally Disabled Person in Milwaukee Homes She Spoke With\">couldn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t do the kinds of rallies Harris can because of his deficits and then couldn&rsquo;t hide from them anymore after the debate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In a change election people are willing to vote for the unknown over the disliked known,&rdquo; Buchanan said. &ldquo;In 2020, the dude I don&rsquo;t know much about in the basement seemed like a safer, calmer choice than the guy in the White House.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The key for the Trump campaign is to remind voters why they disliked Harris in the first place and make the unknowns known.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They have to educate voters about her positioning as they define her,&rdquo; Republican pollster Neil Newhouse told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;For most voters, this will be new information and will need to be credentialed and repeated often.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>This is why tying Harris to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Biden administration<\/a>, reminding voters she has often been to her boss&rsquo;s left on major issues, and pointing out the extent of her flip-flops since ascending to the top of the ticket is crucial.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is clearly not the race anyone was expecting or had planned for,&rdquo; Newhouse said. &ldquo;That increases the degree of difficulty for the Trump campaign. After all, they have spent the last two years plus preparing for a run against President Biden.&nbsp;The Trump campaign is extremely capable, but it takes time to make the pivot to running against Harris.&nbsp;While she&rsquo;s been an integral part of the Biden administration and can be saddled with many of the administration&rsquo;s negatives, she&rsquo;s clearly not Joe Biden.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>For many Democrats, that&rsquo;s good enough.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1720017\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1720017\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Basement Strategy: Harris Combines Tactics from Biden and Trump**<\/p>\n<p>If Vice President Kamala Harris secures the presidency, it will hinge on her ability to persuade voters that she embodies a departure from the two previous unpopular administrations. Her campaign strategy merges elements from both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden&#8217;s successful approaches. Like Trump in 2016, Harris is generating significant free media coverage while also adopting Biden\u2019s \u201cbasement\u201d tactic for handling challenging interviews or unscripted situations. With a shortened campaign timeline, Democrats are optimistic this strategy will be sufficient to propel her forward. Unlike typical presidential candidates who must endure an 18-month race, Harris only needs to navigate the upcoming months until November when early voting begins in key battleground states.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) remarked that due to Harris&#8217;s propensity for gaffes, he anticipates her being kept under tight control similar to how Biden was managed over the past five years\u2014scripted closely and limited in public exposure. However, unlike Biden\u2019s 2020 campaign, Harris plans to maintain an active schedule as she introduces her running mate next week and travels across various swing states. She has reinvigorated Democratic rallies with energy reminiscent of Obama\u2019s 2008 campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Media coverage has shifted positively towards her after initially being critical during a rough patch for Biden earlier this summer. High-profile entertainers have rallied around her as well; although she has raised substantial funds, much of her visibility comes at no cost\u2014similar to Trump&#8217;s experience in 2016 but without the negative press.<\/p>\n<p>Republican pollster Brent Buchanan noted that while Trump had to counteract unfavorable media narratives with paid advertising during his race against Biden, now ads are crucial again due to favorable coverage of Harris. Compared to an aging Biden who struggles with teleprompter speeches at age 81, Harris is seen as a more dynamic communicator; however, she tends toward gaffes during contentious interviews or debates.<\/p>\n<p>As she repositions herself away from her previous platform from the last election cycle\u2014a move that could invite tough questions\u2014there seems less political risk associated with avoiding such encounters since concerns about age or mental fitness do not apply here.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz pointed out that both media and campaigns appear eager to distance themselves from aspects of Harris&#8217;s record\u2014including perceived failures regarding border issues and being labeled one of the most liberal senators by nonpartisan groups. Buchanan added that despite winning elections in California by narrow margins previously\u2014even against Republican Steve Cooley\u2014Harris has never run a genuine general election campaign outside California&#8217;s left-leaning electorate.<\/p>\n<p>A carefully orchestrated campaign supported by favorable press could help highlight her strengths while downplaying weaknesses\u2014a contrast not available for Biden due to his limitations which became evident post-debate performance.<\/p>\n<p>Buchanan emphasized that voters may prefer an unknown candidate over one they dislike during change elections; thus far removed from their prior knowledge about candidates can influence perceptions significantly.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge for Trump&#8217;s team lies in reminding voters why they were initially skeptical of Harris while making sure any unknowns about her become clear through consistent messaging about how closely tied she is with the current administration\u2014and highlighting any shifts in stance since taking on higher responsibilities within it.<\/p>\n<p>Newhouse acknowledged this unexpected race complicates matters for Trump&#8217;s team who have been preparing primarily against President Biden rather than adapting strategies specifically targeting Kamala Harris\u2014even though she&#8217;s been part of many administration decisions which carry their own baggage; ultimately many Democrats may find this distinction acceptable enough<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2318053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/kamala-harris-strategy.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[36988,3620,4021,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2318052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-basement-blitz","tag-biden","tag-harris","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/kamala-harris-strategy.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2318052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2318053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2318052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2318052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2318052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}