{"id":2338664,"date":"2024-09-09T11:10:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T15:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harriss-basement-strategy-has-not-helped-her-electability-kaylee-mcghee-white-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-09T11:11:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T15:11:51","slug":"harriss-basement-strategy-has-not-helped-her-electability-kaylee-mcghee-white-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harriss-basement-strategy-has-not-helped-her-electability-kaylee-mcghee-white-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris\u2019s \u2018basement strategy\u2019 has not helped her electability: Kaylee McGhee White &#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%2Fharriss-basement-strategy-has-not-helped-her-electability-kaylee-mcghee-white-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=2338664&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>In an article by Kaylee McGhee White, the author critiques Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s campaign strategy, which has been termed her &#8220;basement strategy,&#8221; suggesting it has negatively impacted her electability as the 2024 presidential race heats up. White points out that Harris has largely \u2062shunned the media, participating in minimal interviews since announcing her candidacy, which she argues is an attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/daily-feed-11-28-23\/\" title=\"Daily Feed 11\/28\/23: Latest news\">evade difficult questions<\/a>\u2063 about her record and policy inconsistencies. Polling data \u2062indicates \u200cHarris is losing support in key\u2064 battleground states, and White \u2063believes \u200cher\u2062 media avoidance has backfired. Additionally, she emphasizes \u200dthe importance of the upcoming debate for Harris to improve her public image since she&#8217;ll face tough questions without the protective barriers she has previously relied on. The article suggests that \u200cHarris will likely resort to criticizing former President Trump, whom she has previously\u200b labeled as a &#8220;convicted \u2062felon,&#8221; during \u2062the debate.  <\/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\">Harris&rsquo;s &lsquo;basement strategy&rsquo; has not helped her electability: Kaylee McGhee White<\/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_1756314\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/kaylee-mcghee-white\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kaylee McGhee White<\/a> argued that Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris&rsquo;s<\/a> &ldquo;basement strategy&rdquo; has not helped her ahead of the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/debates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>debate<\/a> as new polling has indicated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3146898\/trump-receives-pre-debate-polling-boost-in-battleground-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>she is losing ground in several battleground states<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Since joining the 2024 presidential race in July, Harris has largely avoided the press while on the campaign trail, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3139436\/four-campaign-strategies-harris-cnn-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>only doing one interview<\/a> with her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), last month. White, the Restoring America editor for the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, argued last week that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3141483\/harris-strategy-avoid-hard-questions-about-record-kaylee-mcghee-white\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>this was part of her strategy to &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-strategy-is-avoid-hard-questions-about-her-record-kaylee-mcghee-white-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Harris strategy is \u2018avoid hard questions\u2019 about her record: Kaylee McGhee White - Washington Examiner\">avoid hard questions&#038;rdquo<\/a>;<\/a> and that this strategy has borne little fruit in her presidential bid.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Remember, she&rsquo;s avoided the press this long in the hopes of avoiding tough questions about her past record,&rdquo; White said on Fox News&rsquo;s <em>Fox &amp; Friends First<\/em>. &ldquo;She doesn&rsquo;t want to have to explain her policy flip-flops. And, of course, at the DNC, you had several major Democratic figures get up on that stage and try to portray Kamala Harris as the change agent despite her record being tied with President Joe Biden&rsquo;s. This strategy has not worked at all, and these polls simply confirm that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 640px; max-height: 360px; min-width: 320px; min-height: 180px; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; width: 100%; padding-top: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/share.grabien.com\/share.php?id=2584534&amp;userid=11311&amp;loginid=9421&amp;playercolor=%23000000&amp;playersize=auto&amp;code=d294a133732b1c3b32b35999d443f697\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0px;\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>White added that by avoiding the press ahead of the debate, Harris has &ldquo;raised the stakes for herself&rdquo; due to how she will be forced to answer questions alongside former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> directly from the press. She also contended that the debate is an important chance for Harris to make &ldquo;a better impression&rdquo; of herself than she has in this presidential race.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the debate itself, White predicted that it is a question of when, not if, Harris will refer to Trump as a &ldquo;convicted felon&rdquo; as the vice president has &ldquo;always done better&rdquo; when she is asking the questions. Prior to the debate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3143804\/kamala-harris-accepts-rules-abc-trump-debate-including-muted-mics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Harris&rsquo;s campaign had fought to change the debate&rsquo;s rules<\/a> to have microphones live throughout the debate&rsquo;s entirety, rather than using the muted microphone strategy that CNN used.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Those rules have not been changed, though. She will be dealing with muted mics, which means that she is going to have to be the one to answer questions,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;She is going to have to explain her policy flip-flops, and as we know, she has tried to avoid doing so.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last month, sports journalist Stephen A. Smith argued that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3121369\/stephen-a-smith-asks-why-harris-wont-stand-on-her-record-whats-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Harris needs to &ldquo;stand on&rdquo; her record<\/a> and encouraged her to talk with the press about her sudden change in policies. He also expressed a desire to know how much Harris knew about President Joe Biden&rsquo;s cognitive decline, as these are &ldquo;legitimate questions&rdquo; for a presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p>According to the newest&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/09\/08\/us\/politics\/trump-and-harris-times-siena-poll.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">poll<\/a> from the <em>New York Times<\/em> and Siena College, conducted between Tuesday and Friday, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-receives-pre-debate-polling-boost-in-battleground-states-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump receives pre-debate polling boost in battleground states - Washington Examiner\">pre-debate polling boost<\/a> that Trump received over the weekend put him up slightly over Harris by 1 percentage point &mdash;&nbsp;a result that is within the margin of error of 2.8 points. Tuesday night&rsquo;s debate could tip the scale in the favor of either candidate since 28% of likely voters said they needed to know more about Harris, while 9% said the same about Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\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_1756314\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1756314\"}});<\/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>Kaylee McGhee White contended that Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s &#8220;basement strategy&#8221; has not improved her chances of being elected, especially with new polls showing her losing support in key battleground states. Since entering the 2024 presidential race in July, Harris has mostly steered clear of the media while campaigning, having only participated in one interview with her running mate, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), last month. White, who is the Restoring America editor for the Washington Examiner, suggested that this approach was intended to help Harris dodge difficult questions about her past record and has yielded little success in her campaign. On Fox News\u2019s Fox &amp; Friends First, she stated, \u201cShe\u2019s avoided the press for this long to escape tough inquiries regarding her history.\u201d White pointed out that at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), several prominent Democrats attempted to present Harris as a transformative figure despite her close association with President Joe Biden&#8217;s record. She emphasized that this tactic has failed and is reflected in current polling data.<\/p>\n<p>White also noted that by not engaging with the press before the debate, Harris has &#8220;raised the stakes&#8221; for herself since she will have to respond directly to questions from reporters alongside former President Donald Trump. She argued that this debate presents a crucial opportunity for Harris to improve how she is perceived during this election cycle. Regarding what might happen during the debate itself, White speculated it was only a matter of time before Harris labels Trump as a &#8220;convicted felon,&#8221; suggesting she performs better when posing questions rather than answering them.<\/p>\n<p>Before the debate takes place, Harris&#8217;s campaign sought changes to ensure microphones would remain live throughout instead of using CNN&#8217;s muted microphone approach; however, those rules were not altered. As a result, White remarked that Harris would face muted mics and would need to address inquiries about her policy inconsistencies\u2014something she&#8217;s previously tried to avoid discussing.<\/p>\n<p>Last month sports journalist Stephen A. Smith urged Harris to take ownership of her record and engage more openly with journalists regarding any shifts in policy positions. He also raised concerns about how much she knew regarding President Biden\u2019s cognitive decline\u2014questions he deemed appropriate for any presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p>According to recent polling from The New York Times and Siena College conducted between Tuesday and Friday prior to an upcoming debate on Tuesday night\u2014which could sway voter opinions\u2014Trump had gained a slight edge over Harris by 1 percentage point within a margin of error of 2.8 points; notably 28% of likely voters expressed they needed more information about Harris compared to just 9% who felt similarly about Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2632,"featured_media":2338665,"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\/09\/Kamala-Harris-and-Trump-scaled-1024x680.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[40468,10675,4021,33560,32076],"class_list":["post-2338664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-basement-strategy","tag-electability","tag-harris","tag-kaylee-mcghee-white","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Kamala-Harris-and-Trump-scaled-1024x680.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338664","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\/2632"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2338664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2338664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2338665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2338664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2338664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2338664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}