{"id":2340049,"date":"2024-09-12T05:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-tries-to-shake-incumbent-label-with-dig-at-trumps-age-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-12T05:34:07","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:34:07","slug":"harris-tries-to-shake-incumbent-label-with-dig-at-trumps-age-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-tries-to-shake-incumbent-label-with-dig-at-trumps-age-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris tries to shake incumbent label with dig at Trump&#8217;s age &#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%2Fharris-tries-to-shake-incumbent-label-with-dig-at-trumps-age-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=2340049&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 a recent debate, Vice President Kamala Harris seeks to redefine her political identity and distance herself from the incumbency associated with President Joe \u200cBiden and former President \u2062Donald\u2064 Trump. By emphasizing her youth and calling \u200dfor a &#8220;new generation of leadership,&#8221;\u2062 Harris aims to position herself as a candidate of change amid growing voter fatigue with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-analyst-runs-through-three-new-polls-warns-viewers-trump-has-a-real-shot-at-beating-biden-in-2024\/\" title=\"CNN analyst highlights three recent polls indicating that Trump has a genuine chance of defeating Biden in 2024.\">current political\u200d landscape<\/a>, particularly regarding issues like inflation and immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s strategy includes a rhetorical separation from Biden and Trump, highlighting the \u2062age difference, which serves as a potential liability for her opponents. With Trump being almost two decades older, Harris is framing herself as a fresh alternative in the race. While \u200dshe acknowledges that her policies may \u2062not significantly differ from Biden\u2019s, her generational perspective is posited as a crucial distinction that could resonate with voters seeking change.<\/p>\n<p>However,\u200d Republicans\u200d are keen to associate her closely with\u200c Biden\u2019s record, emphasizing challenges faced under his administration. They argue that Harris reflects the status quo, making it difficult for her\u2063 to fully shed the incumbent label. As Harris embarks on a &#8220;New Way Forward&#8221; tour in key battleground states,\u2064 her campaign is \u200cfocused on appealing to voters&#8217; \u200cdesires for new leadership \u200crather than returning to past policies.<\/p>\n<p>The dynamics of the race are complicated by Trump&#8217;s attempts to pivot his image \u2062and policies while facing critique related \u2062to his age\u200d and demeanor.\u2063 Ultimately,\u2063 both parties recognize the significance of age and experience in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-morning-joe-flustered-over-poll-showing-voters-trust-trump-more-than-biden-on-key-issues\/\" title=\"Morning Joe in Disarray as Poll Reveals Voters Trust Trump Over Biden on Crucial Matters\">shaping voter perceptions<\/a>, with discussions around competence versus\u200b experience playing a central role in \u200bthe\u200b unfolding electoral\u2063 conversation.  <\/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 tries to shake incumbent label with call for &lsquo;new generation of leadership&rsquo;<\/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_1758731\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> is attempting to use her relative youth to portray former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> as part of the status quo.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>During Tuesday&rsquo;s debate, Harris attempted to differentiate herself from President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a> but also Trump by telling viewers that she offered &ldquo;a new generation of leadership for our country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Clearly I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump,&rdquo; Harris said.<\/p>\n<p>The comment reflected an attempt to distance herself from the policies of her boss, which Republicans have blamed for high inflation and a crisis at the southern border. But it also served to use Trump&rsquo;s age against him. At 78, Trump is almost two decades older than Harris. <\/p>\n<p>For most of the 2024 cycle, concerns over mental acuity were squarely focused on Biden, culminating in a June debate at which he struggled to complete his thoughts. But with Harris now at the top of the ticket, she is attempting to shake the idea that she is the incumbent in the race by making Trump&rsquo;s own age a liability.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Even as her policies may not differ much from Biden&rsquo;s positions, her generational outlook and sensibilities are worlds apart from both Biden and Trump and represent a type of fundamental change in perspectives that will be hard for voters to miss,&rdquo;&nbsp;said Costas&nbsp;Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University.<\/p>\n<p>Harris framing herself as a change candidate is a perceived advantage during an election cycle in which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rogan-democrats-how-rfk-jr-could-still-swing-presidential-election-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Rogan Democrats: How RFK Jr. could still swing presidential election - Washington Examiner\">voters repeatedly told pollsters<\/a> they did not want a rematch between Trump and Biden before the president suspended his campaign in July.<\/p>\n<p>Former U.N. Ambassador <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nikki-haley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Nikki Haley<\/a> attempted to exploit that dynamic during her own Republican primary bid, calling for mental fitness tests for anyone over the age of 75. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) similarly campaigned on Biden&rsquo;s age in the Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are determined to tie Harris to Biden and his record. They have emphasized the role she played in addressing the root causes of illegal immigration. But Harris is attempting to separate herself rhetorically from Biden by running a campaign whose slogan has become &ldquo;not going back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She will embark on a &ldquo;New Way Forward&rdquo; tour through the battleground states this week, appearing in North Carolina on Thursday and Pennsylvania on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is tough being the oldest guy on the stage,&rdquo; said Ed Lee, the director of&nbsp;Emory University&rsquo;s Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue. &ldquo;Unfortunately for Republicans, Trump loses if he acts his age.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has attempted to adapt to Harris&rsquo;s candidacy, in part, by shifting further to the middle on policies including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>abortion access<\/a>. But Republican pollster Ed Goeas doubted the pivot was enough if it did not address his image.<\/p>\n<p>Strategists consider Trump&rsquo;s age something Harris can exploit, but she is also tapping into the same sort of exhaustion Biden attempted to leverage during his 2020 campaign. He cited Trump&rsquo;s rhetoric as president and promised a return to &ldquo;normalcy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He had to show some differences from before, but he needed to show it personality-wise, not issue-wise,&rdquo; Goeas said of Trump. &ldquo;I question whether it&rsquo;s going to work without having a way to appeal to those voters who say, &lsquo;I like his policies, but I don&rsquo;t like his personality.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Republicans like Vance Patrick, the chairman of the Oakland Republican Party in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Michigan<\/a>, argued the election is &ldquo;not about age&rdquo; but &ldquo;competence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris has proven to be just as incompetent and ineffective as Joe Biden,&rdquo; Patrick told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Kamala hides from the press and hasn&rsquo;t sat down for a one-on-one interview because her advisers know she&rsquo;s incapable of defending her failed record.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican National Committee<\/a> used the same language, with RNC spokeswoman Anna Kelly adding that not only does Harris &ldquo;own the last 3 1\/2 years of failure, but she adopted Biden&rsquo;s weak, failed policies as her own.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans believe one of Trump&rsquo;s best moments during the debate was his closing statement, in which he asked Harris why she had not already done &ldquo;all these wonderful things&rdquo; that she is promising to do during Biden&rsquo;s term in office.<\/p>\n<p>To Republican strategist Cesar Conda, this was Trump arguing Harris is the &ldquo;status quo&rdquo; candidate when an average of 60% of voters consider the country to be heading in the wrong direction, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/state-of-the-union\/direction-of-country\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>RealClearPolitics<\/em><\/a>. Only 30% consider it to be on the right track.<\/p>\n<p>But Trump disappointed Republicans who believe he did not adequately tie Harris to Biden or the progressive views she held during her 2020 run for president. <\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Tom Pauken, the former chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Texas<\/a> Republican Party, expressed concern that Trump was focusing on Biden in ways that were counterproductive. The former president continues to dwell on his exit from the 2024 race, including at the debate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Biden&rsquo;s not the candidate,&rdquo; Pauken, a onetime aide to President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ronald-reagan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ronald Reagan<\/a>, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Trump has got to get his mind set on Kamala Harris and away from his grudge match with Joe Biden.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, Republican strategist Alex Conant said Trump risks diluting his populist, anti-establishment message if he does not contrast his agenda with Harris&rsquo;s vice presidency.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He said the thrust of Trump&rsquo;s message needs to be: &ldquo;If you like the way things are going in this country, elect the vice president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do think that there&rsquo;s a missed opportunity in terms of the core of his appeal, you know, his railing against D.C. elites and the establishment and draining the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/the-swamp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>swamp<\/a>,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That appeals to disaffected Democrats, to independents, to populists, and it&rsquo;s authentic to Trump.&rdquo;<\/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_1758731\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1758731\"}});<\/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>Vice President Kamala Harris is leveraging her youth to position former President Donald Trump as a representative of the status quo. In Tuesday&#8217;s debate, she sought to distinguish herself from both President Joe Biden and Trump by asserting that she represents &#8220;a new generation of leadership for our country.&#8221; Harris stated, &#8220;Clearly I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump,&#8221; indicating her desire to distance herself from the policies associated with Biden, which Republicans have criticized for contributing to high inflation and issues at the southern border. Additionally, she aims to use Trump&#8217;s age\u2014he is 78\u2014to her advantage; he is nearly two decades older than her.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout much of the 2024 election cycle, concerns about mental sharpness were primarily directed at Biden, especially after a June debate where he struggled with his thoughts. Now that Harris is leading the ticket, she seeks to redefine perceptions by framing Trump&#8217;s age as a disadvantage. Political science professor Costas Panagopoulos noted that while Harris&#8217;s policies may align closely with Biden\u2019s, her generational perspective sets her apart from both him and Trump in ways voters are likely to notice.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s positioning as a candidate for change could be beneficial in an election cycle where many voters expressed disinterest in a rematch between Trump and Biden before the latter suspended his campaign in July. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has also tried to capitalize on this sentiment during her Republican primary campaign by advocating for mental fitness tests for individuals over 75 years old.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are keen on linking Harris with Biden\u2019s record and highlighting her involvement in addressing illegal immigration issues. However, she aims to rhetorically separate herself from him through slogans like \u201cnot going back.\u201d This week, she will kick off a \u201cNew Way Forward\u201d tour across battleground states starting in North Carolina on Thursday and Pennsylvania on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Ed Lee from Emory University remarked that being the oldest person on stage poses challenges for candidates like Trump. He added that if Trump behaves according to his age expectations, it could work against him politically.<\/p>\n<p>In response to Harris\u2019s candidacy shifts towards more centrist positions\u2014including abortion access\u2014Trump has attempted some policy adjustments but faces skepticism regarding whether these changes can effectively reshape his image without addressing voter concerns about personality versus policy preferences.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, some Republicans argue that competence rather than age should be central in this election discourse; Patrick Vance of Michigan&#8217;s Oakland Republican Party criticized Harris as equally ineffective as Biden due largely to what he perceives as avoidance of media scrutiny regarding their records.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican National Committee echoed similar sentiments about accountability concerning failures during their administration under Biden\u2019s leadership while questioning why Harris hasn\u2019t already implemented promised initiatives during his presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Despite efforts made by Republicans during debates aimed at connecting Harris directly with progressive views held previously or current dissatisfaction among voters regarding national direction (with only 30% believing things are headed positively), there remains concern among strategists like Tom Pauken who believe focusing too heavily on past grievances against Biden might detract attention away from effectively challenging Kamala moving forward into future campaigns<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2340050,"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\/harris-biden-new-york-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4021,40712,32504,40713,32076],"class_list":["post-2340049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-harris","tag-incumbent-label","tag-political-strategy","tag-trumps-age","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/harris-biden-new-york-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340049","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\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}