Finally, a chance to unite my cultural and political writing directly.
Vice President and sudden DNC candidate for president Kamala Harris is experiencing an understandable bump in popularity.
Like the shiny new object you overnighted from Amazon, the initial rush of receiving something new is exciting, and you can't wait to experience life with this new doodad. However, you soon realize that this thing isn't as useful or convenient as you thought it would be, and it's not even as well-made as you'd hoped. It's cheaply made, probably with the help of China, and after using it a couple of times, you set it somewhere out of sight, never to use it again until you feel enough time has passed that you can justify throwing it away.
Harris is going through something like this, but as fun as that Amazon comparison was, there's a much better one, and that comes in the form of Disney Star Wars.
Kamala Harris is the Disney Star Wars candidate. This was a point that was made quite eloquently by a user on X.
Kamala is getting the type of hype Star Wars shows get right before the audience gives them a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes https://t.co/dVSW11pA1l
— Magills (@magills_) July 23, 2024
Allow me to explain.
Star Wars is one of those brands that was so wildly popular thanks to the first three films that it became a cultural mainstay. Even now, the "Star Wars" name carries some heft to it and that, despite the abuse and mismanagement, is still talked about and covered whenever a release happens. The issue is that, as "The Acolyte" proved, most of that coverage is negative.
(READ: The Numbers Are in for Star Wars 'The Acolyte' and Disney Isn't Going to Be Happy)
Typically, with these releases, you see a sudden jump in initial popularity followed by a tremendous drop the following week. This is usually due to word of mouth getting around that the film or show is garbage and that their friends and family should just skip dedicating any time to it. Once the audience scores begin to dip on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, people just walk away completely. The more bad reviews with every Star Wars release, the fewer people return.
How does this relate to Harris?
As I write this, Harris's popularity is on the upswing. The public has short-term memories or no memory of Harris at all from the 2020 elections. They forget or didn't know that she was very popular during the Democrat Party primaries initially during that election cycle. Yet, amid all the hype and fame, one voice pointed out that Harris was actually a horrible candidate and pointed to her time as Attorney General of California. Then-Hawaii representative and candidate Tulsi Gabbard famously (or infamously if you're working in the DNC) torpedoed Harris's entire campaign in just a few minutes.
Harris would lose her popularity and the support of Democrats all over the nation, including the black community. Soon, she was forced to drop out due to lack of support and funding. She was cooked, but thanks to various leftist groups threatening Biden to pick a woman of color for his VP or else, she was brought back into the spotlight.
During her time as VP, Harris didn't exactly improve her popularity. In fact, her disapproval rating started high at 48.1 percent approval to 37.4 percent disapproval, according to 538. Fast-forward to today, and Harris has a 51.4 percent disapproval to 37.8 percent approval.
As people got to know her better, they soured on her. The excitement of having the first female VP wore off fast. Her actions spoke louder than her identity.
Again, Harris might see a bump in popularity over the announcement. Democrat voters might have a shiny new candidate to admire, but let's face facts: Kamala Harris has a Kamala Harris problem. She's awkward, unlikable, has a messed up history, a 98 percent staff turnover, and is so radical that she makes moderate Democrats look like staunch Republicans.
If I was a betting man, I'd put my money on Harris experiencing the Disney dip. Initial excitement and attention...a steep drop in popularity soon after. The force is not with her.
