Vice President Kamala Harris will have the same problem as her boss, President Joe Biden, as she seeks to defeat former President Donald Trump in November. Pollster Frank Luntz highlighted this reality recently.
The fact of the matter is that the most effective weapon the right has against Harris’ campaign is comprised of a 10-word question: “Can you name one thing she did as vice president?”
If Trump’s team truly wants to win, they will hammer on that question every day from now until Election Day. Luntz went into detail on this during a new interview broadcast on Friday, in which he argued that personal attacks will not move the needle in this election.
Trump can defeat Harris at the ballot box if he asks voters “can you name one thing she accomplished as Vice President?,” Luntz told FOX 11 Los Angeles’ Elex Michaelson during an appearance on “The Issue Is Show,” which aired Friday. Focusing on Harris’ record, rather than launching personal attacks, will be an effective strategy for beating her in November, he said.
“People don’t like it when politicians attack each other,” Luntz said. “Accountability, yes. Attacks, no.”
When asked what Trump’s word choice should be against Harris, Luntz replied:
“Can you name one thing she did as vice president? And leave it at that. Can you name one thing she accomplished as vice president? Ten words.”
The pollster added: "She was number two in this country. She was given the responsibility for immigration … How's her immigration working out?”
The interviewer pointed out that Harris’ team and the media “would say she was put in charge of investigating the root causes of immigration.”
“And what did she do there?” Luntz responded. “What else did Joe Biden task her to do? In our lifetime, we've seen Dick Cheney, who is arguably as powerful as a president--a vice president--and Joe Biden, when he was vice president, had specific responsibilities under the Obama administration. She did nothing.”
The fact of the matter is that Harris will have to run much the same way Biden would have if he had not dropped out of the race. Since his administration has no significant accomplishments to speak of, the entire campaign will be: “I’m not Trump.”
Yes, it might be cute and funny to reference Harris’ race-switching and former romantic relationships; these avenues of attack are more entertaining than effective. Nobody is going to vote against her because she is biracial and once had a fling with a powerful California politician. It is her record that matters in the end. This is what Trump should be highlighting – especially on the debate stage.
Kamala Harris’ performance as vice president has been absolutely abysmal. This is what Luntz is highlighting. The Biden administration, as a whole, has not done much to address the issues Americans care about the most.
It has failed on the economy, with everyday folks struggling to make ends meet, while trying to afford groceries and other necessities. The border crisis has only worsened, heightening concerns about the folks coming into the country illegally. Crime rates remain disturbingly high. These are the issues Trump should be placing these issues front and center.
In fact, perhaps there is one more question Trump should be asking. He should borrow from Ronald Reagan when he defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?’
The answer to this question is obvious, and is a powerful reminder that Harris won’t do much better than her boss.
