The Democratic National Convention is over, but how about Kamala Harris’ honeymoon?
Election campaigns are about drawing the lines of distinction, and Donald Trump and
Republicans better get their act together if they are serious about winning the election.
In my experience as a political advisor during the past seventeen years, I have witnessed repeatedly that the more honest one is in communicating differences between candidates, the more effective a communication strategy is. In other words, Republicans should not attack Harris for something that she can easily deny such as not being black, for example. There is no question that she has Jamaican and Indian roots.
Instead, Donald Trump and Republicans should highlight a point or position she truly stands for but that is unpopular with voters. As a hint, Harris is obviously part of the Biden/Harris administration, and in every poll I have seen a majority of voters disapprove of the job Joe Biden does and think that the country is headed into the wrong direction.
This is not the only reason why a candidate like Kamala Harris is vulnerable to attacks. Ever since Joe Biden withdrew from the race, a race to define her hast started. Until then, many voters have had an impression about her and for a plurality of them, it was a negative one.
But public opinion about her is not yet clearly defined, it’s not to be understood as a final judgment.
The situation is very different with Donald Trump who is probably the most polarizing politician on earth right now. Everybody has an opinion about him, one either loves or hates him. This is also why even a guilty verdict doesn’t change much for him in the polls.
Negative campaigning – in some form or another – has been existing ever since election campaigns have existed. And while voters often say that they dislike negative ads in general, they may dislike a specific point a negative campaign is delivering even more. So make no mistake, well-crafted negative campaigns work.
But so far, Donald Trump has operated according to the strategy to “throw everything at her and see what sticks.” It makes him and Republicans look rattled and unprepared and, in addition, I also think that it’s a strategic mistake.
She can’t be too liberal but have flip flopped on many issues at the same time. She also can’t be too far to the left but have jailed innocent people as a prosecutor in California. Of course one would use focus group research as a basis to make such strategic decisions, but
I’m pretty sure that accusing someone for their laughter is a flawed tactic. In fact, it says more about Donald Trump than about Kamala Harris. It may get emotional reactions at a campaign rally, but campaign rallies rarely decide elections. Swing voters do and I’m dubious that ridiculing Harris for her laughter will earn points with suburban women.
I also write about this in the chapter about crisis management in my new book “Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections.” If you accuse somebody for many different things, it becomes easier for the accused to dismiss the accusations all together as one and as political mudslinging.
In fact, that was another reason why the various trials against Donald Trump have not hurt him in the polls. The fact that there were several trials made it easier for Donald Trump to dismiss them as politically motivated.
The key for effective negative campaigning is that you have to tell a coherent narrative, make a point that is credible with voters, and then deliver that point forcefully. A political tv ad is not the place to deliver a laundry list (as many of the ads currently on the air do). It’s the ideal tool to make one point strongly, and ideally with a bit of creativity.
In a presidential campaign, it’s not only possible but crucial to drive the news cycle so any communication effort should be a combination of earned and paid media strategies. In other words, the candidate, his running mate and campaign surrogates should work in tandem and deliver the same message. After having seen thousands and thousands of attack ads, voters have become increasingly cynical. It takes a lot of repetition to get a message across to voters.
Watch my latest video on the matter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yMyPqAtqlk
Author Louis Perron, PhD, is a political consultant who has orchestrated successful election campaigns around the globe. The title of his new book is “Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections.”
Kamala Harris campaign
Donald Trump campaign
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Joe Biden approval rating.
Kamala Harris public opinion
negative campaigning
negative ads
Kamala cackling laugh
Donald Trump campaign rallies
IMO, the best possible campaign ad that President Trump could run would be simply to compile a montage of the Cacklemaniac giving a speech or saying what she truly thinks about things. Or rather at least what she pretends to truly think since I doubt that she has a settled opinion about anything. Well, perhaps that the Communist Manifesto should be required reading in the public school system. Beyond that the only thing she cares about it is power and control. And she would sell her rotten soul to the devil on worldwide media to have it.