I am not entirely convinced of the hypothesis according to which Kamala Harris’ reorientation strategy would have had an impact in facilitating the demobilization of the left-wing electorate. Already in the polls that come out of the polls, people who call themselves “liberals”, that is to say on the left, are equally numerous from one election to the next. I think that, although they were not convinced by Kamala Harris, they voted primarily against Donald Trump, as did all segments of the Democratic electorate.
On the other hand, this strategy had also been put in place by Joe Biden, and it was absolutely necessary: to confront the Democratic decline among the manual workers of the declining blue-collar Rust Belt, which really seems inexorable, the Democrats must find a replacement electorate. Most analyzes based on surveys or the study of electoral results show that white voters in popular categories who switched from the Democratic vote to Donald Trump in 2016 will not return: they now vote with identity concerns in mind.
The Democrats’ replacement electorate is primarily the white, educated, upper-middle class electorate that populates the suburbs of large cities. From the 1950s to the 2000s, he was the core base of the Republican electorate, but some of them are disgusted by Donald Trump’s style and rhetoric. It is thanks to the change of some of them that Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona became undecided stateswhile twenty years ago they were impregnable republican bastions. Sure, it didn’t work out this year, but I feel like the Democratic Party doesn’t really have any other options going forward.
This does not mean that a strategy of this type cannot be articulated with the presentation of proposals clearly anchored in the left on the minimum wage, the health system, the protection of workers, all of them issues in which the Democrats are, in the public opinion, in an unfavorable position. position of strength. In more general terms, it seems to me that, more than the debate between a “left” or “center” campaign, what Kamala Harris has lacked is developing a real narrative, a real vision for the United States, based on proposals solid and concrete. It could have been oriented a little more to the left or a little more to the center, that’s not really the point. The issue is that it was necessary to try to impose themes in the campaign, both to confront the Trumpist media steamroller and to try to change the focus of the campaign, which focused above all on Americans’ discontent with the economic situation. Obviously, this is easier said than done, especially when you only have one hundred and seven days left…
