She's proposing a "new course."
What is that course?
As Nancy Pelosi said, we have to vote for it to find out what's in it.
Last night, Kamala Harris repeatedly asserted that she would "chart a new course," or "chart a new way forward." For that, one would expect a chart or two.
Harris competently delivered a well-received but nearly substance-free acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. At 37 minutes, give or take, it ran long enough for the occasion without tiring the audience, in the hall or on television. And mirablile dictu, we never got the ubiquitous Harris incantation, "what we can be, unburdened by what has been."
Which in this case was rather ironic, since at least a third or more of Harris' speech was devoted to what has been -- her "personal story." And nearly none of it had anything to do with "what has been" over the last four years, or indeed since Harris left her office as Attorney General. Harris never mentioned her time in the US Senate, or indeed much at all about spending the last three and a half years as Vice President in the current administration.
We'll get back to that shortly. The choice to spend the first ten minutes of her 37-minute speech talking about her distant past -- mostly her childhood -- seemed very strange for an already well-known political figure....
[I]t set an "it's all about me, not you" tone that should have been avoided on this occasion in particular. It had strong echoes of Hillary Clinton's strategy in 2016, in which she more or less hijacked Barack Obama's more subtle message about him being the hope and change and made it explicit. And the rest of the speech followed that same theme -- that this election is about her journey, not yours or mine.
This brings us back to charting a new course. Why would that be necessary? Harris is the current VP in an administration that has been in power for over three and a half years. She's running on the Joe Biden record; Biden himself endorsed her on Monday night as his partner in governance, which is the argument that she's ready to lead now. For that matter, as Scott Jennings reminded CNN viewers this week, Democrats have controlled the White House for 12 of the last 16 years. This isn't a "new course" -- Harris is the status quo.
"Nobody tonight said a damn thing," said CNN's conservative panelist Scott Jennings. Democrats are asking you to vote for a complete unknown -- they won't say what their politics, policies, or plans are.
She's claiming to be a "blank slate" candidate: Jennings points out she's not a blank slate. Her slate is written with three and a half years of Biden-Harris failures: runaway inflation, an economy on the edge of depression, an open border.
I wasn't just slinging rhetoric with my remark about an economy on the edge of depression: Fed Chief Jerome Powell says that it's time to start cutting interest rates, two months before an election, even though inflation is still raging.
You never cut interest rates in the face of unchecked inflation.
Unless the possibility of economic crash is so great that increasing inflation still further is the least-worst alternative.
Because Kamala Harris refuses to tell us her positions -- even on her own campaign website, she's a "blank slate" -- Trump has stepped up to create a website explaining what her policies and stances are.
Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to publish a policy page on her campaign website, prompting the Trump campaign to launch a mock site outlining what it claims are Harris' policy positions. The site criticizes her on key issues like immigration and the economy.
Key Details:
The Trump campaign launched a website detailing what it alleges to be Kamala Harris' policy positions, criticizing her for not releasing her own platform.
The website accuses Harris of supporting policies like open borders, higher taxes, and freeing criminals.
The launch comes as Harris attends the Democratic National Convention, where she has not yet detailed her policy proposals.
As you know, neither Beyonce, nor Taylor Swift, nor George Bush appeared at the convention, despite Democrats putting out the word to their media allies that some huge high-profile guest would appear. This was probably all a lie, to intrigue people into tuning into Kamala's vapid, self-affirming, Girlboss speech.
Finally: Trump commented on Kamala's empty, vapid, blank slate, Woman from Limbo speech.
Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in a primetime address at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago Thursday. Former President Donald Trump provided live commentary on Truth Social, accusing Harris of delivering a "puff piece" and questioning why she didn't "do something about the things of which she complains."
Key Details:
Kamala Harris officially became the Democratic nominee for president at the DNC, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Trump criticized Harris for her role as Border Czar, claiming she allowed "20 Million people into our Country, many of them Criminals, who are MAIMING and KILLING our people!"
Trump also targeted Harris's policy record, stating, "She's done nothing for three and a half years but talk, and that's what she's doing tonight."
...
Trump began by calling the speech a "puff piece" and questioned why Harris failed to address significant issues. "A lot of talk about childhood," Trump posted, "we've got to get to the Border, Inflation, and Crime!" He accused Harris of sidestepping these pressing topics, which have been central to the concerns of many Americans.
Trump did not stop at criticizing the content of her speech. He also took aim at her role as the Biden administration's Border Czar, a position that has been heavily scrutinized. "She talked about the Rule of Law but, as Border Czar, she allowed 20 Million people into our Country, many of them Criminals, who are MAIMING and KILLING our people!" Trump wrote, highlighting a major failure in her handling of border security and immigration issues.
The former president also questioned Harris's overall impact during her time in office, particularly focusing on her inability to enact meaningful change. "She's done nothing for three and a half years but talk, and that's what she's doing tonight, she's complaining about everything but doing nothing! She should leave the Speech right now, go to Washington, D.C., close the Border, allow fracking in Pennsylvania and other places, and start doing the things she's complaining about aren't done!" This comment underscores his broader narrative that Harris has failed to deliver on her promises throughout her time in office.
Trump also criticized Harris's rhetoric on compassion, juxtaposing it with rising crime rates during her tenure as Border Czar. "She talks about Compassion, but doesn't talk about all of the people she's allowed into our Country, 43% INCREASE IN VIOLENT CRIME NATIONWIDE, 60% INCREASE IN RAPE, SINCE SHE'S BEEN BORDER CZAR. CRIME HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF. SHE CHEATED ON JOBS, 818,000, TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY LOOK LIKE IT'S THRIVING. INFLATION IS KILLING US!"