The Kamala hype was based on a tried and tested method.

The media and its party manufactured an artificial crisis by suddenly talking about Biden’s poor state of mind which somehow disqualified him as a candidate, but not from running the country. After weeks or fight or flight responses and reptile brain panic, Biden was successfully ‘couped’ and Kamala was selected in a smoke-filled back room and trotted out as the party’s savior to orgasmic cries of “Joy, Joy, Joy” akin to a religious service.

Everything was happy because the Democrats had been saved. The energy was fueled by a genuine sense of relief from a faked crisis. But that can only sustain itself for so long. After the convention, Kamala’s first interview tanked, and going into the debate, her poll numbers are well… limiting.

Jettisoning Biden shifted some numbers around. Kamala does better with women than Biden did, but her numbers among minorities is suffering because she performs worse with men. Some of the Dem energy is fading and Kamala’s job at the debate won’t be to provide policy proposals but some packaged snappy comebacks and attacks that the media will then play up incessantly after a debate most people won’t watch.

But even that can provide only so much relief since Trump polls better on most ‘substance’ issues.

Trump has the edge over Harris when voters were asked generally which candidate is better on whatever was their top issue. One caveat to this is that when voters were asked about specific issues, the results were more mixed and along the lines you would expect: Harris has an advantage on democracy (50 percent to 44 percent) and abortion (55 percent to 38 percent), and Trump has an advantage on immigration (53 percent to 42 percent) and the economy (56 percent to 40 percent).

Democracy is not an actual issue that affects anyone’s life. Abortion, immigration and the economy are.

And most non-liberals are voting based on the economy.

The bottom line under all the noise is that Americans hate the way the country is now and the sales pitch for Kamala as the change candidate is working in the media and nowhere else.

But the Times poll douses some of those flames. It finds that 25 percent of respondents see her as representing “major change,” versus 51 percent for Trump. That’s a big problem given that 61 percent of voters in this poll say they want major change.

Not just a big problem. A huge problem.

Voters want substance and they’re not getting it. ‘Joy’ will help turn out a limited mostly liberal set, it won’t swing the election. And Kamala frantically trying to sound like she’s a Republican on the economy also will only do so much.