I’ve been thinking about different ways of campaigning. I’ve watched 8 presidential campaigns as an eligible voter and until 2016 none of them were dominated by fear and anger. We have learned in the last 8 years that fear, anger, and division are Trump’s natural comfort zones.
With that in mind it has become clear to me that the best path forward for those who don’t want to see another Trump term is to make sure to spend a lot more time sharing a positive vision of the future under a Harris administration than they do spending time sharing a gloomy vision of what the future would look like under a 2nd Trump administration.
Harris and Walz are showing the way in that regard responding to chants of “lock him up” with admonitions to go win at the ballot box in November and just let the courts do their own jobs. They are leading the way as they campaign with joy and enthusiasm with a message of ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to get ahead rather than just scraping by.
The candidates are doing their job in this race. It’s up to those who support them to follow that lead and not get mired in gloomy prognostication about the alternative.
