Next week’s debate is a chance for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to define herself and reshape the political terrain for the rest of the campaign.
It’s embarrassing that Donald Trump is competitive in this election, but that’s the truth. Millions of Americans still have a notion of him that is counter to reality: The image of a successful businessman and president and a tough guy on the world stage.
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The evidence proves otherwise, but that is the way he is seen by a large portion of voters. To them, all other candidates must prove themselves except him. And since this could be the only debate between Trump and Harris, it’s essential for her to pin Trump down as the charlatan that he is.
At the same time, she must also build her case in the eyes of persuadable voters.
This is another chance for Harris to reintroduce herself to voters.
First: This is another chance for Harris to reintroduce herself to voters who didn’t tune into the Democratic National Convention. Presidential debates are marquee moments that put fresh eyeballs on the candidates vying to serve as commander in chief. Harris must explain who she is and weave her personal story into the context of her candidacy.
Harris’ vow to build an “opportunity economy” underscores her upbringing in a middle-class family. The daughter of immigrants, Harris understands the power of the American Dream firsthand. She also knows the power of hard work. While earning her college degree, Harris worked at McDonald’s in the 1980s. It’s a small part of her background that mirrors the life experience of tens of millions of voters. One in eight Americans have worked under the Golden Arches at one point in their lives, according to a survey done by the company.
Second: Harris should be careful about framing herself as a former prosecutor on the stage with a criminal. My bet is that many voters won’t take a full-throated prosecution of Trump very well. Americans want a president, not a prosecutor.
When she’s on the stage with a pathological liar, her instinct will be to correct him and throw facts back. That might work to a degree and at specific times, but the trap is to remember she’s not running for California attorney general; she’s running for president of the United States. During debate prep, I hope her team is stress-testing her instincts. Voters must come to see her as presidential at ALL MOMENTS — a task that may be difficult at times to maintain when responding to Trump.
Third: She must build a permission structure for Republicans, independents, and, yes, even some Democrats to vote for her. Her vision to chart a “new way forward” is easier said than done. Wide swaths of the country aren’t on board yet. Instead of just telling us her plans for the future, she must show us a vision for the way forward.








