I'm not taking this election for granted, nor should you, but it sure looks like Democrats are acting like they're going to lose, doesn't it? Seriously.
Forget the polls, and just look at what has been going on in the past few days and weeks. Kamala Harris has been practically sidelined from her own campaign, shamelessly fake hit pieces on Donald Trump are coming out, and there's a growing sense of panic from the left. And it sure appears genuine.
In the latest episode of 2Way Tonight, Mark Halperin underscored the rising anxiety within the Democratic Party as the 2024 election looms, noting that the Democrats seem to be operating under a cloud of desperation.
“I think they’re behaving as if they’re losing,” he said, reflecting a widespread sentiment among party insiders. Halperin asserted that the current early voting trends are unfavorable for Democrats, stating, “The early vote looks very good for Republicans,” which paints a troubling picture for the party’s chances come November.
He emphasized that this isn’t just a superficial concern; it’s an emotional struggle. “People are very emotional today. Democrats [are] emotional about the characterization on this platform about the early vote, and a lot of tension in Democratic land because they're behaving as if they're losing,” he said.
According to Halperin, the party leadership appears aware of this narrative, attempting to manage perceptions even as they face the harsh reality of dwindling support.
A significant part of the discussion revolved around the striking absence of Kamala from the campaign trail — something I’ve recently pointed out here at PJ Media.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Rasmussen Reports Talks Polling in the Final Weeks of the Presidential Campaign
Halperin observed, “On a day when she did two interviews, the vice president did not do any public events,” suggesting that this strategy might be a tactical retreat rather than a confident campaign push. This raises questions about her effectiveness in rallying voters, especially in battleground states.
He also saw what I’ve noticed as well, that Kamala appears to be sidelined while former President Barack Obama has taken a more aggressive role on the campaign trail.
Of course, Obama isn’t exactly proving to be the best messenger either. He recently tried shaming black men into voting for Kamala. The backlash was pretty bad. Now he's doing the same thing Harris has been doing.
“He spent a lot of his speech engaged in personal attacks on Donald Trump and not talking about the economy or immigration,” Halperin observed. This strategy coming from Obama is telling, and it indicates a party struggling with its messaging as Election Day approaches. In short, they can’t sell Harris, so they’re attacking Trump.
Of course, this is a strategy that has been failing them for weeks. I'm not sure why they think it will resonate now. But Halperin’s analysis paints a picture of a party in turmoil, striving to flip the script from a narrative of panic to one of confidence and control.
As he aptly put it, “The Democrats are trying to manage perceptions,” but with the mounting pressure and early voting data stacked against them, the question remains: can they pivot away from this narrative of weakness before it’s too late? If not, the Trump campaign is poised to exploit this vulnerability as it charges into the final stretch of the race.
Halperin also contrasted the outlooks of the two campaigns, saying, “The Trump campaign’s behaving like they’re winning, and Democrats say that’s spin. They want you to think that they’re winning.”
He elaborated on the Democrats’ strategy to frame the narrative, explaining, “Democrats said today, 'We want you to think that they’re winning. So when they lose, they can claim the election was stolen.'”
While he acknowledged that the election is not a foregone conclusion, he said, “If it were today, Trump would win, and the early vote is very ominous so far for the Democrats.”
