When it comes to political attacks, there are two basic PR strategies. The first is the most obvious and intuitive: Hit your opponent where he is the weakest. Don’t overthink it; just do it. If your opponent has a reputation for having a glass jaw, it would be foolish to work his body.
The second is less intuitive because it seems contradictory: It’s hitting your opponent in an area vulnerable to you – and doing so in a way that parallels how you’ll be attacked. Its underlying theory is that you’d probably be attacked on this issue anyway, so at least we’re defining it on your own (favorable) terms. Even if you fail to totally assuage voters, you can at least blunt the allegation’s sting. (And if you do pull it off, in the minds of voters, you’ll have successfully transformed one of your biggest weaknesses into a political strength.)
For example, if you’ve gone through a few personal bankruptcies, you might aggressively attack your opponent for being fiscally reckless in D.C. – even if doing so publicizes your own business failures. But if your bankruptcies were going to come up regardless, contrasting, say, your “integrity” on business matters against your opponent’s can still be a winning argument.
Like all issues in the public forum, he who frames the issue usually wins the issue.
This is why it’s so interesting that the Democrats are doubling down on the “weirdness” angle against Trump and Vance. In a clearly coordinated media campaign, the Democratic Party’s heaviest hitters (such as they are) have bombarded the airwaves to stick the “weird” label on their opponents.
Consider:
AP News: “Why Harris and Democrats keep calling Trump and Vance ‘weird’”
The Hill: “Harris campaign has 1 word to describe Trump and Vance: Weird”
Washington Post: “No, really, Republicans are getting weirder”
MSNBC: “Why the ‘weird’ label sticks to Trump & JD Vance’s strange politics”
New York Times: “Democrats Embrace ‘Weird’ Messaging on Trump”
USA Today: “It’s getting weird: Simple insult is Democrats’ latest talking point. Can it stick?”
ABC News: “Why Harris and Democrats keep calling Trump and Vance ‘weird’”
Vox: “Where JD Vance’s weirdest idea actually came from”
And if you had any doubt whatsoever that this is a coordinated media assault, keep in mind that ALL of these headlines were published over the past 24 hours!
If anything, I’ve understated the level of coordination. As far as media assaults go, this one’s a blitzkrieg.
It’s also very revealing.
Obviously, being “weird” isn’t the worst thing you could say about Trump or Vance. Just a week ago, these are the exact same Democrats who accused the Trump-Vance team of being a dire, existential threat to democracy, the death of our republic, and wannabe fascists! In that context, going from “the next Hitler” to “what a weirdo” is a huge step down.
But it’s one of Kamala Harris’s biggest vulnerabilities.
If you listen closely, the Democrats have just exposed their jugular, revealing their Achille’s heel: Kamala Harris is a very odd duck, and they’re terrified that her rambling, off-the-cuff penchant for word salads – as well as other oddities and bizarre personal traits – will let the Republicans transform her into “The Other.”
And then the voters will realize that Kamala isn’t one of us:
She doesn’t represent us.
She doesn’t even understand us!
The “Harris Honeymoon” is still in full swing, but eventually, she’ll be forced to speak extemporaneously and be interviewed by non-fawning reporters. Even though it’s an abbreviated presidential campaign for Harris, there’s still a whole lot of time – and hundreds of news cycles – before the first Tuesday in November. And at her core, despite the media’s current sugar high, Kamala Harris is still a sheltered, coddled, Left Coast California Liberal whose political beliefs aren’t just antithetical to most of the country… they’re kinda weird, too.
If the Trump campaign was paying attention, their opponents just revealed their political Kryptonite. What they do with it is up to them.
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