In a virtual gathering with supporters, Vice President Kamala Harris conveyed her understanding of the weight of her political defeat by President-elect Donald Trump. She didn’t add much clarity to the emotional atmosphere, merely stating the obvious – the situation ‘feels heavy’.
Harris, distant from real-world repercussions in her comfortable retreat, couldn’t muster anything beyond cliched advice. Her tepid reassurances, ‘don’t you ever let anybody take your power from you,’ made it clear that she had no tangible solution or direction to offer post-election defeat.
Absent of a clear understanding of her supporters’ reality, she opined, ‘You have the same power that you did before November 5th, and you have the same purpose that you did, and you have the same ability to engage and inspire.’ It was as if she was lost in a loop of meaningless platitudes as she went on saying, ‘So don’t ever let anybody or any circumstance take your power from you.’
It’s hard to ignore the fact that mere words of empowerment don’t translate into actual power in the political arena. Judging by the outcome of the election, it’s clear that her supporters didn’t indeed possess the ‘same power’ as before the votes were counted.
In an equally disheartened tone, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz chimed in, expressing his concern over the political victory of Donald Trump. His statements further amplified the lack of constructive discourse in the meeting, failing to offer any strategic analysis or course correction suggestions.
Disappointingly, there was no practical advice or even a touch of empathy from Walz. Instead, he offered platitudinous recommendations such as ‘take care of yourselves, take care of your families’, essentially leaving his supporters feeling out in the cold.
Despite being introduced as one of the leaders of their faction, neither Harris nor Walz could explain why their campaign, flush with funds, crumbled in the face of Trump’s victory. Their campaign war chest, exceeding a whopping $1 billion between July and November, was simply not enough to sway the votes in their favor.
The campaign’s failure to clinch any swing state, the Electoral College, and even the popular vote, loomed large over this conversation. It was as if their past spending spree had amounted to nothing – an embarrassing set of circumstances, especially given their apparent fundraising prowess.
Unapologetically, while the aftermath of their devastating political loss unraveled, Harris and ‘second gentleman’ Doug Emhoff deemed a euphemistic holiday to Hawaii prudent. They opted to avoid the ‘losers party’ at the White House – another telling sign of their resistance to face the hard reality of their failure.
Rather than attending a gathering that could have potentially helped mend relations and rebuild their political stance, they chose leisure overstatesmanship. Their absence from an event involving their party’s donors and insiders further exposed their inadequate leadership qualities.
Upon her return, Harris, with a lack of direction or actionable plans, again delivered inconsistent messaging. ‘We are all in this together, all right? We are all in this together,’ she stated, merely echoing a line that’s become all-too-familiar without meaning anything substantial.
In an attempt to end her speech on an upbeat note, Harris extended premature Thanksgiving wishes to her supporters. But again, even these sentiments seemed empty and did not offer any reassurance about the way forward.
Her well-wishing (‘I wish for you that you are surrounded by the people you love and who love you’) seemed mismatched with the circumstances. The advice to be around family, even in these trying times, came off as generic and ineffective.
Her closing remark ‘We are powerful, those of us who love our country, and we’ve got a lot of work to do,’ did little to disguise the lack of actual political power manifest in their election results. Thus, it was no surprise that her speech left her followers more disenchanted than before.
In the fallout of their resounding defeat, it is clear that the Democratic Party – lead by individuals such as Harris – need to re-assess their political strategy and messaging. Only time will tell if they are capable of making the necessary adjustments to regain their supporters’ faith.