
<p>The presidential race is a toss-up at this time. Oddsmakers give a slight edge to Vice President Harris. The only good news for President Trump is that Harris has not achieved a commanding lead – but that is not impossible.</p>



<p>Harris&#8217; current situation is notable since before being announced as the replacement Democrat candidate, Harris was considered to be a weak contender – with favorability polling even worse than the toppled President Biden. Forcing out Biden was a desperation move by Democrat leaders since he was likely to be crushed in a face-off with Trump. At least that is what Democrat strategists and political figures were saying. </p>



<p>The chorus of voices calling on Biden to quit the race was growing every day. It eventually included even the most powerful leaders in the party – including Speaker Emerita Pelosi, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, House Minority Leader Jeffries, political strategists such as David Axelrod, left-wing media personalities and a bevy of major donors.</p>



<p>Old Joe had to go – and the only option at such a late stage was a quick switch-a-roo with Harris. ; That was obvious. ; There was no time for a mini primary, debates, a convention fight or other candidates to engage. ; She had it locked by circumstances.</p>



<p>So &#8230; how did the unpopular Harris become the shining star of the Democratic Party?</p>



<p>Anyone who did not see the potential for a comeback is a fool. ; Harris would get an instant bump in the polls by not being Trump AND not being Biden.</p>



<p>She also benefited from the Democratic Party&#8217;s pragmatism when it comes to power. Democrat officeholders tend to coalesce rather than risk election defeats. Winning is the primary strategy. We saw that in the Biden ouster. We see that in the lockstep solidarity behind Harris from fairly moderate Democrats, such as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, to radical left-wingers, such as Vermont socialist Senator Bernie Sanders. We see it in the across-the-board toady response from the left-wing media. The entire Democrat establishment is on board with Harris.</p>



<p>Rather than address issues &#8212; especially her unpopular left-wing issues – the Harris campaign promoted the sizzle rather than the steak. The campaign theme song could be “Happy Talk” from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific.” ; In case you are not familiar with it here are the opening lyrics.</p>



<p>Happy talk, keep talkin&#8217; happy talk<br>Talk about things you&#8217;d like to do<br>You got to have a dream, if you don&#8217;t have a dream<br>How you gonna have a dream come true?</p>



<p>Talk about the moon floatin&#8217; in the sky<br>Lookin&#8217; at a lily on the lake<br>Talk about a bird learnin&#8217; how to fly<br>Makin&#8217; all the music he can make.</p>



<p>Sound familiar?</p>



<p>Rather than expressing her historic positions from the get-go, Harris is initially running a happy talk campaign as she reinvents herself as less radical. ; Her most definitive policy statements have been rejecting what she said in the past – such as no fracking and Medicare for all. ; In an unusual specificity on an issue, she simply parroted Trump’s proposal to take the tax off tips.</p>



<p>Having said all that, Team Harris gets an A+ for political strategy. ; She is carrying out pragmatically the best possible strategy. ; In that regard, her rollout as a presidential candidate has been almost flawless.</p>



<p>That does not mean she does not have problems – or that her momentum will continue in the long run. The competitive campaign becomes very real following the National Democratic Convention. That is the time when voters start to give the campaigns greater attention – more so these days because the earliest of the early voting starts in on September 9 in North Carolina. That is right. Voting starts in less than 25 days.</p>



<p>Harris has gained ground over Biden, but her lead is very fragile – mostly in the margin of error. ; But being a smidgeon ahead is better than being behind a smidgeon.</p>



<p>How the election plays out in the future largely depends on Trump. ; Harris has her weaknesses and her vulnerabilities – both issue-wise and personality-wise. ; More on the former than the latter. ; That is why Trump has to focus on the former rather than the latter – something he fails to appreciate.</p>



<p>Even as Harris entered the race, the election was Trump’s to lose. ; It is fair to say that he did not respond to Harris with a winning strategy – and it has cost him.</p>



<p>There is still time for Trump to get back on a winning path – but not a lot of time. If he continues to focus on Harris’ personality and Walz’s military service, he will lose the election. On the major issues, Trump is more popular for his positions on the economy, inflation, immigration and crime – the issues of most concern to voters. If he uses his limited media access to lead with his personal attacks – which is what is least popular about</p>

Can Trump stop the Harris momentum?
