September 1, 2024

"Harris’s Team, With a Wink, Insists She’s an Underdog."

Headline at the NYT. Subheadline: "Her campaign’s message that Democrats are losing, which she never voiced when President Biden was tanking the ticket, is an artful attempt to lower expectations."

The piece, by Reid J. Epstein, analyzes this memo from Jen O’Malley Dillon, who chairs the Harris/Walz campaign.

Epstein writes: "Politicians in both parties often claim to be in trouble to help juice their fund-raising — and to keep volunteers working hard. Still, it is hard to believe that Ms. Harris and her top campaign officials really think they are, given the other contents of Ms. O’Malley Dillon’s memo on Sunday."

The Dillon memo is long, but not quotable. Despite the "underdog" characterization, nothing is revealed or conceded. It's a pep talk. You might try to read between the lines that there's a fear that the campaign will lose steam. But you don't need that memo to know that.

33 comments:

Saint Croix said...

The reason Kamala Harris doesn't want to do interviews, I've read, is because of this disastrous Lester Holt interview. It was so bad it freaked her out for a year and she's been trying to avoid media sit-downs ever since.

Breezy said...

Of course she’s losing. She’s inept and thoroughly not presidential material. All the Dem elites plus millions of others know that she’s a loser. The only reason she’s the nominee is Biden’s war chest. I really wish this gas-lighting about her abilities would cease and desist. We deserve magnitudes better.

Gunner said...

She said Trump is a formidable opponent. That might be the nicest thing any Democrat has ever said about him.

Peachy said...

She is terrible. So - the media step in to cover for her. Dutifully.
Kamala is a production.

Breezy said...

She didn’t get a clue from that interview that maybe she’s in the wrong business? She doubles down so she has to perform tons more of them? Isn’t that masochistic and narcissistic?

Wince said...

Given that this is a "change" election, how can Harris be the underdog?

Trump is the incumbent, right?

Howard said...

It's the most lame presidential race in American history

Drago said...

Since your team failed to complete the assassination of your opponent after spending 9 years at hoaxed up lawfare and sham-peachments and politicized weaponization of the entire federal govt against domestic political opponents all the while aligning yourselves completely with communists and islamic supremacists across the globe after rigging and stealing previous primaries and general elections,...yeah I can see how you might be a tad disappointed with how everything is going.

Kakistocracy said...

With Labor Day now here, it’s nearly time for the Trump Pivot. Will Harris be caught flat footed?

We may not understand what Trump means when he says ‘windmills cause less bacon’. And that’s exactly the point. Having mastered rakes for forest fires, Ivermectin uses, low flow shower heads and boat battery electrocution , Trump will now explain windy bacon. 😂

Leland said...

Pep talk? Does she need another High School pep rally to get her through the next week?

mezzrow said...

The priority was to build and distribute the war chest through the party organs to the benefit of the political professionals who will be paid at least the current market rate for their services. Lots and lots of consulting taking place as we speak, for example. Consulting work gets triple scale.

It's time to earn the money that is spent now because living in DC isn't getting any cheaper, and these people have lots of student debt. The money's been budgeted, stay with the game plan and cash the checks -err- I mean, spread the Joy.

Shouting Thomas said...

The Democrats have reverted to trying to incite Trump’s assassination. Harris posts this on X: “Trump operatives say their Project 2025 plan is to give Trump total, unchecked legal power so they can jail and execute those who don't support Trump if he wins.” So, it’s back to the literally Hitler, please shoot Trump tactics.

Iman said...

“We may not understand…”

Look… it’s Sunday… all due respect, just have a sit-down with your gerbil (remove 🐹 before sitting) and talk things out.

Iman said...

That ought to disqualify her from holding public office.

tcrosse said...

There is a TV and which states this, plus that Trump will ban abortion and contraceptives, fire all civil servants to replace them with MAGAs, get rid of Social Security and Medicare.

Lazarus said...

Dillon released a memo back in July detailing the Democrats' "path to victory." The memo released today is less substantial. It's designed to scare the troops into working harder and to get the press to give Harris even more positive coverage by portraying her as a spunky underdog. The earlier memo said that the path led through minority, female, and young voters (no surprise there). The new memo tells us that Harris is also mobilizing older, white, male, and rural voters, and gives Dillon a chance to push the required buttons (abortion, Project 2025, Trump).

AMDG said...

Why on earth would they want Trump assassinated? He is the opponent they wanted to face.

Dave said...

How does Trump win without one of MI, WI, PA? How does he win any of these?

Big Mike said...

She is the underdog, and she did it to herself, but the sort of folks who root for the underdog will not be rooting for an elitist like her.

Peachy said...

AMDG -
After Hillary lost- the collective left realized that they needed to make it illegal to run against their right to power.
Trump hate cult want him dead. Musk in prison.
They just hired a patsy to do so - and killed a Trump supporter in the process.

Dixcus said...

Harris' entire campaign is a "wink." They know they are going to steal the election and that our elections are fake and staged. And that the media gets the wink and wink's back.

They're going to lead us into another Civil War and the press can't wait. They want it. They need it.

Drago said...

And yet there it was....

Dixcus said...

it’s back to the literally Hitler, please shoot Trump tactics.

I'm sure the FBI is standing down and standing by to hose down the crime scene.

Dixcus said...

Trump isn't going to win, because he's going to be dead. They are going to murder him - in prison.

DINKY DAU 45 said...

WHY should Harris give interviews as trump used to say "well I'm leading in the poles" (HE AINT)no sense,, bingo no sense. The biggest bait
and switch dark Brandon and Kamala designed to put trump in total babble mode, can't eat bacon,6 weeks too short, oh never mind yeah I'll sign that, spent 100 mil on Joe and they did bait and switch and that's just not fair,, and I can't define her, please don't have any court hearings yet. The powers sent that registered republican kid to try and take me out ,now I need safety plate, only 4 of my 44 previous admin are not willing to support me and the VICE president Mr. sycophant Pence says no way the guy is unstable..65 days this will be over and like the trump of Israel Netan YAHOOO keeping the war up so he dont have to face charges trump has not been running for president but running to stay out of prison pretty obvious.The women are coming bigly!!!Keep the mics on lets watch this perp blow a marble live TV the fella is way too old,,the double haters BIDEN/TRUMP are no longer because there is only one senile old man running now and it aint dark brandon,he is sipping gin and juice laid back...

technochitlin said...

Thank you for sharing, Dinky. Now step back from the ledge and come sit down before you hurt yourself, or someone else.

tcrosse said...

I'm glad I never had to submit any writing to Althouse's gimlet eye.

Jamie said...

Her campaign’s message that Democrats are losing, which she never voiced when President Biden was tanking the ticket, is an artful attempt to lower expectations."

And to drive turnout for a historically unpopular candidate - and I mean even unpopular with the Democrat base. She's maybe a little less unpopular now than Biden was after the debate, but I wouldn't call that a high bar...

Let's check those odds, shall we? The sole site I go to,o keep my observations constant, has Trump at even (+100) and Harris at +110. So she's very slightly an underdog at present according to them.

TaeJohnDo said...

"The Dillon memo is long, but not quotable." Brilliant.

Peachy said...

She's a puppet.
Cheat Joy.

damikesc said...

Maybe your party should have held a primary instead of blocking off all competition for Biden and THEN putting in whom they REALLY wanted in to the race instead after Biden won the primaries.

That this is not a massive story still is revealing.

damikesc said...

Kamala's fracking stand will cost her PA. She cannot begin to claim she ever said she opposed banning it ("I made myself clear in 2020" consisted of her saying "Biden won't ban it"). And she cannot be anti-Israel enough for the anti-semitic and anti-American wing of the progressive Left to support her, so MI Muslims will side with Stein and give Trump MI.

You might want to ask "If the VP is supposed to help shore you up where you are weak"...why did she pick the governor of MINNESOTA? That should be an incredibly safe state for her.

She has had the most positive coverage any candidate has ever received...and is not winning.

damikesc said...

Was there supposed to be a point hidden in there somewhere?