Takeaways familiar – unfamiliar – and odd from the first six weeks of the Harris-Walz era:
The Familiar:
Class-warfare attacks on the wealthy and trickle-down economics (and the more recent “go to” target of fossil fuels) never gets old for the left, despite its economic incoherence. Accordingly, expect to see a continuation of relentless indictments of wealth and profitable businesses and especially the oil industry — this time punctuated by the always reliable moniker of “price gauging.”
Similarly, another oldie but goodie (“they will cut your Medicare/Medicaid”) will be repeated endlessly despite all indisputable evidence to the contrary from the four years of the Trump administration.
But the fearmongering on money and entitlements pales in comparison to the ultimate impact issue — abortion—now referred to as “reproductive rights” — albeit with a new caveat of unlimited access, which is intended to mean exactly what it says. And, yes, long gone is the quaint Clinton-era notion of abortion as “safe, legal … and rare.”
And then there is the barely concealed attempt to obscure — hide — camouflage Harris’ record. It is the Biden campaign 2.0 — without the basement but (still) limited access to the candidate. Alas, this time the repackaging must take place over only sixty days — a tall order even for an in-the-tank legacy press. (RELATED: BOB EHRLICH: Trump Just Might Be The Most Hilarious President Ever—And This Drives Dems Crazy)
The Unfamiliar:
A demand for a return to Nixon-era price controls during the same week a reconfigured jobs report came in at 800,000 less than originally reported hit with a predictable thud. After all, what Democrat wants to spend the next two months explaining how price controls do not smack of socialism? Similarly, a new call for a 44.6% capital-gains tax rate and — you knew it was coming at some point — a brand-new tax on UNREALIZED gains for the wealthy (for now) in no way can be characterized as a “moderate” position. Once properly explained to the general public, this confiscatory scheme will prove quite difficult to defend.
Also new — and an outright theft of a Trump campaign talking point — is the call for untaxed tip income. And this from the same Biden-Harris administration that funded thousands of new IRS agents to help hunt down … tipped workers.
The Odd:
They say the best defense is a good offense, but it will not be hard for Trump to counter Harris’ claim that Republicans killed her “bipartisan” border bill … when she and everyone else in the Biden administration spent the better part of her first three years in office alleging that the border crisis was a made-up xenophobic narrative. It was a stance the Bidenites swore by … right up to the point that around twelve million uninvited guests became increasingly hard to explain.
Also odd is the allegedly “pro-women” Biden-Harris administration’s demand that girls be forced to compete against (and shower with) biological men who identify as female. And this in a country still (rightfully) celebrating fifty years of Title IX success. I can’t wait to see how Harris tries to duck/word salad this one. (RELATED: BOB EHRLICH: About That ‘Protecting Democracy’ Thing)
Equally odd is Harris’ consistent habit of conflating support for Israel with insisting that the IDF stand down from its mission to destroy Hamas in Gaza. This is, of course, an extension of the Biden strategy aimed at placating Jewish Democrats while not offending Muslim Democrats situated in the pivotal blue-leaning states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. A delicate balancing act for sure — and one that has proven to be less than convincing in the political realm (there is a reason she failed to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Capitol Hill or add Pennsylvania’s own Gov. Josh Shapiro to her ticket).
All in all, the so-called “historic” Harris-Walz ticket offers a toxic combination of California progressivism mixed with traditional liberal planks and accompanying left wing rhetoric — a blend of Obama III and Biden II — and a stunningly bad prescription for an America in undeniable decline over the past four years.
Bob Ehrlich is a former Governor of Maryland, Member of Congress and State Legislator. He is the author of five books on American politics and opinion pieces that have appeared in America’s leading newspapers and periodicals. He and his wife, Kendel, can be seen and heard on their weekly podcast, “Bottom Line with Bob & Kendel Ehrlich.”
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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