David Brooks has written a column for The New York Time entitled, "How Harris Can Finish Strong." Here's a summary of Brooks' analysis and advice:
Kamala Harris had a great first act. She established a buoyant tone for her 2024 presidential campaign and rode a wave of polling momentum. But now her campaign has stalled....
I thought it would be interesting to see what the experts say — to see how screenwriters, dramatists and novelists build momentum so that audiences are gripped by their work all the way through. Maybe these writers have some wisdom on how Harris can finish strong.
The playwright David Mamet once wrote a memo to a group of fellow writers in which he reminded them that audiences “will not tune in to watch information.” They will “only tune in and stay tuned to watch drama.” What is drama? Mamet says it “is the quest of the hero to overcome those things which prevent him from achieving a specific, acute goal.”
I generally agree with what Brooks is saying in this recent column. However, I believe that what we read in the national press, and specifically in The New York Times, is not a reliable indicator of what ordinary men and women are thinking, and are likely to do. I am not at all convinced that the Harris campaign has "stalled," just because David Brooks claims that it has.
Others have noted that The Times has chosen to "normalize" Donald Trump and his campaign, though Trump and his campaign represent an extraordinary departure from "normal" politics. It is hard to know, really, what ordinary voters are actually thinking, and what they will do when they cast their votes. Still, Brooks is probably on target when he says that a successful campaign should have a clear and dramatic "story" to tell, empowering the voters - the voters as "heroes," for such we all are - to visualize how we can triumph along with the candidate for whom we will vote.
I actually believe that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz do have such a dramatic "story" that lets voters know why voting for them is going to help us all, as voters, to achieve our goals. In fact, I have written a model "Op-Ed," expresing what I see as this story - and here it is. Our real "story," as Americans, is that we can, in fact, achieve our "aspirations," and make our "dreams come true," as long as we believe in those dreams, and work for them.
That, as I see it, is what Harris and Walz are saying to us, in asking for our votes. They are promising to help us all move forward, to deal with our challenges and to realize our dreams.
The Positive Case For Harris And Walz
Debate about the upcoming presidential election has emphasized “negative” arguments. We are told that the main reason to vote for one candidate, instead of the other candidate, is what’s wrong with the other candidate. Former president Trump has said that we are “doomed” if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are elected. Were that to happen, he claims, “you won’t have a country anymore.”
Candidly, supporters of Harris and Walz have been making this kind of argument, too. There have been a lot of claims that the reason to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is simply that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are dangerous to the future of the country.
While an election is always a choice, so the relative pros and cons of the candidates are relevant, the most crucial reasons to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are completely and totally positive.
When President Biden decided he would not run for reelection, we saw Harris immediately reach out to people from all over the country, asking for their support. This included, of course, those who would be voting at the Democratic National Convention, and other possible candidates. She received, essentially, unanimous support from those political leaders. Her first major public statement was her in-person speech to Biden campaign workers. It was not just a salute to President Biden, but an appeal and outreach to everyone.
The same thing happened during the debate between Kamala Harris and former president Trump. The essential message from Kamala Harris is that we, together – across the divisions of race, gender, income level, education, geographic location and political party – will make progress when we come together.
We need a president who believes that, and who believes in unity, not division, and in “possibility,” not “doom.” We need a president who emphasizes what is positive and possible, not everything that might go wrong. That is how we will maximize our potential for greatness. I remember when my father introduced me to the “Power of Positive Thinking,” citing to Norman Vincent Peale. In fact, we can’t accomplish anything unless we are positive about trying. Their positive energy is absolutely the most important reason to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Harris and Walz don’t hide the fact that there are difficult challenges ahead, but they do not describe them in tones of distress and dread. Remember the challenging and difficult period of the Civil Rights Movement? Harris and Walz are telling the American people today what we learned then. When we come together we can – we shall - “overcome.”
Again, this positive approach to government, and their emphasis on “possibility,” is absolutely the best and most important reason to vote for Harris and Walz.
We face the challenge of Global Warming. We need to act boldly. Our nation also needs to address, and overcome, the impacts caused by income inequality. Critically-needed health care and housing must be available to all. We need to provide education for our young people without saddling them with enormous debts. We need to make sure that everyone who wants a job will find a job and contribute to the building up of our nation. We can provide good things for everyone - and no person in this country should be sleeping on the streets. Not least, of course, we need to bring the world together to end the wars now underway – and to prevent future wars through international cooperation.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have made it clear that they want to help our nation achieve these goals and that they will lead our nation in a new and positive direction, to meet every challenge we face. They aren’t talking “doom.” They are preaching “possibility.” Their commitment to this is key. Let’s not cast our votes based on predictions of doom. Let’s elect two positive leaders to help us move forward – Kamala Harris and Tim Walz!
Image Credit:
