The Harris Paradox: Unity Speeches Undermined by Divisive Rhetoric

In the closing weeks of the campaign, Vice President Harris has repeated two sets of statements that are logically opposites. 

The first set shows her as a caring uniter and revolves around several sentences. "The vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us," is one standard line. Accepting her party's nomination, she said: "Our nation… has a fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness… of the past, to chart a new way forward—not as members of any one party, but as Americans." 

At her Ellipse speech on Tuesday, Harris again evoked unity: "America, for too long we have been consumed with too much division, chaos, and mutual distrust," she said. "And it can be easy then to forget a simple truth: It doesn't have to be this way. ... It is time to stop pointing fingers. We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and division." 

The second set shows Harris displaying so much anger and hatred directed towards former President Trump - that her claim as a uniter falls flat on its feet.

Harris has used the following words or phrases to describe Trump: Fascist, unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, out for unchecked power, unfit to serve, dangerous, and petty tyrant. We are sure we have missed quite a few other insults. How can Harris's characterization of Trump fall under the umbrella of her unity messaging? 

In her interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, Harris shifted uncomfortably in her chair, expressing raw rage toward former President Donald Trump. [Watch clip starting 19:32 to 20:45]. At a public appearance the day after the Fox interview, Harris, sounding scary, with her body language ominously in sync, screamed: "[Trump] should never again stand behind the seal of [voice steadily rising] the President of the United States. Never again! Never again!! Never again!!!" She has repeated these exact words, building them to a crescendo, with pronounced anger in her voice, hands pointing downwards, and face twitching, at numerous appearances since. 

The obvious question is: How can a uniter express so much distaste for the leader of a movement who won 74 million votes in 2020 and 65 million votes in 2016? What happened to her sermon: "It is time to stop pointing fingers. We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms?" 

Harris's approach is paradoxical, confounding the GOP and Independent voters she so desperately needs to win in the battleground states. These voters see that far from locking arms, Harris and Biden have done the exact opposite, of attempting to lock Trump up. Indeed, last week, in New Hampshire, Biden expressed a desire to imprison Trump: "We got to lock him up." He quickly recognized the blunder and attempted to backtrack: "Politically lock him up." 

On The View and with Stephen Colbert, Harris was asked if she would have done anything differently from Biden, and on both occasions, she confirmed that nothing was different. "Nothing comes to mind," she said on The View. 

So, it is safe to assume that Harris was 100% behind Biden when he made remarks at a White House press conference in November 2022. President Biden took a question from Phil Mattingly of CNN [See 00:20:16 in this C-SPAN video clip:] 

CNN: "Last month, you said the rest of the world is looking at both the good guys and the bad guys. You noted you're going to the G20 in a couple of days. You will come face-to-face with many of those leaders, at the same moment your predecessor (Trump) is considering launching a reelection effort. How should those world leaders view this moment for America and your presidency?" 

After a long answer, Biden said, "We just have to demonstrate that he will not take power if he does run, making sure he—under legitimate efforts of our Constitution—does not become the next president again." Exactly nine days later, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the appointment of Jack Smith as Special Counsel to investigate Trump's role in J6 and his handling of the classified documents. This is "moving past the bitterness?" 

Two days ago, Biden, in a Zoom call with Latino voters, made one of the biggest gaffes this election cycle. "Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage. Puerto Ricans are "good, decent, honorable people....The only garbage I see floating out there is his (Trump's) supporters — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American." Essentially, Biden had called all of Trump's supporters garbage. 

Harris has tried to distance herself from Biden's gaffes, but she has not apologized to Trump or his supporters. The best Harris could do was to say regarding Garbage-gate was: "Let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for." 

However, Harris is right regarding one claim: "The vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us." 

The vast majority agree (73%, according to the RCP average) that the country is on the wrong track. The vast majority (61%) disapprove of Biden's (a.k.a. Harris's) performance. Vast majorities agree that Biden and Harris have ruined our economy, destroyed America’s global standing, and weakened our borders. Voters care more about these factors than Harris's faux unity message.

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