Increasingly desperate Democrats — fearing a repeat of 2016 — are resorting to a round of last-minute tactics like demanding more debates, shaming voters, changing the rules and doctoring interviews in a sign that panic may be setting in the party.
Kamala Harris is making a failed attempt to debate Donald Trump again — a surefire loser of an issue — while running mate bust Tim Walz is advocating getting rid of the Electoral College, created by the Founding Fathers to give more power to smaller states.
Democrats such as Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey also want to rewrite the rules by packing the Supreme Court with more justices and undoing high court decisions like the ruling abolishing Roe v. Wade.
“Republicans have hijacked the confirmation process and stolen the Supreme Court majority — all to appeal to far-right judicial activists who for years have wanted to wield the gavel to roll back fundamental rights,” Markey said.
Former President Barack Obama, in another sign of desperation, wagged his finger at Black male voters at a rally in Pennsylvania for not being enthusiastic enough about Harris’ candidacy.
“We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” Obama said. “Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”
Talk about a guilt trip. Democrats are clearly worried that some of the Black vote will stay home or even support Donald Trump. Polls show Trump gaining a greater percentage of Latino and Black voters than he did four years ago.
“Part of it makes me think, and I’m speaking to men directly … that well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” Obama said condescendingly.
His comments also make Kamala Harris seem small and weak by comparison, that she’s unable to generate the enthusiasm the former president got in 2008 and 2012.
Whether it’s Obama’s speech or Hillary Clinton pushing for social media companies to “moderate” content, you can almost hear the panic in their voices.
Then there is the media resorting to propping up Harris. “60 Minutes” producers selectively edited Harris’ recent interview to make her answers seem more coherent. CNN recently carried Harris’ Zoom press conference on Hurricane Milton live, while Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had a briefing in person and CNN ignored it because he won’t talk to Harris.
All this as polls repeatedly show Harris has been unable to build a lead, with Trump ahead or tied in battleground states like Pennsylvania, which could single-handedly win him the election.
So Democrats cling to the hope that another debate or perhaps an October surprise like Joe Biden resigning might turn around their White House hopes.
It’s not going to work.
Trump isn’t going to be trapped into debating again, and Congress isn’t going to rewrite the Constitution to make the popular vote the deciding factor in the election.
But Democrats and the media are trying anyway. They’ll keep trying until they win every election and have complete authoritarian control over the government forever.
Joe Battenfeld is a columnist for the Boston Herald.
