If I asked you to guess the ages of people calling each other weird and talking about eating cats and dogs, you would assume that I was talking about a group of kindergarteners. Yet, I’d really be referencing the nominees for president and vice president — and not of the fifth grade class council, but of the United States. If it was not abundantly clear already, these comments should demonstrate that refocusing presidential elections on policy is a necessary step that candidates must take to turn the page from divisive rhetoric and better serve the American public.
In the September presidential debate, former President Donald Trump claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris lacks policy. “Everything that [Harris] believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She has no policy… She's going to my philosophy now,” Trump said, seemingly claiming that he, too, has no policy positions. While it is not unfounded that a candidate would attack another’s lack of policy, the fact that Trump concedes his own lacking in the same sentence credits that there are few policy discussions for voters in this election.
Since Harris officially became the Democratic presidential nominee in August, Democrats have utilized strategies popularized by Trump — name calling and good vibes — to win votes and generate enthusiasm around the Harris campaign. This was evidenced in Harris’ debate performance. In response to Trump’s attack on Harris’ above, the vice president responded, “He's a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign is all about.” I’m just kidding, that was John McCain in 2008. In reality, for every taunt from Trump or question from the moderators, Harris gave a practiced policy answer before baiting Trump into anger with remarks like “people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom”, spending a whopping 46% of her speaking time attacking the former president.
While her approach certainly worked in the debate, it is ultimately a disservice to the American people. Americans are tired of voting for someone who is “not Donald Trump,” and while Trump may be the Republican nominee, Democrats should still focus more on getting pro-Harris votes than anti-Trump votes. The same is true for Republicans, whether in this election or in the future.
In response to growing criticism surrounding his cats-and-dogs conspiracy theory, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have doubled down, continuing to recite the lie that immigrants in a small Ohio town are eating pets. While it may seem like this is just Trump being Trump, the truth is that the former president does not have a way out of his fib. Because policy is not the backbone of the Trump-Vance campaign, Trump has to do whatever he can to maintain his own image. This includes claiming that “every poll” indicates he won the debate. Simply put, the reason Trump lies so much is because he does not have anything else to talk about.
This is not a path that the Harris campaign should follow, and voters agree. Harris may have won last week’s debate by many accounts, but that does not mean she convinced enough undecided voters to win. Her focus on rhetoric and attacking Trump did not answer key questions for these voters, including her position on immigration or reasons behind policy changes on issues like fracking. A turn to policy may not be as exciting as a brat campaign, but it is a necessary step the Harris campaign must take if it wants to attract swing voters and demonstrate that Harris represents a change in American politics. Swing voters name inflation, jobs and immigration as their top issues this election season. Harris should focus on these issues to strengthen her chances in this race.
Focusing on policy may be pivotal for both Democrats and Republicans to win down-ballot elections. While Harris could win the presidency by convincing voters that she is the better candidate than Trump, that means nothing for Montana voters picking between Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.) and Republican candidate Tim Sheehy. While it is likely that fewer voters than ever will be splitting their tickets this November, in tightly contested Senate races like those in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, just a few thousand votes could make all the difference. Policy is the foundation of a party, and key issues like abortion have historically shown that issues — not just candidates — matter. If candidates want to help their parties' chances down the ticket and increase the chances of their own policy being passed, they should focus on policy in their campaigns.
While Harris was able to articulate some key policy points in last week’s debate, the lack of discussion surrounding those policy points is a major problem. It is through debate that both candidates and policies improve. In the same way that iron sharpens iron, debates about policy generate better policy. When Democrats develop new policy ideas to win voters, Republicans are forced to respond with their own innovation. When candidates rely on rhetoric, only rhetoric is exchanged in response, leaving no one as the winner. If either Harris or Trump truly wants to turn the page on American politics, they can do so by ending this cycle of rhetoric and turning toward policy conversation that will actually benefit the American people.
Most importantly, however, our country and political system are on the verge of a crisis. Two recent assassination attempts on Trump’s life highlight growing political violence in our nation. Trump was quick to blame Democrats’ rhetoric for stoking this violence. Both sides' incendiary rhetoric has made this election and our country more divisive. Political violence has no place in America, and it starts and ends with the rhetoric of our elected officials. A return to fundamental policy and visions for our country will go far in its service to the American public through breaking the spiral of violence our country is going down.
If candidates are unwilling to do so, voters must rise above the rhetoric, advocate for policy and reward candidates who do the same. After all, elections are not about winning, they are about service. Returning American politics to the service of all rather than of some or one is necessary, and policy is a great place to start.
Pierce McDade (25Ox) is from Bloomington, Ill.
