Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Can Harris Save Chicago?

NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.

State of play :

• 88 days to the election
• 10 days to the DNC
• 32 days to the debate set for Sept. 10
• 19 days since Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the candidacy, and she still hasn’t had a meaningful interaction with the press (yesterday’s gaggle over jet noise didn’t count).
• Decision Desk HQ average : Trump +0.2, as of around 12 p.m. ET today. Click here to see the latest numbers.

Can Harris Save Chicago?

The last-ditch effort to save the DNC in Chicago from mass pro-Hamas protesters revolves around Egypt, Qatar, the Israelis and Iran.

• Timing : Barak Ravid reports in Axios about a summit for Aug. 15 to put max pressure in the Middle East. That’s four days before the DNC starts in Chicago.
• Call me cynical, but I lived in the Middle East for four years; after that, you don’t believe in coincidences.
• Key question : Will a cease-fire be enough to prevent mass protests and a split screen of Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech or Governor Josh Shapiro’s keynote with Hamas flags?

Look back : Picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over the Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro didn’t stop pro-Hamas types from interrupting Harris’ rally.

• Nor did meeting with groups angry at Biden before the rally.

Arm twisting : The near singular focus from Team Biden on a cease-fire as the panacea to their domestic political woes remains.

Break glass: Her “I’m speaking” smackdown that concluded with “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that” might work indoors, but the possibility of a DNC split screen with Hamas flags outside would be devastating for Harris’ new image.

Political reality: The interruption in Detroit proves the Walz pick wasn’t enough to placate the pro-Palestinian wing of the Democratic party. Now they would like a cease-fire before the DNC — there’s no proof that will work either.

Zoom out: In addition to having no foreign policy experience, we have no idea about Harris’ foreign policy.

• The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board points out , “​​Kamala Harris: Mystery Commander in Chief. How would the Vice President keep America safe in a dangerous world? The voters deserve some answers.”

So far, she appears to view foreign policy through the lens of her domestic political predicament.

• Of course, we also don’t know about her domestic policy.
  • Fracking, single-payer healthcare and the Green New Deal were all things she supported, but publicly disavowing them would cost her the progressive left.

Liberty, Lockdowns and Legacy

Stump speeches are by definition a little long on hyperbole and short on details (for example: “Build a wall and Mexico will pay for it”) BUT as Harris leans into “freedom” on the stump, we find some curious lines.

• For example, “We want to recognize the right all people have to freedom and liberty, to make choices, especially those that are about heart and home and not have their government telling them what to do,” as she told the United Auto Workers in Wayne, Michigan.

Really? 💭 The Biden administration censored truthful speech online, kicked people out of the military for not taking an experimental vaccine and Harris’ running mate, as governor, created a COVID-19 snitch line.

Houdini escape : As we told you yesterday , Harris should win an award for her incredible divorce from the Biden-Harris legacy.

Bloomberg makes the point that Harris faces uphill economic realities.

• “Election 2024: Swing State Economic Realities Facing Harris, Trump,” they headline.

Click here to see her new ad about the middle class.

• “Kamala Harris knows what it’s like to be middle class. It’s why she’s determined to lower health care costs and make housing more affordable.”

Fair question : If she ever takes questions, it should be, “As VP you praised the Biden policies for the middle class — costs of housing and health care have exploded under your administration. What did you all do wrong and how are you going to do differently than he did the past three years?”

What does she believe? 💭 Kimberley Strassel lays out in the Wall Street Journal a devastating series of Harris flip flops…will she flip back?

Is Trump Up to It?

Trump rallies tonight in Montana — why, we don’t know — but he is keeping a Biden-like campaign schedule.

• Here is the devastating graphic from The Washington Post .

Turn around : The age question is now focusing on Trump.

What I am hearing: Is Rasmussen right showing Trump 5 points up?

Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here .

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.

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