Kamala Harris was one of the Democratic candidates for the 2020 election. She appeared to be far behind the leader in the polls conducted in mid-2019. Her campaign was deemed unsuccessful and before 2020 even arrived, she announced on Dec. 3, 2019, that she was withdrawing from the race. Although she was not considered worthy of a place at the forefront even among Democrats and was not considered a leader, she suddenly flew up the ranks when Biden appointed her as vice president.
A similar situation occurred before the 2024 elections. Despite the reluctance of some Democrats from the beginning, Biden initially emerged as a candidate. However, when he looked miserable in the first debate against Trump, the pressure to withdraw increased and Biden was forced to step down by the final decision of the decision-makers. So, with just over 100 days left until the election, Harris suddenly emerged as a candidate. Harris, who might not have won if the Democrats had initially nominated their own candidates and put them on the ballot, now had the chance to be placed in the penultimate place without having participated in a single debate.
Campaign almost entirely about abortion
It is curious and meaningful to consider what kind of campaign and propaganda Harris, who has been constantly pushed, raised and paved her way by various people, will conduct now, since she was unsuccessful even in her previous campaign among Democrats. Considering that she has been continuing her propaganda since before the announcement, examining her performance on X (formerly Twitter) in July, when her candidacy was announced, provides significant clues.
According to my findings, the number of tweets Harris wrote herself, excluding those she retweeted in July, is 160. At least 40 of these emphasize the issue of abortion. Given that a significant portion of her tweets are likely written out of necessity due to her position, this number represents almost all of her propaganda tweets, which is quite significant.
In fact, Harris is busy almost every day with propaganda that abortion will be banned in the country if Trump becomes president. According to her, if this right and “freedom” that “women have won through hard struggle” is being targeted, then “freedom,” which she emphasizes so much as an American value, is also being targeted.
Harris used the word “freedom” 42 times in her tweets during this period, insisting that Trump is attacking freedoms, that freedoms will be on the ballot and that Trump is trying to take the country backward while she is trying to move it forward. This argument about abortion serves as both a foundational and prominent response to those who ask, “Where does the idea that freedoms are being targeted come from?” It stands as the primary element of Harris’ fear-based messaging.
Countering the assassination with abortion
Interestingly, Trump supporters emphasize that abortion is a state issue and that it will be banned or allowed according to the wishes of the people of a state. They rightfully point out that Trump has not made any promises or statements to impose such a ban on the entire country. Indeed, there are those who are against abortion, especially among the Republicans, who welcome the ban in their states and see it as a requirement of democracy. Therefore, it does not seem possible to say that this is an imposition by a very small minority on the entire country. Despite this, Harris persistently refers to the abortion issue in almost all of her propaganda messages.
What is more interesting is that Harris, who remained silent except for a few late tweets in the first two days of the failed assassination attempt on Trump and who spent her quietest moments in July at X, has since fully embraced the message of “abortion will be banned.” With this, Harris suggests that “the most effective way to discredit Trump, who is becoming more popular and heroic in the public eye, is through the issue of abortion.”
According to Harris, who has accused Trump of dismantling freedoms and democracy in favor of “chaos, fear and hatred,” the fact that abortion is targeted in Republican states is sufficient evidence for her accusation. In addition, in a tweet on July 3, Harris stated that reproductive freedom has won in every election where it was on the ballot. This observation and belief explain why she has focused so intensely on this issue, to the point of ridicule.
Trump and his unlimited servanthood to Israel
There is also the much-debated issue of U.S. support for Israel. Trump accused Kamala Harris of stabbing Israel in the back and some people around her of being Palestinians. He also resorted to the rhetoric that “Jews who vote for Democrats are stupid.” While Palestinian supporters all over the world see the U.S. administration that Harris is part of as complicit in genocide, Trump’s accusation that they still do not serve Israel enough despite all this carnage cannot be ignored.
Given his attitude, Trump could be accused of having the understanding of “being a servant to the Zionists at the lowest level, in the presence of which even dogs would be considered noble.” It is indisputable that if Trump, who chooses such a daring discourse, wins, it will create a terrible image for that people and the country.
Yes, Trump talks about ending the war, but he frames this by concentrating on outcomes favorable to Israel. He says, “If I were president, this war would not have started,” reflecting the idea that: “They would not dare to attack Israel. I would not let them lay a hand on Israel.” So much so that, even in his first long speech after surviving the assassination attempt, at the Republican convention on July 19, he felt the need to promise that no one would be able to harm Israel again with the new Iron Dome he would build. However, in his most emotional and exceptional public speeches, he did not include a single word showing concern for the suffering of the massacred Palestinians. Additionally, Trump supporters continue to arrogantly claim on TV screens that Hamas is responsible for the 40,000 people killed and that Israel cannot be held accountable.
These policies may ultimately benefit Kamala Harris, who is known to be at least a little more distant from Israel and has some criticisms. After all, even among evangelicals, polls show a downward trend in support for Israel, which has concerned Israeli media.
Will abortion determine future of U.S.?
If we turn back to the issue of abortion, it can be said that Harris has slightly normalized her propaganda in August. However, abortion remains one of the most prominent issues in her campaign. Almost all the leading speakers at the DNC touched on this issue. So much so that Trump had to carefully answer questions about abortion even in the 15-minute press conference he held immediately after Independent Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his endorsement for him.
If abortion and related discourses remain the primary focus of her propaganda in the coming months and Kamala Harris, who is ahead in polls, wins the election, we will have a peculiar situation. The following observation could be food for thought: “The number one position of the U.S., which is still the most influential and leading country in various aspects, is determined by the desire of people to commit acts that lead to abortion and then have abortions.” It’s clear that the fate of a large nation with many internal and external problems being primarily influenced by abortion would not present a healthy image for that society or country.
Of course, if the opposite happens and Trump wins, Harris, who previously ran an unsuccessful campaign, will be accused of focusing too much on abortion and not giving enough weight to other arguments, with claims that she built her own defeat. However, if the polls are accurate Kamala Harris seems to have made a breakthrough against Trump, who was leading during Biden’s tenure, both by addressing the negatives caused by Biden and by focusing on abortion. For this reason, it can be argued that it does not seem like a very unsuccessful campaign, even if it seems “absurd.”
