Joyful Warriors

Harris and Walz are upending nine years of angry politics

Credit: Getty Images

For the past nine years Americans have been subjected to a political reality suffused with anger and acrimony. Ever since Donald Trump entered the political arena, he has been in fighting mode. His anger is ever present. For many of us, it’s also incredibly tiring. Almost a decade on, the act is getting — like Trump — a little old and a lot stale. And if it was possible, this time around the former president is angrier than before. His temperament has hung over our nation like a persistent dark cloud. 

In trying to explain why Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, seem to have broken the spell of negativity, it may be as simple as they’re in a heck of a lot better mood than Trump. Rays of sunshine rather than dark clouds are the order of the day.

How did the Democratic ticket get such a quick boost in the polls? Perhaps it’s because Harris and Walz look like they’re having a good time. Democrats, at least for the moment, are positive, happy, and looking forward. Or maybe voters are just tired of it all. Let’s don’t overthink this.

Harris’s entrance into the race injected crucial energy into a campaign that was limping at best. But it is more than that. Democrats, who were resigned to Biden as their failing candidate, were euphoric with relief when Harris hit the ground not just running, but running to win.

The addition of the avuncular Walz has extended the honeymoon. At their first joint appearance a week ago, he thanked her for “bringing back the joy.” She smiles and laughs unabashedly, and her legion of supporters is right there with her. She very clearly enjoys the work of being a presidential candidate, and that is infectious. Harris has taken this idea a step further and dubbed the two “joyful warriors.”

The juxtaposition of soft and hard is no accident. As joyful warriors, the two are able to stand up to the bullies on the other side with a glint in their eyes. They can call out Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, on their hate-filled rhetoric and alternative facts with big smiles on their faces. If they fight fire with fire or, in this case, hate with hate, it could turn off a lot of voters, especially those who are still making up their minds.

Donald Trump hasn’t gotten that memo. He and his campaign have been knocked back on their heels. Twenty-one days ago, he thought he had the election in the bag. Then everything changed. He was unprepared … for his new opponent and for the optimism she has kindled. His tendency toward rage-fueled incoherence has been amped up by her genial ease on the campaign trail.

In an attempt to wrest the spotlight away from Harris, Trump held a news conference last week where he not only didn’t make any news, but he spent most of his 64 minutes in front of microphones lying. According to NPR, which analyzed the appearance, Trump told 162 lies. That’s 2.5 falsehoods per minute. And his demeanor was anything but sunny. He was accusatory, scowling, and distressed. The Washington Post’s Matt Bai suggested that Trump’s motto could be “Don’t worry, be angry.”

Things likely won’t improve for Trump in the short term. The Democratic National Convention takes place next week in Chicago. With the Democrats as unified as they are, the convention should be a continuation of the lovefest for Harris and Walz with an appreciative nod to Biden’s decades of service to the country.

Then we hit the longest two months in politics. With the conventions behind them, the summer over, and Election Day looming, the candidates will do nothing but campaign and try to sway that very small constituency of fence-sitters who will decide the election. The margins in this race are slim at best. 

Democrats will need more than smiles and positivity. Harris and Walz will need to articulate policies for how they plan to govern.   

The next president will almost certainly be the candidate who can get out the vote. History has shown it is far easier to do that when voters are enthusiastically for their candidate, rather than simply voting against the other person.

I’m grateful I get to witness Harris’s candidacy … this real-time civics lesson, that is playing out in packed arenas all over the country. It’s a much-needed balm to an electorate exhausted from almost a decade of grievance politics. It is also a joyful shot across the bow at a man who is determined to end our democracy that has endured for almost 250 years.

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Dan