The Harris-Walz rally at Detroit's metro airport was a logistical disaster, but it showcased the Democratic Party's newest identity girl. The new populist angle promises good times for everyone. But through the rhetoric of the demonstration, major weaknesses were revealed and can be exploited.
Despite registering for the event two days before, details never arrived. On the day of the event, there was also nothing specific available in any of the local Detroit newspapers. Once at the airport, there were no signs or chaperones to direct to the rally. I picked the airport parking lots at random and found an inconspicuous Harris for President tent with volunteers running around frantically. It was 5 p.m., and Vice President Kamala Harris would take the stage in two hours.
A very nice woman named Linda said she had been waiting patiently since 1pm. He said he was first directed to the departures terminal, then arrivals, before arriving at this location. Linda claimed that many people had come to the check-in desk looking for Harris. They were still searching with no one to help them.
But even here, in the right place, none of the volunteers seemed to understand the basic information about how to get to the airplane hangar where the rally was being held. Linda asked why this was all so confusing. She had come from afar to support the party and in return they had made things very difficult for her. A volunteer assured us that the event was deliberately hidden for security reasons. Or this explanation was false, and the reason was total incompetence; or it was true, and completely stupid.
We waited 30 minutes, and then the volunteers got some bad news. No more shuttle buses were coming. The venue was at capacity, with an estimated 15,000 people. But then a yellow school bus arrived and the volunteers celebrated as if they were witnessing a miracle. We were the last to join the rally. What was strange about the poor management of the crowd was that, outside the hangar, the roads were lined with coaches. They weren't from the airport. People had been bussed in from elsewhere. The event was probably organized internally.
After going through security, I saw a choral group of young black men singing about emancipation. The hangar was packed, although the crowd looked much smaller than 15,000 people. I suspect that maybe that many people signed up for the event and only half showed up. The first speaker upon my arrival was Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. He got on stage and started shouting platitudes, eager to proselytize divine truths. He called for a future free from poverty, free from pollution and free from limitations. It celebrated love and compassion. Then he told the crowd, “You don't know how small Trump's brain is,” as he pinched the air for something small.
His speech was followed by ghetto rap music.
The next notable speaker was United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain.
He continued in the same forceful, angry tone. It's not what he said that mattered, it's how he said it. Fain began his speech by affecting a workmanlike, no-nonsense attitude. He shouted phrases such as “Go big or go home” and called Harris a “tough woman”. His liberal use of profanity revealed something interesting in the Democratic strategy. The more he cursed, the more the crowd cheered; when Fain called out, “I am shit angry,” there was a deafening roar of support.
The careful deployment of naughty words to indicate irreverence and passion was used throughout the evening. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had the honor of introducing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate. Her entire speech was the head girl preview of Kamala's feature presentation. Gretchen entered with a lot of energy, stating that she “woke up in Big Gretch mode this morning.” His index finger seemed to dictate every gesture: wagging his finger in disapproval, snapping his fingers for emphasis, pointing it all out. His description of Walz was salt-of-the-earth fiction: “We all know the type of guy … a parent, a coach, the guy who makes bad jokes, who always has jumper cables in the car.” Her sane healing, however, was concluded by announcing Walz as the only guy who curses more than herself, and that he “gives shit”, a phrase she repeated. More excitement
Waltz carried the energy faithfully. Instead of leaning on his progressive reputation, he cast himself as the fed-up centrist who is sick and tired of Trump and his nonsense. When he spoke about abortion or queer propaganda in schools, Walz told conservatives to “mind your damn business” and adjourned freedom. He also used his trademark “weird” on several occasions when referring to anything MAGIC.
Kamala was the only speaker who didn't start her speech shouting. Instead, it began more presidentially, with an optimism and cadence reminiscent of Obama. I assumed his disciplinarian side would soon be unleashed on Trump, but fate intervened. As she delivered her keynote speech, promising good times and universal equality, a group of Palestinian activists began booing and accusing Kamala of murdering Gazan babies. They did it twice. I could see how uncomfortable several fans felt. It created a small fissure in an otherwise consensual evening. And Kamala handled the situation with anger. The first time, he smiled awkwardly and made a snide comment about the democratic right to protest. The second time, Harris broke character and sternly warned POC women that, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, say this, otherwise. I'm talking.” His strong reaction earned him applause from his audience, of course, but across the country and especially in Muslim communities like Dearborn, he will receive less favorable reactions.
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A new marketing strategy has been rolled out with the Harris campaign. It seems like a rebranding of an entire party, from the pretense to civility that used condescension to attack, to something more combative and nasty. The Democrats seem to have finally got their opponent, embracing the same populism for which they denounced Trump.
The event also confirmed something: There is a deliberate and curated push to make Harris the unabashed “bad ****” president. Why? Because, on the one hand, he is a person that everyone knows through popular culture. it's easy Voters easily consume the archetypal forms they tend to digest. Trump is the white billionaire bully; Harris, the unruly black girl ch. It's a perfect match.
When Air Force Two touched down on the tarmac, Beyonce's “Run the World (Girls)” was so loud that many women ironically covered their ears in anguish. Throughout the night, female ratchet rap filled the intermission between speeches. The white women in the crowd imitated the black women, swaying and swaying, as they danced. It was like a minstrel show but passable. What's interesting about the music selection is that many of the songs express a brazen arrogance and selfishness. But it works. It is the black female strength that all participants experience vicariously.
Harris is arguably the quintessential Democratic candidate. The Democratic Party as a psychology profile is the domineering mother, full of well-intentioned sentiments that have disastrous consequences. His followers are not difficult to understand. I talked to a lot of attendees and they were really sweet. This is the problem. They are addicted to good feelings and seem altruistic. When faced with difficult truths that upset and make them uncomfortable, they place themselves in slogans about kindness. It is a defense mechanism for the fragile mind. Whatever the causes, I've found that feel-good fanatics defend their saccharine delusions with existential determination. They would rather satisfy any fantasy that promises some euphoric or palliative effect than something that is true. This is what the Democratic Party promises: good luck. “I just want hope again” is something I heard from many fans. People who are desperate for hope will believe anything. However, this apparent flaw does not weaken its support. Even if it's all fake, isn't happiness the premise of all TV commercials? People still buy.
But delusions always have an account. This evening, the good times were overshadowed by the nightmare of bad organization. And throughout the rally, all the speakers had to take a break and call the doctors. It was too hot and there wasn't enough water. The emergency golf cart struggled to separate the crowd.
I managed to catch the first bus out of the hangar, but many attendees were stuck for almost four more hours after the rally ended. Not that Harris is losing support because of his team's mismanagement. You won't lose customers with bad service.
But there is a way for his followers to lose hope. She leaned on one thing: good vibes. Its opponents might reveal that it is not as advertised. This is what the protesters came up with. bad feelings bad vibe It's a problem Democrats still don't know how to handle. And as Harris stumbles to counter her apparent betrayal of human rights in the Middle East, she has been accused of complicity in genocide, most recently under a new clarification: the Kamalacaust.
Mitch Miller is an adventure writer and conflict reporter. He is more than happy to join in any extreme activity and can be contacted at mitchenjoyer@gmail.com. Follow him at X at @funtimemitch.
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