My friend Bruce Mehlman, who runs the “Age of Disruption” Substack, posted this on Sunday — comparing how Joe Biden talked about Donald Trump with how Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have talked about him:
Which I think is a) smart and b) hilarious.
In case you don’t know, the guy on the left is Darth Vader. And the guy on the right is Dark Helmet aka Rick Moranis in “Spaceballs.”
The point here — if the picture doesn’t make it totally clear — is that Biden and Harris/Walz have talked about Trump in totally different ways.
Biden cast Trump as a fundamental threat to democracy, a scary and powerful figure who would rip away all the Americans hold dear if given the chance.
Harris — and especially Walz — have cast Trump more as a comic figure, a small and deeply odd man leading a “weird” party. Rather than being threatened by Trump, Harris and Walz have laughed at him — treating him with derision.
It reminds me of how you deal with a boggart ( a creature that represents your deepest, darkest fear) in “Harry Potter.” (Yes, this is nerdy but it totally fits!)
Right? Right!
Treating Trump like a joke is working. It is an effective message for undecided voters and it drives the former president crazy.
I explain more in today’s edition of The Morning.
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