Kamala Harris' 'Weird' Attacks on Trump Have Crucial Flaw: Poll
By: Anezka Pichrtova (Newsweek)
Kamala Harris has created her first old-age, out-of-touch 'gaff' according to polling. The unbiased liberal press ran with it - and - now they'll run away. A lot of young people, especially liberals, self identify as weird. So, Harris has been telling her own base that J.D. Vance is one of their own.
Way to go, Special K! Your bowl of fruity, nutty, flakey is filled to the brim. Special K is actually closer to Biden's age than to Gen Z. And it shows.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
In recent weeks, the term "weird" has become an unexpected player in the 2024 presidential race, as Kamala Harris' campaign has been deploying it against Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz went viral with the comment.
Republicans have criticized the messaging, with Vivek Ramaswamy likening it to a "prom queen contest" and both Trump and Vance hitting back.
The "weird" label has been hailed as a smart move for Democrats. Dr. Brian L. Ott, a professor at Missouri State University who specializes in political messaging, previously told Newsweek it works because, "It subtly evokes discomfort and anxiety without calling him a 'threat to democracy."
But a new poll looking into attitudes towards the term suggests there may be a flaw in Democrats' thinking.
YouGov surveyed 3,601 U.S. adults on August 1 about whether they consider themselves "weird" and found that 48 percent of Americans consider themselves either "very weird" or "somewhat weird."
Crucially, liberals are more likely than conservatives to identify as weird; 69 percent of people who identify as "very liberal" say they're very or somewhat weird, compared to just 39 percent of people who are "very conservative."
Young voters in particular identified with the term — 56 percent of the age group 18-29 identify as "very" or "somewhat weird" compared to only 31 percent in the 65+ category.
YouGov also asked respondents how weird they think liberals and conservatives are. Overall, 46 percent of U.S. adults say liberals are either very weird or somewhat weird, and 47 percent say conservatives are. Unsurprisingly, liberals are more likely to say that conservatives are weird; while conservatives are more likely to say liberals are weird.
People who personally identify as weird are more likely to call both liberals and conservatives weird, as well — but they are less likely to use the word exclusively to insult members of the opposing party.
Among very conservative individuals, 50 percent of those who self-identify as weird say conservatives in general are weird, compared to only 5 percent of those who don't self-identify as weird. The same pattern holds true on the other side: liberals who identify as weird are more likely to call their fellow liberals weird.
Despite the potential for backlash against this strategy, so far it doesn't seem to be harming Harris, who's leading against Trump in three major polling averages. Trump's campaign has responded by accusing the polls of being manipulated by the media.
Tags
Who is online
564 visitors
Oops! Special K shows her age, after all. Must be time for a rewrite.
Pervert is a better descriptor
I can see why being labeled weird bothers some. That doesn't even come close to describing the cult.
Disturbing and perverse are more apt.
Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs is also a better descriptor for the cult of maga
It's almost like no bullet got anywhere near his ear.
I think I will wait for this to play out a bit longer. A lot of people self identify as weird: nerds, geeks etc. I think they know the difference between weird as a self identifier and weird as what someone else calls you.
We shall see.
You think the people that self identify as "weird" aren't being called "weird" by others?
How do you think they started embracing and identifying being "weird"?
I am saying that they are self aware and have the capability of understanding the difference of the application from the name from without as opposed to self identifying.
All you need to do is think about it for a little while and it becomes quite evident.
Tampon Tim? Now that's weird!
Tim speaks the truth. What's the obsession with where people go to the bathroom?