Kamala Harris’s closing argument
Her vision of the future is also a nostalgic one. Do enough Americans still believe in it?
Senator Barack Obama was well ahead of the country in 2007, or so believed some of Hillary Clinton’s campaign advisers. “Obama is unelectable except perhaps against Attila the Hun,” Mark Penn, her top strategist, wrote in an internal campaign memo in March that year. Mr Obama was trying to celebrate his background as “diverse” and “multicultural”, but Americans were not ready for that message. “Save it for 2050,” Mr Penn wrote.
Explore more
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Back to the future”
From the October 26th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Donald Trump may find it harder to dominate America’s conversation
A more fragmented media is tougher to manage
An FBI sting operation catches Jackson’s mayor taking big bribes
What the sensational undoing of the black leader means for Mississippi’s failing capital
America’s rural-urban divide nurtures wannabe state-splitters
What’s behind a new wave of secessionism
Does Donald Trump have unlimited authority to impose tariffs?
Yes, but other factors could hold him back
As Jack Smith exits, Donald Trump’s allies hint at retribution
The president-elect hopes to hand the Justice Department to loyalists
Democratic states are preparing for Donald Trump’s return
But Mr Trump will be more prepared, too