Kerri Harris – “I believe in the fight for fair wages. “
Kerri Harris can win this. If she does, it will likely be by running for a $15.00 minimum wage and for medicare for all – and not against Tom Carper.
Imagine working 40 hours a week, every week, and still not being able to feed your family, pay your rent or seek medical treatment when you need it.
For many Americans, no imagination is needed. This is their reality.
We have been told repeatedly that working hard is the pathway out of poverty. Clearly, this isn’t true. Millions of Americans go to work every day and still live below the poverty line because the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is too low.
The last time Congress voted to raise the minimum wage was over a decade ago. Since then, wages have stayed the same while the cost of living has continued to rise.
She so needs to win, we need about 30 of her in the senate.
Simply demanding a $15.00 min wage throws a spotlight onto how much Carper is not doing.
She is right not to attack Carper…let him swing in the wind with his republican light voting. Stay on the progressive issues, that is the way to win. This country is not going to elect more democrats who are center right, center, they want real change, progressive change. She has my vote.
“She is right not to attack Carper…let him swing in the wind with his republican light voting. ”
To the contrary. She has no name recognition. The only way to get it is free media. The only way to get free media is by attacking Carper — not personally, not nastily, but persistently. She has to contrast herself to the representation we’re getting now for what she’s proposing to have any meaning to voters.
Carper has swung in the wind since 1992 with Republican Lite policies and routinely is rewarded with 60% of the vote. Delaware voters aren’t going to question that unless you give them a reason to.
“This country is not going to elect more democrats who are center right, center, ”
Yes they are — dozens of them this fall, because that’s who will be running in many districts. Wait and see.
No, she shouldn’t attack Carper, at least not now. Her goal now is to increase her name recognition…positive name recognition. At least for the next two or three months or so. There are surrogates, I consider myself an unofficial one, who can publicly share the horrible Carper record with the public.
When Harris talks about a living wage, we can point out how Carper’s history starkly contrasts with what Harris proposes. Hey, I know it’s incremental at this point. But she should not build up any negatives yet by directly attacking Carper.
Criticizing is not attacking. I’m not saying she should call him Slappy.
You want name recognition, you need media. She will get no media coverage just by saying “here’s my position.” She has to point out there’s a conflict — a disparity between how she would vote, and not just on something past. The media cares about the future.
For example, she should call on him to vote on something important in a way we know he won’t. That stands a better chance of getting coverage than having surrogates with even less name recognition than she criticize Carper. That’s not going to register.
Summer’s coming. Long way to go.
Just think. What if she did win? What a coup that would be.
It is doable.
She needs 30,000 votes.
Nobody pays attention during the summer. By the time they pay attention it’s two weeks from the primary.
The next two months are crucial. After July 1, political Delaware goes to the beach. She either gets the name recognition up by then or it’s over.
Nah, Matt Meyer would’ve lost to Gordon had the primary been on July 1.
I get what you’re saying. But she IS emphasizing the differences between her and Carper w/o going all Alfonse D’Amato on him. D’Amato had only one way to win: Make his opponent even more reviled than he was. D’s have to feel comfortable with Kerri before they’ll dump Carper.
I think she’s doing a good job of that. Will it work? Well, more articles like the one in the New Republic will help. I think they’re coming.
Yeah, I never said “attack” as in “get vile.” As you said, she needs positive publicity. She won’t get it being passive. That’s just the world we live in.
“Well, more articles like the one in the New Republic will help. ”
Only with fund-raising. How many Delaware voters read the New Republic?
“She needs 30,000 votes.”
Six years ago Carper got nearly 44,000 votes against token opposition (Keith Spanarelli for the trivia-minded). Granted, that’s a mayoral primary year and this isn’t, but that fact favors Carper, not Harris. She needs 45,000 votes, and at this point I seriously doubt 45,000 recognize her name. That must change.
National press helps fundraising. Especially if it’s part of a grassroots campaign. Yes, it all has to come together. But she’s not being passive. She’s actively engaging voters, granted often in small groups. She has the best grassroots organizers in the state working on her race. Including the people from Network Delaware and Delaware United. Who DID help elect Matt Meyer.
She’s, of course, still the underdog. But the rhythm of a grassroots campaign is different. A lot of work at the beginning that doesn’t manifest itself until much later. But if/when that synergy clicks, the momentum is unstoppable.
The other thing I’ve noticed, and maybe it’s wishful thinking, is that Carper doesn’t appear on his game. When you haven’t been seriously challenged for some time, you don’t really know how to respond to it. It’s early. But I have hope.
Totally agree on Carper. Shuffling leads to stumbling. I guess he’s fated to fall out of the Senate the same way he rose. Rust never sleeps.
That’s why I think she should do something to draw a response. He’s not on his game. Of course, he didn’t do anything to draw out Roth. The mere pressure of his presence was enough.
I think the different rhythm was the thing I couldn’t put my finger on back in February.