Kamala Harris: The New Coke

In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company took one of the biggest gambles in marketing history. It changed the formula for its widely popular soft drink and branded it “New Coke.” The result was an unmitigated disaster. Sales crashed, and the company became the brunt of jokes on the late-night talk shows that were popular in that era.

Fast forward to 2024 and political image makers have created the “New Kamala.” They have repacked the unpopular far-left vice president of the failed administration currently in power as a moderate offering a “new way forward.”

Unlike Coca-Cola, Democrats are unable to go back to their original product — Joe Biden — and are stuck with a failing replacement. There is an old saying in advertising that good advertising makes a bad product fail faster. Thus, as Kamala’s summer of joy fades into the autumn of reality, voters are finding she is not as advertised.

The underlying problem for Kamala Harris and Democratic candidates all across Rush Limbaugh’s fruited plain is that not only their record — but the present reality — on the two issues voters care about most (the economy and immigration) cut against them.  

Yes, government statics show the rate of inflation has declined, unemployment is low and the jobs market is strong, and the Fed has implemented an election year interest rate cut. But, with inflation having soared over 20 percent on the Biden–Harris watch, voters are not feeling the joy.

Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is being touted as the most important battleground state. There is no path to the White House for Kamala Harris if she loses Penn’s woods and a very narrow path for Donald Trump if he loses the state.

Harris has not been successful in untethering herself from the Biden record. In recent interviews in sympathetic venues, she has been unable to articulate even one difference she has with Joe Biden. That effectively undercuts the “new way forward” message. Various polls have shown that voters believe they were better off during the first Trump administration than they currently are under the Biden–Harris administration.

The Commonwealth Foundation’s most recent Common Ground poll conducted the last week of September found inflation and rising costs to be the top concerns of voters. The poll’s analysis states: “Nearly seven-in-ten registered voters say inflation and price increases impact their family’s ability to maintain their standard of living … over half of all voters surveyed say their economic conditions are worsening.” 

The poll digs deeper: “High energy costs contribute to the inflation squeeze. According to the survey, 77% of respondents say their energy bills have increased over the past two years (33% saying “a lot”). A significant majority (71%) say they are concerned about their ability to afford their family’s energy needs.” 

Voters clearly feel that both the state and nation are headed in the wrong direction. The Commonwealth Foundation voter poll found that 68 percent of respondents believe America is on the wrong track, while only 26 percent think the country is going in the right direction. Fifty-seven percent say Pennsylvania is on the wrong track, while 33 percent think the state is headed in the right direction.

The Fall 2024 Keystone Business Climate Survey, conducted by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, found the owners, top executives, and managers of businesses in the state to likewise be in a surly mood. By a three-to-one margin, respondents to the poll say the state’s economy has gotten worse, not better over the past six months.

Forty-five percent said the state’s business climate has gotten worse over the past six months; just 17 percent say it has gotten better. For comparison, in the Spring 2024 Keystone Business Climate Survey, 36 percent of respondents said business conditions had gotten worse in the preceding six months, while 26 percent felt conditions had improved. 

Inflation is clearly the key factor. Forty-six percent of the business leaders responding cited inflation as their top challenge, with 42 percent citing concern over current economic conditions and 37 percent citing concern over future economic conditions. Ninety percent of those participating in the Fall 2024 Keystone Business Climate Survey said inflation has impacted their business, with 49 percent saying the impact has been significant.

On the other major issue — immigration — 56 percent report that illegal immigration has had a negative impact in Pennsylvania, with 31 percent saying the impact has been significantly negative. Fifteen percent believe illegal immigration has had a positive impact on the state.

And so on, from the board room to the kitchen table, Pennsylvanians are unhappy with the current condition of the economy and think things are headed in the wrong direction. The problem for Kamala Harris is, as it was with New Coke, is that consumers simply don’t like the product. The question is: Will Donald Trump be the Pepsi Cola who benefits from that failure?

Lowman S. Henry is Chairman & CEO of the Lincoln Institute and host of the weekly American Radio Journal and Lincoln Radio Journal. His e-mail address is lhenry@lincolninstitute.org.

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