What explains Kamala Harris’s remarkable rise in popularity?

Note: As a nonpartisan ministry, Denison Forum does not endorse political parties or candidates. I would offer the same observations if today’s news related more to Republicans than to Democrats.

The Democratic National Convention begins today in Chicago. Amid concerns that pro-Palestinian protesters will disrupt proceedings, many will be watching to see how Democrats frame Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee in an election season unlike any other.

She became their nominee two weeks ago through an unprecedented process. Her remarkable rise in popularity is bringing swing states into contention that were thought to be safe for Mr. Trump. She is also energizing her party: Kamala Harris’s 83 percent support among Democrats is 22 points higher than Joe Biden’s on the eve of his withdrawal from the race.

What explains her greater popularity with Democrats?

It’s not due primarily to policy, since both hold positions that largely align with their party and she has held no press conferences and given no formal interviews thus far. The explanation is simple: Many Democrats, fearing that Mr. Biden is too old to campaign or lead effectively, think she has a better chance of defeating Mr. Trump.

Mrs. Harris is obviously younger than Mr. Biden. And she would be the first female to become president. While she is only beginning to lay out her policy proposals and says she’ll do a full interview by the end of August, her rising popularity to this point is based more on who she is than on what she might do.

Mr. Trump’s popularity with his supporters is similarly based in large part on his personal story and courage in the face of political opponents and an attempted assassination. As one analyst noted, “Personality matters more than policy in presidential races.”

What does this say about our culture?

What comprises 82% of internet traffic?

You and I live in a capitalistic society. And capitalism makes us all consumers. Our spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of America’s GDP. Most companies make their money by convincing us to buy their products.

There was a day when they did so primarily through word-centric appeals in print ads and radio commercials. Then came television, followed by the internet, followed by online video, which comprises 82 percent of all internet traffic today.

Video persuades primarily through images and stories that appeal to our emotions. And these appeals work: it is estimated that viewers retain 95 percent of a message when watching it on video vs. 10 percent through text.

All this to say, we have become conditioned to make our decisions—from what to buy to whom to vote for—based primarily on emotions. And as David Brooks explains in his latest New York Times article, our emotions condition and direct our reasoning.

They always have.

“More crafty than any other beast”

Genesis 3 reports that “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lᴏʀᴅ God had made” (v. 1a). Crafty translates a Hebrew word meaning “shrewd” or “cunning.”

He began his attack on rational grounds by calling God’s word into question: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (v. 1b). But when the woman responded rationally by repeating and even enlarging on God’s command (vv. 2–3), the enemy shifted tactics: “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (vv. 4–5).

This was a direct appeal to pride and ego, what Nietzsche called the “will to power.”

With this appeal in mind, “the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (v. 6a). As a result, “she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate” (v. 6b).

And the world has never recovered from the Fall that resulted (cf. Romans 8:22).

“My treasure Thou art”

Today’s conversation is about far more than partisan politics. In fact, it goes to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus today. In an emotionally driven culture that defines truth by what feels right to us, it is vital that we “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), seeking to think biblically about the decisions we face.

To do this, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to “guide [us] into all the truth” (John 16:13) and then submit to his authority (Ephesians 5:18). When we surrender our lives to Christ as our Lord (Romans 12:1) so fully that we are not “conformed to this world,” we can be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (v. 2a). Then we will “discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (v. 2b).

God wants us to know his “perfect” will even more than we do. He will lead all who will follow him as Lord. The decision to experience his best is not with him but with us.

One of my favorite hymns is the eighth-century Irish poem, “Be Thou My Vision.” It includes this prayer:

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

Would the “High King of heaven” say he is “first in your heart” today?

Monday news to know:

• Thousands of activists expected in Chicago for Democratic convention to call for Gaza ceasefire
• National Public Data confirms massive data breach included Social Security numbers
• Now that mpox is a global health emergency, will it trigger another pandemic?
• Venezuelans around the world demonstrate to defend opposition’s victory claim
• On this day in 1953: CIA-assisted coup overthrows government of Iran

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Truth is the agreement of our ideas with the ideas of God.” —Jonathan Edwards