Kamala Harris can defeat Donald Trump by avoiding Democrats' familiar trap

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This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 13 episode of "Alex Wagner Tonight." No one should confuse the enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for a lack of substance. Harris knows her stuff. She knows where this country needs to go. I’m sure her campaign will lay out detailed policy positions very soon. Those policies will be posted to her website, for the American people to research and think about for themselves. As a former Democratic senator, I know all too well the trap members of my party sometimes fall into. But Harris needs to be careful here. As a former Democratic senator, I know all too well the trap members of my party sometimes fall into. Democrats think, well, if I can just give one more detail about how we’re going to convert green energy into jobs or if I could just give the voters one more in-the-weeds factoid then that will do it. However, that approach will not appeal to the people who will decide who takes the White House. These people are not high-information voters. Many of the voters who will actually decide this election likely won’t pay attention until the final 60 days of the campaign. So while Harris has to have that substance ready to go, she also needs to keep her campaign where it is now in terms of messaging — “We’re not going back. We’re going forward. This is about you and it’s not about him.” That is what will likely convince the voters that Harris needs to win the White House in November. Join Claire McCaskill, Rachel Maddow and many others on Saturday, Sept. 7, in Brooklyn, New York, for “MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024,” a first-of-its-kind live event. You’ll get to see your favorite hosts in person and hear thought-provoking conversations about what matters most in the final weeks of an unprecedented election cycle. Buy tickets here.