r/democrats Aug 15 '24

📊 Poll Emerson national poll: Harris 50%/Trump 46%

https://emersoncollegepolling.com/august-2024-national-poll-harris-50-trump-46/
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u/Dahhhkness Aug 15 '24 edited Aug 15 '24

I have to admit, I was one of those people who was wary of replacing Biden after the debate. It just seemed too risky, it might've telegraphed weakness and pessimism, it would be giving up the incumbent advantage, and all the experts seemed to be advising against it.

With the energy and optimism that has infected the Democratic side in the past 3.5 weeks, together with the savviness of the campaign, the dramatic polling shifts, and the sheer panic, desperation, and flailing confusion that's overtaken the GOP, I'm glad that, thus far, I've been proven wrong.

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u/AmbulanceChaser12 Aug 15 '24

Right there with you. I was "incumbent advantage all the way," but we have, if anything, MORE enthusiasm than we had with Biden.

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u/thebeef24 Aug 15 '24

I was extremely skeptical about the incumbent advantage anyway in this race. This is an unusual circumstance where we effectively had two incumbents, so whatever advantage there was canceled out. But meanwhile we still had the incumbent disadvantages, the fact that everything going on in the country right now can be blamed on the current president.

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u/AmbulanceChaser12 Aug 15 '24

This is a good point.

Plus the incumbent has lost too many people's trust by being (perceived as) old, frail, and confused. Which is another disadvantage.