The group that dominates internet conversation does not represent the broader electorate.
Four years ago, it was unthinkable that a politician could meme his way to the presidential nomination. Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota recently rode a viral comment about how “weird” Republicans are all the way to the Democratic vice presidential selection.
Walz’s online behavior has persisted since Kamala Harris chose him; in his first appearance with her last week, he mentioned an internet myth about JD Vance doing something awful with a couch (which is untrue). There’s little doubt that it’s working for them right now. Harris effectively launched her campaign with coconut memes and “Brat” analogies.
Still, they should recall that in 2020, President Joe Biden won over his more fashionable Democratic opponents in part by acknowledging that Twitter is not real life. The relatively young, very educated demographic that dominates internet conversation does not reflect the general public.
To some sense, Harris’ tactic is nothing more than a campaign attempting to make the most of what it has. Even four years ago, Biden was elderly and unpopular, but his team used that to its advantage: they successfully constructed a coalition of older and unfashionable Democrats to win a primary. Meanwhile, Harris wants to turn this race into a referendum on Donald Trump, and he confronts the difficult task of putting up a campaign on the fly. So anything she can do to engage her audience and fill space without saying anything specific is beneficial.
