Ten Reasons Why Kamala Harris and the Democrats Lost

It sucks that Donald Trump has seemingly won the 2024 Presidential Election, despite so many things working against him.  I, for one, am surprised at the result.  I thought if he were to win, it would have been by the narrowest of margins, but it ended up not being that close.  We will just have to get through those four years as best we can.  January 20, 2029 cannot come quick enough.  But I was wondering why this happened.  Why did Harris lose when it seemed she had momentum and experts picking her to win?  I have my top ten reasons.

10. People got too comfortable
I don't know what demographic in particular, but I think a decent amount of voters felt 2024 would go the same way as 2020 and, therefore, stayed home or didn't mail their ballot.  I really hope the people that fall under this category regret it, and I'm sure they will come 2028.  

9. Some sympathy for Trump
There were 81 million anti-Trump votes in 2020.  There won't be as many in 2024.  I think a few of those people decided they didn't want to vote against him again, feeling perhaps sympathy for him, which could stem from his assassination attempt, his prosecution (which he claims is political), or something else.  Also, in 2020, there was the recent COVID-19 pandemic that was fresh in people's minds and how Trump poorly handled it.  This time, there wasn't anything like that. 

8. Didn't debate Trump enough
At least Kamala didn't.  Only one debate happened between her and Trump.  Yes, she came off better in the one debate they had, but it wasn't enough to sway a large part of the undecided voters.  I really feel like she could have benefited from a second debate against him, closer to the election.  But I believe Trump refused.  Smart of him, I guess.  

7. No catchy campaign slogan
She had "We're Not Going Back" and "A New Way Forward", but they weren't catchy enough.  They don't hook people.  Honestly, they might be a bit too wordy for the American people.  It's hard to compete with the popularity of the "MAGA" slogan.  Obama ran on two words: "Hope" and "Change".  That's all you need.  And he won twice.  Kamala really could've used a simple, catchy campaign slogan that would've possibly appealed to those of lesser intelligence (maybe).  

6. Harris didn't distance herself enough from Biden
I touch on this in the next reason, but I really wanted to emphasize that I don't believe Kamala did enough to distinguish or distance herself from Biden.  Biden didn't have the best approval rating, so while it may not have been easy to do, she should have explained how she would improve upon what Biden had done.  She should've also explained better how her being president gives her powers she didn't have as Vice President and how she'd rally Congress and both parties to work together.  I think too many voters saw that she was part of the Biden regime that they thought caused inflation and high prices, and they didn't want another term of that.  

5. Didn't explain how they'd fix the economy well enough
One criticism I heard of Kamala Harris was that she didn't articulate well enough how she'd reduce the prices of things.  She said she'd go after corporate price gouging, but not how.  Trump's idea of imposing tariffs, while idiotic, at least was articulated and repeated to his voter base.  I think too many people thought of Kamala as a continuation of Biden and that prices would remain high if she were to get elected.  They obviously didn't do their research, but I hope this will be a learning lesson to future Democrats.  You have to spell it out for voters like they're ten years old, because, unfortunately, a lot of American voters have that level of intelligence.

4. The change from Biden to Harris was poorly-timed
What the Democrats should have done was have Biden continue to run for re-election, then, if and when he wins, step down at some point in his second term for health concerns.  He had beaten Trump once, and he could beat him again.  Granted, I think it would've been a lot tougher, but it certainly would've been a better result than what we got.  And I know, back then, we were calling for him to step down, but I think some voters saw the switch to Harris as like a "bait and switch" and didn't approve.  Also, there just wasn't enough time for Harris to build momentum and a substantial voting base.  If Biden had declined to run for reelection, that would've boded better for the Democrats as well.
 
3. More apathy in 2024 than 2020 from Independents/Moderates
I think too many people were apathetic towards the election.  I believe there will be fewer votes in 2024 than 2020, which is saying something, since our country is growing like most other countries.  People were more passionate about their vote in 2020 than they were this year.  This reason may only be third, but it may be the largest reason why Harris lost.

2. Kamala Harris is a woman
I know many people in this country will always refuse to vote for a female president.  Biden selecting her as his running mate may have been a mistake.  It's not that she did a terrible job as VP.  But her being Biden's successor was not the right call.  When Biden stepped down in July, she was the logical replacement as his VP.  But her gender alone could've been enough for a huge handful of voters to not vote for her.  Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, and many point to her being a woman as a reason why she lost.

1. Americans are fucking stupid
We are.  As a whole.  Some of us are smart.  But man, we have a LOT of dumb-dumbs in this country.  Too many of those dumb-dumbs believe his lies and believed he was being prosecuted for political reasons.  And it's not just what they believe, either.  It's the things they seem to forgive, like being a convicted felon, being a sexual abuser, being a morally awful human being.  All because he's on their side of the political spectrum.  I honestly believe if Satan himself ran for the presidency, he'd have a good chance as long as he was a Republican.  

It looks like we've gone from the Democrats and Republicans alternating the presidency every four years rather than every 8 years.  I guess I hope we continue that pattern in 2028, and get back to a Democrat in office.  I believe we will, as I am predicting Trump will either A) Not finish his presidency, or B) Do something during his presidency to lose support.  I feel like A is more likely, as he seems to be able to get away with anything with his supporters.  Let's just hope we can get through the next four years without our country changing too much for the worse.

What's Wrong with the Seahawks?

The Seahawks are 4-5, which isn't too bad, but when you consider they started 3-0 and have lost 5 of 6, and four straight at home, you realize there are some problems with the team.  Clearly, they were buoyed by their easy start, which involved facing: A rookie QB in his first game, a rebuilding Patriots team they barely beat, and a Dolphins team on their 3rd string QB.  Most competent teams would go 3-0 in that stretch, just as the Seahawks did.  But when they finally started facing teams built to win now, they started losing.  They even lost to a Giants team at home that still only has one other win, over the struggling Browns.

So, what's the issue?  On offense, it's pretty clear the offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL.  Geno Smith has one of the highest pressure rates and total number of pressures in the NFL, and it's not because he's always holding onto the ball too long, although I will admit he does that on occasion.  But I think the bigger issue is not being able to establish a running game.  To establish a running game, you need four things: A good running back, an offensive line that can create holes, a run-blocking scheme and coaching that will allow this to happen, and an offensive coordinator who will not abandon the run too quickly.  The Seahawks have the first one.  But they are largely missing the other three.  The offensive line has been unable to open holes in the A or B gaps.  Most of Kenneth Walker's big runs have been outside the tackles, where he has used his speed to get around the edge.  The run-blocking scheme also seems to be largely not there.  The Seahawks recently faced a 4th and 1 in Overtime against the Rams and could not get one yard.  And lastly, I'm not sure Ryan Grubb is the right fit for an offense that needs to be balanced in today's NFL.  He does seem to abandon the run after it doesn't work in game.

But that's just the offense.  The defense is actually not performing too poorly.  They've certainly shown to be dominant at times.  But they are inconsistent and lacking a bit of discipline.  I think, with time, they can develop into a dominant unit more consistently.  Perhaps not "Legion of Boom" dominant, but maybe close to it.  The pass rush could be improved, but the run defense seems better.  The pass defense is inconsistent, seemingly dependent on the aerial attack they face.  The defense has some above-average players in Leonard Williams, Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, and Ernest Jones, but that's about it.  They could use a bit more talent.

I must also talk about starting quarterback Geno Smith.  Geno has a lot of people calling him to be benched.  I can see where they're coming from, but our other option is Sam Howell, who led the league in interceptions last season.  Sure, a change at quarterback can spark an offense, but it can also cause division.  Geno has a lot of close friends on the team, namely receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, and his benching would certainly upset them, especially if it's somewhat unwarranted.  We'd also be asking a second-year quarterback to be successful when the Seahawks, as I stated above, have one of the worst pressure rates allowed in the NFL.  It's very likely the people who are calling for Geno to be benched would then be calling for him to come back.  I do not believe Geno will be our quarterback for too much longer, as his age will likely lead to us looking for a younger option soon.  Just not this season.

Safe to say, coach Mike McDonald has his work cut out for him.  I hate that I'm hearing people calling him to be fired already.  Like, come on, people.  This was not a team ready to make a Super Bowl run when he took over.  Pete was let go because there were struggles with the team that, unfortunately, still exist today.  Therefore, I think the issues with this team are largely due to the construction of the roster by General Manager John Schneider.  I could do an entirely separate post about him, but the point I want to make here is that he's likely been overvalued as a GM and should, therefore, be held accountable for the team's struggles.   He's not been a good GM with trades, he's only had two or three good drafts out of 14, and he overvalues some positions (wide receiver) while undervaluing others (interior OL).  

If the Seahawks really want to make a run at a Super Bowl in a few years, two things need to happen.  One, they need to find the next franchise quarterback.  Geno is a good holdover quarterback, but he will likely start declining soon (if he hasn't already), and the Hawks will need to find a younger option.  The second thing the Hawks will need to do is either replace John Schneider, or he has to change his philosophy on roster construction.  I don't see the latter happening, as people that high on teams don't tend to be malleable and are set in their ways.  Yes, he put together a team that won us a Super Bowl in 2014.  However, the NFL has changed in the last ten years, and I think he's failed to realize this.  I still like Schneider as a team-builder more than Jerry Dipoto on the Mariners, but it's starting to get close.  Like Dipoto, I feel a championship might not be possible under his reign.  

The thing Seahawks fans most have to understand is this is a team in transition.  We aren't going to make a Super Bowl run this year or even next.  Some legitimate holes on this team still need to be filled, and McDonald still has to install his system and way of doing things.  This team still feels like it has remnants of Carroll's philosophy, so that needs to change.  Nothing against Carroll, but he's not the coach anymore.  This is McDonald's team now, whether fans like it or not.  Let's all be patient.