Vivek Ramaswamy
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy issued a stark warning to Republicans this week about the dangers of their current approach in criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Ramaswamy emphasized the need for a strategic reevaluation in light of the recent developments following the convention.
“The bottom line is, I think what’s happened is a lot of Republicans were caught by surprise after the convention,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital on Friday.
“That’s resulted in some reactive steps that I don’t think all make sense. And I think they’re actually hurting us.”
Ramaswamy’s concerns were highlighted in a viral comment he posted on X (formerly Twitter), which garnered over 3 million views.
His primary criticism is that the Republican call for President Biden to step down due to perceived incapacity is fundamentally flawed.
He argues that this stance inadvertently empowers Kamala Harris, giving her the incumbency advantages that could bolster her presidential campaign.
“I think this makes absolutely zero sense and here’s why,” Ramaswamy explained.
“Kamala Harris is unproven as a political leader, let alone as the U.S. president. Why put her in a position as the U.S. president with all the benefits of incumbency? Oval Office addresses, God forbid, to even change policy or foreign policy, to be able to create circumstances that make her look better. That’s one of the advantages that many incumbent presidents, the sad truth is, have used throughout American history.”
Ramaswamy also warned Republicans against attacking Harris for her prosecutorial record, noting that such criticism could backfire.
He pointed out that labeling her as excessively punitive contradicts the broader Republican narrative that criticizes Democrats for being too lenient on crime.
“So look, this is the other category of criticisms I see coming, even from some conservatives, saying that she locked up too many people while she was a prosecutor,” he said. “This is the wrong line of attack. It doesn’t make sense.”
The inconsistency in Republican messaging about Harris covering up for Biden’s health issues while simultaneously accusing her of orchestrating a coup was another major point of concern for Ramaswamy.
He emphasized that such contradictions undermine the party’s credibility with independent voters.
“On one hand, you have Republicans saying that Kamala Harris covered up for Joe Biden. She was covering for him and telling the public that he was actually a great president, when in fact he wasn’t cognitively capable. On the other hand, at the same time, we’re saying that Kamala staged this coup against Biden. It doesn’t make sense to many independent voters to say both of those things at the same time.”
Ramaswamy stressed that Harris herself is not the biggest threat to Republican success; rather, it’s the broader Democratic strategy and machinery that pose a significant challenge.
He urged Republicans to focus on a forward-looking vision rather than past grievances and political missteps.
“The voters don’t love Kamala Harris on her own terms,” Ramaswamy said.
“We know that because even when she was running in the Democratic primary, she didn’t even make it to the Iowa caucus. I was an unknown 37-year-old businessman, ran for office for the first time as U.S. president last year. I have more delegates that have supported me for U.S. president than Kamala Harris ever has had. That’s because voters don’t find her compelling. So it’s not that Kamala Harris is our biggest risk.”
Ramaswamy warned against complacency within the Republican ranks, emphasizing the need for a relentless and strategic campaign.
He highlighted the importance of competing as if the party were behind to avoid potential pitfalls and underscored the necessity of articulating a clear and compelling vision for the future.
“You got to compete like you’re behind, or else you soon will be,” he said. “We’re not up against a candidate. It’s not Kamala. It’s not Joe. It’s not any other individual candidate. We are up against a machine and the more we understand that, we have formidable opponents.”
Ramaswamy’s message to Republicans is clear: focus on a unified vision and avoid reactive, contradictory criticisms that could undermine the party’s chances in the upcoming election.
By staying focused and articulating a strong, forward-looking agenda, Ramaswamy believes the Republicans can achieve a decisive victory in November.
“It doesn’t matter because Kamala Harris—we can easily defeat Kamala Harris in the same landslide we were going to defeat Joe Biden on,” he said.
“But it’s not going to be by nit-picking on random political criticisms of her. I think those could backfire. I think the way we’re going to do it is by articulating our own vision of who we are and what we stand for. And if so, we win this thing not only in a landslide, but we unite this country and revive our country, which is something we’re hungry for.”
Also Read: Barack Obama’s Powerful Endorsement Propels Kamala Harris in 2024 Race
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