It's a bold strategy, Cotton, let's see if it pays off.

The Obamas certainly seem to have a particular message that they want to vent in the final days of the campaign. Barack Obama scolded black men for being misogynist in their lack of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris two weeks ago. This weekend, Michelle Obama scolded women for allowing themselves to be oppressed by their MAGA menfolk. The closing pitch from both Harris surrogates puts younger men squarely in the role of villain.

Doesn't that seem a little risky, considering the circumstances?

"To the women listening: We have every right to demand the men in our lives do better by us. We have to use our voices to make these choices clear to the men that we love. Our lives are worth more than their anger and disappointment" —Michelle Obama pic.twitter.com/vxHvwGPwHe

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 26, 2024

The good news is that this message will resonate in one key demo: the Womens Studies majors subset of college graduates. The bad news is that the young-men demo is a lot larger. And the really bad news is that Kamala already had a lock on the Womens Studies majors. 

This line of attack actually might erode standing even in that demo, at least among those married to men. It's not just an insult to husbands, but also an infantilization of married women -- and maybe even more than an insult to men. Michelle Obama assumes, like many radical progressives do, that any female opposing their agenda is being oppressed into that position. She may have well done with women what her husband did with men, and just declare both groups to be idiots while asking them to vote for Harris. 

Anecdotal case in point:

“What the hell? There is something psychologically wrong with that woman. What an insult to men.”
Then there was a mini rant about both Obamas that I’m going to edit out. She can’t stand either one.

— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) October 27, 2024

It's anecdotal, but take a look at the ratio on Stelter's tweet and the reactions to it. My friend John is hardly alone.

This is the angriest, most desperate end to a presidential campaign I've ever experienced. It's a complete rhetorical meltdown from the top all the way to the bottom. Now everyone's a fascist if they don't vote for Kamala, especially black men and husbands of all stripes. The masks have really come off under a little competition and scrutiny; this is what progressive-elite Democrats really think of America. They believe it's composed of yahoos that have to be scolded and herded into their direction, demanding that the yahoos allow the enlightened elites to make their choices for them. 

So much for joy, eh?

In many ways, this is a rerun of the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign. That too ran on a sense of elite entitlement, driven by girls-rule-boys-drool messaging, although more subtle in that cycle. Hillary demanded the office because it was "her turn," and Kamala has no better argument to offer than that. When scrutinized for her policy incoherence and the performance of her administration, questioning her at all becomes racist and sexist. The only argument for Harris in the last two weeks is the Descent of Fascism, and now they're telling us it's already here, with women as its victims suffering Stockholm Syndrome.

I'll be doggoned if I can figure out to whom this appeals, other than fellow tone-deaf progressives. And again, they're already on board. It's as if Democrats want to lose young men for a generation. Perhaps they do, and that is indeed a bold strategy, Cotton.

A group called the MAHA Alliance (of which I've never heard) already has an ad out attacking the anti-male messaging of the Harris campaign's final days. Note well that while the ad starts off taking on the attack on men, it turns into a piercing indictment of Harris' leadership. The point about ruining lives with a swipe of her pen is very chilling. Team Trump should use that in some closing ads of their own. 

One of the most brutal ads you’ve ever seen against a politician. Wow. Just watch. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/pPhtYARzwJ

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) October 26, 2024