Continued from page 68


sassination attempt, the replacement of a sitting president on the ticket, and massive lawfare assaults, Halperin doubts the race will be determined by which team runs the heaviest advertising schedule. “Presidential campaigns are such a per-


sonal decision,” he tells Newsmax, “and the candidates themselves appear on the news almost every night. That form of communica- tion plays a much larger role, I think, in the cluttered environment in which we live where the television ads are not as influential. “The ads that matter most,” Halperin


says, “are the ones that break through and become viral on social media. But even be- fore social media, the ads that got people talking on television, and talking in their living rooms — those ads were the most ef- fective. And I think you’ve seen attempts down the homestretch by both parties to make the ultimate digital ad.” Of greater concern to Republicans, he


explains, should be the take-no-prisoners tenor of Trump’s political rhetoric and the reaction of voters in focus groups. “In any of the swing states,” he says, “it’s


not hard to find men and women who are put off by Trump’s tone, his careless public statements, his failure to behave like a per- son who’s listening. And they won’t vote for Trump on that basis alone.” Halperin adds, “That’s a reality for tens


of millions of Americans, and if this elec- tion is close, that could be what decides it.”


Whither Rich Democrats? Another factor that’s made 2024 an un- precedented election cycle: Trump’s abil- ity to woo former Democrats into the


F


RUBEN NAVARRETTE


Latinos in Limbo They can’t find a home in either party.


or America’s largest minority, Kamala Harris remains a cipher, a


mystery, a riddle. Hispanics know who she is, but not


what she stands for, much less how her life experiences shaped her worldview. Even on her home turf in California — which is now about 40% Hispanic — Harris is like a distant relative that none of us can remember meeting at a quinceañera. That includes my friend Jesse, a


Mexican-American barber who has his own shop in North San Diego County. A mostly Latino working-class


clientele wanders in all through the day to get an old-school haircut and — while they’re in the chair — solve the world’s problems. This year, politics is topic No. 1. As the owner of a small business


operating in a state that is hostile to business, and someone who feels Democrats overpromise and under- deliver, Jesse is inclined to vote


Republican. But while he agrees with many of


the GOP’s policies, he thinks they need new messengers and leaders. Donald Trump can’t stay out of his own way, he laments. Jesse expresses frustration over


the chaos along the U.S.-Mexico border. Appreciative of his own family’s immigrant story, he won’t buy into the idea that immigrants are — as Trump told a New Hampshire crowd last December — “poisoning the blood of our country.” He was raised to respect the rule


of law and avoid mayhem. He was also taught to strive for fairness. “How is this fair to everyone who


came legally?” Jesse asked, while waving his left hand toward the television screen where he frequently sees images of migrants freely crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The Southwest is full of Mexican


Americans like Jesse. They can’t find a


OCTOBER 2024 | NEWSMAX 71


BILLBOARD/DEB COHN-ORBACH/UCG/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES / FAMILIES/THOMAS BARWICK/GETTY IMAGES


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