Some campaigns have slogans, but former Hillary Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri believes Kamala Harris has crafted a “battle cry” for 2024. This powerful message emerged prominently during a packed Atlanta rally held by the vice president last week.
Writer and commentator Molly Jong-Fast, writing for MSNBC, revealed that she spoke with several political experts about Harris’s unique campaign messaging. Among them was veteran campaign manager Stuart Stevens, who stated, “Campaigns are about the future.” Jong-Fast contrasted this with Donald Trump’s focus on retribution and revisiting his previous term’s record.
Harris, on the other hand, has coined a phrase that resonates deeply with many, drawing comparisons from TikTok Taylor Swift fans to the singer’s lyrics, “We are never, ever, getting back together.” The song depicts a toxic relationship with a man who “picks fights” and belittles her, yet desperately wants to reconcile.
“The best campaigns — the ones that really capture and inspire voters — don’t have slogans, they have battle cries that catch on organically. That’s what ‘We will not go back’ is,” Palmieri explained. “A sentiment the vice president expressed, that she represents and the crowd chanted back to her. Those are the slogans that get you in the gut.”
Delaware Senate candidate Lisa Blunt Rochester echoed this sentiment in a message to Jong-Fast. “The word WE stands out. We — the women, communities of color, families, seniors, LGBTQ+ folks, and the people of this country — have come so far. Our victories were hard-won and well-deserved. From protecting the Affordable Care Act to investing in our climate to creating good jobs and so much more.
“We have come so far, yet there is so much more we can do together, including fighting for our reproductive freedoms and right to vote. Our progress won’t be stopped — and WE will make sure of that when we cast our ballots for Kamala Harris in November.”
This rallying cry is reminiscent of Barack Obama’s adaptation of “Sí, se puede!” from the farmworkers movement led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. “Yes, we can” became a slogan chanted at rallies and even inspired a hit song.
Jong-Fast highlighted how Harris’s slogan addresses multiple Trump-era policies, from the overturning of Roe v. Wade to concerns about LGBTQ+ rights, same-sex marriage, healthcare, and wages. “Backward is the very core of this Republican Party right now: backward-facing, uninterested or unwilling to move on from a candidate who is very much stuck in the past,” Jong-Fast concluded.