Analysis demolishes three 'pillars' of GOP’s anti-Harris argument

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has been urging Donald Trump and his MAGA allies to avoid racist or sexist attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, arguing that they will be better able to defeat the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee if they stick to an issues-driven campaign.

But Trump has ignored that advice, questioning Harris' racial identity and playing up personal grievances during his campaign speeches.

In an August 12 column, MSNBC's James Downie argues that the three "pillars" of an issues-driven case against Harris are falling apart.

READ MORE: Inside the GOP plot to silence Texas voters

"The GOP's policy argument against Democrats is built on three pillars: inflation, immigration and crime," Downie explains. "Yet on all three fronts, the Republican case is collapsing. One of these pillars, crime, was admittedly in shoddy shape well before 2024."

Downie notes that "crime rates fell in 2021 — and 2022 and 2023." And he goes on to say that in July, the U.S. Border Patrol "made 56,000 apprehensions, the lowest since the fall of 2020."

"That leaves the most important issue to voters: inflation," the MSNBC columnist writes. "Sustained inflation rates not seen in years provided Biden's greatest political obstacle aside from his age….. By itself, the declining rate of inflation might not be enough. Millions of Americans still struggle furiously to make ends meet. But Trump has further undermined his own party by refusing to walk back his calls for sweeping tariffs — 10 percent on all imports and 60 percent on Chinese-made goods."

Downie adds, "He has even suggested using tariffs to replace income taxes. Economists on both the left and right say these tariffs would only exacerbate inflation."

READ MORE: Trump is losing it because he's afraid of losing

James Downie's full MSNBC column is available at this link.