How Kamala Harris Can Use the Debate to Win Big
On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Joshua A. Cohen aka Ettingermentum on the state of the presidential race.

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On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Jeet Heer is joined by Joshua A. Cohen a.k.a. Ettingermentum to discuss the state of the presidential race.
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Senator Kamala Harris at the vice presidential debate, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Eric Baradat / AFP via Getty Images)After the convention and on the cusp of a debate, the presidential election is a near–dead heat. The polls show Kamala Harris has a slight edge, but this is well within the margin of error. This is a massive improvement over the performance of Joe Biden, who was on a path to a major defeat, but it is by no means a guarantee of victory. To take up the state of the race, I talk to analyst Joshua A. Cohen, who writes for The Nation and runs the Ettingermentum newsletter.
We take up both what Harris has been doing right (which explains her quick rise in the polls) but also weaknesses in the Democratic Party’s messaging (which explain why the Democratic National Convention didn’t produce a significant bump). We then look toward the debate as a chance for Harris to more clearly define herself against Donald Trump and increase the size of her lead to win big.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Writing in Foreign Policy, Matt Duss argues that Donald Trump’s rush to war is both
stupid and illegal. It is also wildly unpopular with the public. But he also observes that
congress has been reluctant to challenge Trump’s policy, although some progressives
have now forced the issue to a vote. Matt is a frequent guest of the show and foreign
policy expert. I talked to him about the dangers of a new war and also the larger
systematic problems of the imperial presidency.
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