Cocktails & Code Talkers: Strange State of Democrat Strategy
Byline: Olson Strategies Staff
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As the Democratic Party faces mounting dysfunction and disarray post-2024, questions about leadership, identity, and public trust have come sharply into focus. American Pulse’s Dustin Olson joined Newsmax’s National Report with Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg to analyze Vice President Kamala Harris’s return to the spotlight and what it reveals about the state of the Democratic Party.
Kamala Harris Reemerges
In her first major speech since President Trump returned to office, Kamala Harris issued strong warnings about a potential constitutional crisis. But for many observers, including Olson, the message fell flat.
“She is the gift that keeps on giving,” Olson remarked. “This week, I was at a restaurant in D.C. and saw a Kamala cocktail on the menu. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it wasn’t four shots of vodka and happy pills.”
He added that her polling has consistently been poor, despite a short sugar high last summer, and that she “doesn’t do well in these public forums.”
Polling and Party Identity
Olson pointed to American Pulse data that reinforces Harris’s weakness as a political figure, noting that her support levels in hypothetical 2028 Democratic Primary polls are largely a function of name recognition.
- In our post-election survey, 49% of Americans said Kamala Harris is a “terrible” candidate to just 39% saying she was an “amazing” candidate
- In an open-ended question, the top reason given by Americans for Harris and the Democrats losing in 2024 was Incompetency/Inauthenticity/Having a 'Terrible Candidate" (24%), followed by “Messaging, Policy, or Strategy” (15%)
- But Democrats blamed Voters, saying "Americans are stupid, racist, or sexist" (24%) or making claims of "Election Fraud" (15%)—revealing they aren’t solving this soon
- By contrast, the top reasons given by Americans for Trump and the Republicans winning in 2024 were answers like “Better Message, Campaign, and Policies” (22%), followed by “Competency, Leadership, or Authenticity” (13.4%)
“Right now, there’s such a vacuum in the Democratic Party,” Olson said. “They really have no one else.”
The Messaging Breakdown
Discussion turned to Governor Tim Walz’s role as Harris’s VP pick and his stated ability to "code-talk" to white men. Olson didn’t hold back in his response.
“I think he’s off-putting to most voters, regardless of your race,” Olson said. “Frankly, that kind of ‘code talk’ is kind of racist and off-putting altogether.”
He argued that Democrats continue to alienate voters by focusing on surface-level strategies and identity politics rather than addressing substantive concerns.
The Bigger Picture
Olson emphasized that while Democrats scramble to define their future, President Trump has wasted no time implementing his agenda—drawing comparisons to FDR’s first 100 days.
“Donald Trump is implementing his program and doing so at rapid speed—something we haven’t seen since FDR,” Olson said. “By the time they figure out what’s going on, a lot of these things will already be done.”
The Bottom Line:
Kamala Harris’s reentry into political discourse may reflect a leadership vacuum, but it also highlights deeper fractures in Democratic strategy and voter connection.
As Olson concluded, “The Democrats are going to spend more time in the wilderness while Trump reshapes the map.”