GOP Rips Dems' Style Over Substance at Convention

Republicans are calling out the hypocrisy shown by Democrats during their national convention in Chicago this week, as Vice President Kamala Harris has used celebrity allies to sell the party's newfound patriotism to try to win over undecided voters.

Speakers at the convention have talked glowingly about their "love of country" and "freedom," even though Harris has revealed little about her policies, and those she has stated — such as imposing government price controls on private-sector businesses — clash with that vision.

"This is being decided right now based on a vibe … based on style over substance," former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy said Thursday during a news press conference at the Trump Hotel Chicago, the New York Post reported. "Many voters are going to demand some level of substance that they haven't gotten yet.

"I see Oprah Winfrey. I see John Legend. See Lil Jon. Great. That doesn't still tell me what she stands for."

Harris, 59, is expected to deliver an optimistic message as she accepts the party's presidential nomination Thursday night, about "the promise of America" formed by her own "deep sense of patriotism," the Post reported, citing Harris' campaign.

"I do think you're going to see the patriotism message tonight weaved in," a Democrat campaign operative told the Post. "The USA signs at the DNC stand in stark contrast to the mass deportation ones at the RNC."

A senior Democrat aide said the message was part of a strategy shift from "defending democracy" to the "hope" instilled by "patriotism."

But the strategy will only work without proper vetting of the Democrats' policy stances, according to Republicans, with Democrats still shifting blame to Trump and J.D. Vance a great deal.

"Night three [of the convention] mentioned Donald J. Trump 87 times," Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes said at Thursday's news conference, according to the Post. "They mentioned the word crime five times. They mention the word inflation once.

"So instead of the major policies that America cares about, they remain fixated on running against President Trump. Part of doing that is because they do not stand ready to run on the record of Harris and [Joe] Biden."

Polls have consistently shown that a Harris is especially vulnerable on immigration and the economy, even though she is going through a honeymoon period with voters following her ascension to the top of the Democrat ticket.

"Those are the two issues that will and should decide this election," Ramaswamy said, according to the Post. "We've offered our position on what we think needs to be done about each of those: Seal the southern border, grow the economy.

"The real dividing line in this country is not really between historical Democrat or Republican, it's not really even between Black or white right now — it is between the managerial class … the people who are offering those false economic statistics from the three-letter agencies in Washington, D.C., and the everyday citizen who is left holding the bag."

Republicans believe that's why the Democrat promises of "freedom" might ring hollow to the electorate.

"Tim Walz's slogan — what does he say? ‘Mind your own damn business,'" Ramaswamy said. "Actually, gotta admit, I kinda like that. I think it's a message that we espouse ourselves."

Michael Katz ✉

Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.

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