This is an opinion column

The Democratic National Convention was compelling theater. “Democracy has delivered,” thundered President Joe Biden, “and now democracy must be preserved.” Michelle Obama let us know, “Hope is making a comeback.” Closing out the Democratic gathering, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that this election is a “fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward.” The Democrats indeed are unburdened by what has been. Unfortunately, America isn’t.

Democrats deserve credit for crafting a vision-setting convention with a positive, ecumenical tone. For a moment, I almost forgot that Democrats have been setting the agenda from the White House for almost 12 of the last 16 years. Harris has admitted to being the “last person in the room” with President Joe Biden on one consequential decision after another.

Suddenly, she’s not responsible for any of the Biden administration’s failures.

The flood of illegal immigration? Harris only handled economic development in a few Central American countries.

America’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan? The vice president applauds Biden’s courage.

Runaway inflation? She will “make it a top priority to bring down costs.”

Um…so what has Harris been prioritizing over addressing inflation for the last four years? No matter how positively Democrats view the future, they shouldn’t escape accountability for the past and present. I understand that Harris was the most convenient candidate to replace Biden’s doomed campaign, but she simply isn’t the political unknown Democrats are positioning her to be.

In politics, we usually go with what works. To that end, Democrats are simultaneously recycling their past two successful campaigns. Harris’s campaign is President Barack Obama’s “Hope and Change” combined with Biden’s “Hide in the Basement” campaign.

Obama’s campaign was everywhere at the DNC. Knowing full well that the policy track record of the Biden-Harris administration is largely political dead weight, Democrats went all-in on building a big political tent, remaining positive, and hammering successful political themes like middle-class tax cuts, access to healthcare, and patriotism.

Gov. Tim Walz literally gave a high school football pep talk. “Team, it’s the fourth quarter, we’re down a field goal, but we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball,” he said. “We’re driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team.”

The underdogs have a chance. Democrats hope America simply ignores the fact that the sitting governor of Minnesota and the vice president are currently governing.

At the same time, Harris is absolutely hiding in the basement like Biden. First, she hasn’t done any meaningful media interviews since Biden dropped out of the race. The Democratic ticket plans to sit down for a taped interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, but I’ll be shocked if it isn’t tightly controlled.

Her team is fighting with Donald Trump’s campaign to leave microphones on during the September 10th debate. That’s a page out of Biden’s playbook. Keep your mouth shut and hope Trump’s arrogance leads to politically useful gaffes.

When Barack Obama closed out his DNC speech, he articulated the Democratic campaign strategy with shocking clarity: “Our job over the next 11 weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision.” Translation: keep Harris at arm’s length from Biden and sell a new American dream.

Sometimes a vision is just a mirage.

Democrats currently control the executive branch. Harris is a critical part of it. Do we really expect that giving the vice president a promotion will yield different results?

In politics, the past is often prologue. Trump claims that he’ll bring back the same successful policies he did during his first term in office. America already knows that will come with his biting personality and self-defeating antics as well. On the other hand, Harris wants us to believe that she’ll somehow deliver answers on immigration, inflation, and foreign wars if we just give her another chance.

Trump is telling the truth this time. Harris sells a vision of the future that is burdened by what she has been.

Smith is a recovering political attorney with four boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X or @davidcameronsmith on Threads.