Ladies first: Trump's tumble from GOP favorite to debate underdog

The Democrats' political platform under Harris is as unifying as possible: it avoids sharp edges (aside from the Republicans' sore spot — abortion rights) and focuses on issues of concern to swing voters, such as fighting rising prices, tightening immigration laws, and cutting taxes for the middle class. In this respect, Harris's speech was a synthesis of the approaches of her Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden: promoting a more moderate image combined with criticism of Trump as a chaotic and destructive politician who prioritizes personal gain over the country's interests.

At the Republican convention, the words «freedom» and «democracy» were rarely mentioned, and the Democrats tried to redefine the concept of freedom, which is usually a rhetorical staple for their opponents. Vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz epitomized this approach best:

«When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor's office, corporations free to pollute your air and water, and banks free to take advantage of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love. Freedom to make your own healthcare decisions and yeah, your kid's freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall.»

Both of these images — a positive future and freedom on one side, and fear and longing for a mythical lost past on the other — are quite powerful and motivate voters. The Democratic convention's four nightly broadcasts consistently drew more than 20 million viewers. The Republicans only surpassed this mark on the last day. However, TV ratings are not indicative: somewhat surprisingly, in 2008, Americans were more interested in watching John McCain than Barack Obama, and in 2016, they were more interested in Hillary Clinton than Trump, yet in both cases, the TV favorites lost.

After Biden's exit from the race, the Democrats made every effort to demonstrate internal unity. Biden was mentioned and thanked by almost every speaker at the convention (though it looked more like an honorary political funeral). The speeches of former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as of Hillary Clinton, underscored the Democrats' unity. This contrasted sharply with the Republican convention in July, where former President George W. Bush, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and even former Vice President Mike Pence were all absent — none of them supported Trump.

The Democrats tried to exploit this division between Trumpists and the old mainstream of the Republican Party. They invited several Republicans to their convention: Georgia's Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan; former Congressman Adam Kinzinger; Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles; and former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. All of them criticized the Republican candidate and urged people to vote for Kamala Harris. And yet, according to polls, the main blow to Trump's standing among the electorate came not from these Republicans, but from the person Trump himself chose as his vice-presidential candidate.