Over at Newsweek, Gad Saad wrote an incredible piece detailing this phenomenon:

It's this peripheral, emotive route of persuasion that the Harris campaign has embraced with the "positive vibes" campaign rooted in joy, excitement, and fun. Her managers are willfully hijacking your decision-making process by ensuring that you focus only on your affective, peripheral system.

It's deeply cynical, for the obvious reason that when selecting the leader of the free world, you should be engaging your cognitive system. A rational voter should evaluate the respective positions of the two candidates on fiscal policy, immigration policy, border security, foreign policy, criminal justice policy, commitment to the First and Second Amendments, the tension between the rights of biological women versus trans women (biological males), and their stance on meritocracy versus diversity, inclusion, and equity.

And yet, the great majority of voters are utterly oblivious about these issues, and prefer to love or hate a given candidate based on irrelevant affective processing. //

The Harris campaign doesn't want you thinking too hard about it. Don't explore the issues and really think about the solutions. Just feel the vibes, man. Just let the joy in and take it easy. Let it take you away. //

The Harris campaign is a lot more like a drug pusher in this regard, much like many a psychologist and back alley dealers are today. Feeling anxious? Take this pill. Feeling depressed. This prescription medication will give you the sensation of a normal life back. It's all just too much? Smoke this. Inject this right into your veins and you'll feel like you're flying. //

It's a dangerous thing to believe a politician who talks more about smiling than about policy. As the late great George Carlin once said:

"When fascism comes to America, it will not be in brown and black shirts. It will not be with jackboots. It will be Nike sneakers and smiley shirts. Smiley. Smiley." //

Raoul Bilbao
an hour ago
I know of another leftist group that sold "Happiness" back in the 1930s and 40s..................

Louis Rukeyser's Ghost Raoul Bilbao
8 minutes ago
Oh yeah. Leo Reisman and His Orchestra singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" pushing FDR. Great point! //

anon-1l9q
an hour ago
Harris is selling the wrong religion. There's a better one that has joy unspeakable, and full of glory