In front of an enormous crowd of 75,000 people last night, Kamala Harris gave what was billed as her "closing argument" on the Ellipse, the site of Donald Trump's infamous insurrection incitement speech on January 6. There were no insult comics or crude talk radio hosts or ancient wrestling stars ripping off their shirts. It was just the vice president, standing before that massive crowd laying out the stakes in the election and offering her vision for the future.

Much of her speech was familiar to those who have followed the campaign closely. Her indictment of Donald Trump was crisp and direct and her list of policy objectives was meticulous and thorough. But she was also obviously making a pitch to any swing voters who are still on the fence. "I will always listen to you even if you don't vote for me," she vowed to her detractors:

I will always tell you the truth, even if it is difficult to hear. I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done.

Harris said, unlike Trump who considers them an enemy, she will offer her critics a seat at her table. She pledged to be a president for all Americans and always put country before party or self.

That kind of rhetoric always sets off alarms in a liberal Democrat like me, having suffered through way too many years of Blue Dog Democrats and centrist sellouts who couldn't get over losing all those Reagan Democrats back in the 1980s and always ended up empowering the GOP. But I think this is different. This is about the Harris Republicans and just as those Reagan Democrats defected 40 years ago because they felt their party had abandoned them, the Harris Republicans are in the same position today.

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We don't know exactly what Harris means by giving them a place at her table beyond promising a Cabinet position to a Republican, but I've seen little evidence that she's prepared to offer up corporate tax cuts or waffle on abortion or gay rights any more than Reagan adjusted his agenda in the slightest. She's treating them........

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