In the 2024 election cycle, McDonald’s has been a potent signifier for the Democratic Party in their efforts to reach out to the workers. Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff have also been associated with the fast-food giants and such ties have become interesting points of debate among party strategists as the party tries to demarcate itself from its rival- the Republicans.
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A Familiarity with something that Millions of other Americans also Suffer From
If elected this fall, Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff will bring a unique experience to the White House: both have been employed at McDonald’s. McDonald revealed that 1 in 8 Americans has worked for McDonald at a point in his or her life or 13% of the population. This is why Harris and Emhoff’s familiarity with these millions of Americans is a focus for Democrats.
During the Democratic National Convention, the dynamics of this relation have been accentuated as a means to bolster working-class appeal. Harris and Emhoff hope to convey an image of themselves as relatable, understanding the difficulties of the typical American citizen, especially working in a fast-food chain like McDonald’s against the Republican ticket couple of Trumps who are seemingly depicted as spoilt and out-of-touch millionaires.
Kamala Harris: A step-by-step guide to taking a Sling Pictures from the lowly fry cook to the White House.
One of the focal issues of the Democratic campaign was Kamala Harris’s background. Harris, a product of a single-parent family in a middle-income estate, bagged a Mc Donalds’ job during the summer to support his college fees. This has been done in the campaign speeches and ads showing she owns tract houses thus, associating with the working class.
Harris and Clinton Former President Bill Clinton who also has been a fan of McDonald’s showed some humor and said at the Democratic National Convention that he looked forward to the day when Harris would get elected as president because she “will out-eat me as the president who visited the McDonald’s most.
Doug Emhoff’s Working-Class Roots
Doug Emhoff has also related his own experiences when he worked at McDonald’s during high school when money was scarce. Emhoff, who had once won the benchmark ‘employee of the month’ title, even had a photograph of the award on the walls as a souvenir of his days at the Golden Arches. In the convention, he boasted about it as he painted his life’s narrative of a working-class immigrant.
Contrasting in starkness, for instance, is how Trump has been painted by the media
Democrats have underlined these narratives to distinguish themselves from Donald Trump, who launched his business with the help of a $1m loan from his father. Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett made these points quite clear during her speech at the convention when she said: “One of the applicants worked at Mcdonald’s The other grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and helped his father in discriminating against people of color in the housing business, in the family company.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz said as much in a campaign speech earlier this month where he wondered aloud whether Trump could even keep himself busy working at a McDonald’s. To the laughter of the audience, Walz asked: “Can you see Trump working right here at McDonalds?
… He wouldn’t even be able to figure out how to operate that damn McFlurry machine if it was a free ride for him. ”
The Veritable Populist/Pro-Worker Turn
The Democratic Party led by President Joe Biden has been witnessed to be advocating for workers, and unions and depicting support for labor unions. This can be seen in the participants of the DNC such as the head of the United Auto Workers union, who wore a ‘Trump is a scab’ T-shirt during the event in 2024.
Another play into this narrative was made by New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who was only a waitress in Manhattan six years ago. “Republicans said to me and about me that I should go back to serving drinks since the time I was elected,” she protested “But let me tell you, I will happily do that, any day of the week because there is nothing wrong with working for a living ever,” said the woman supposing having White House officials who know that.
Why McDonald’s is Democrats’ top hope to woo the voters
This way, appealing to the working population, Democrats consciously focus on their own experience working at McDonald’s. This strategy seeks to reintroduce the party to the American populace as a party concerned and sensitive to common citizenry hardships as compared and compared to the Republicans.
With the political campaign toward the 2024 election looming, it is perhaps the Democrats’ biggest strength to claim they originated from McDonald’s as they attempt to woo the American public.
