Post Kamala Harris’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency, the deep-pocketed group Future Forward reappeared on the scene with a gathering in California. This organization that boasts some of the top figures in the Democratic party chose the luxurious Ritz-Carlton resort in Half Moon Bay as their meeting ground for a secretive conference.
Ever since her defeat in the November election, Future Forward, the organization that unsuccessfully invested more than $900 million in promoting Kamal Harris, has largely kept a low profile. There’s been a whirlwind of public scrutiny about their ill-thought campaign strategy from Harris’s own advisors.
So, it was a surprise when the group decided to resurface with a confidential meeting this week. They located themselves in a plush coastal hotel in California, which told onlookers that Future Forward isn’t planning to finch away after their spectacular defeat.
Future Forward summoned the goliaths of the Democratic party to the Ritz-Carlton resort in Half Moon Bay. This came in the wake of an extensive brief on the flaws of their past strategies and a vague notion of what future possibilities could be.
The attendants list was starred with potential contenders for future presidency like Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, as well as Democratic benefactors who have donated in the millions. As it turned out, some of these donors were left puzzled by Future Forward’s inability to secure a win for Harris.
The Thursday event was marked by a lavish spread of mini lobster rolls, short-rib tostones among other hors d’oeuvres, and a grand dinner starring heirloom tomato carpaccio, succulent beef tenderloin, and seared sea bass. These extravagant preparations were not enough to divert attention from the failed mission of getting Harris into the White House.
Chauncey McLean, who heads Future Forward, defended the group during a criticized dinner, verbally dancing around the organization’s ill reputation. In his own words, he labeled it as relying on polling, testing, and randomized trials.
However, attempts to portray their methodology as a sign of their focus on voters’ preferences fell flat, especially in light of their failure to secure the presidency for Harris. Such an abysmal performance by Future Forward raises important questions about their capabilities.
McLean’s statement at the grand dinner seems to be more a desperate defense rather than a reflection of prudence. The statement shows ‘listening to voters’ as a fancy way of masking the group’s reliance on randomized trials, polling, and testing.
Most people might be left wondering whether Future Forward’s questionable tactics and strategies can be trusted to produce electoral success in the future. Despite the luxurious venue and extravagant food, the underlying frustration and disappointment were quite palpable at the gathering.
The extravagant event served as little more than a facade to obscure the glaring defeat and the consequent questioning of Future Forward’s strategy. It seemed less like an understanding of voters’ desires, and more like an identity crisis within the organization.
It left many attendees scratching their heads over what Future Forward was doing besides burning through donors’ funds. The highlight of the meeting was more or less an attempt to amalgamate fancy words to their failing strategies, nothing more.
Watching Democratic behemoths such as Governors Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear attending the meeting, considering their future runs for presidency, one has to wonder if this is the best approach. Is it prudent to align with a group that has stumbled so significantly in its latest endeavor?
The gathering was marked with fanfare and glitz but it couldn’t mask the elephant in the room; the enormous failure in getting Harris to the White House. The event ended up becoming a display of luxury and opulence flaunted at a failed mission.
After this high-profile meet, one cannot help but question the function of this deep pocketed group. With their significant clout, they are quite influential within the Democratic party circles. However, going forward, it will be interesting to see how they navigate the stormy seas of politics especially after such a public and expensive failure.