At the "Crypto For Harris" event held last Wednesday night, the Democratic Party hoped to use this virtual town hall meeting to persuade skeptics of the cryptocurrency industry to support Harris' presidential campaign. However, the nearly 90-minute meeting did not seem to have the desired effect and failed to significantly change the attitude of the cryptocurrency community.
According to a report by "Fox Business", this meeting gathered many important figures from the Democratic Party, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senators Debbie Stabenow and Kirsten Gillibrand, and California Representative Adam Schiff. Technology billionaire Mark Cuban also made a brief appearance, adding some sparkle to the meeting.
However, the biggest problem at the meeting was the absence of Harris Jinli herself and members of her campaign team. Many participants are eager to know Harris' views on cryptocurrencies, especially whether she will withdraw from the Biden administration's regulatory offensive on the cryptocurrency industry or replace Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler, who is considered a major opponent. None of these questions were answered during the session, leaving the audience disappointed.
Some cryptocurrency enthusiasts who attended the conference expressed their views on social media. Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, said she had hoped to hear about Harris’ cryptocurrency policy but has yet to get an answer. Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of crypto investment company CoinFund, was dissatisfied with the format of the meeting, believing that the town hall should be used to listen to the opinions of the people, rather than to hear the opinions of several participants on cryptocurrency.
Still, there were some positive aspects to the event. Democratic Chuck Schumer expressed his support for cryptocurrencies at the meeting and promised to push for reasonable cryptocurrency legislation before the end of the year, saying "cryptocurrencies will exist no matter what." He also emphasized the importance of bipartisanship in promoting the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries and criticized some colleagues in Congress for basing their political image on "creating drama and sensationalism" rather than advancing legislation.
Chuck Schumer’s stance was affirmed by participants, while Mark Cuban criticized the Republican Party’s attitude toward cryptocurrencies at the meeting, saying they only wanted to see big Bitcoin holders get richer.
However, the conference's shortcomings remain evident. First of all, Harris herself did not attend and did not make any public statement on cryptocurrency. Second, the meeting failed to discuss the regulatory challenges facing the industry, particularly Gensler and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s hostile attitude toward cryptocurrencies. These issues were called "big issues that were not resolved at the meeting" by the audience.
In addition, some viewers were dissatisfied with the pre-recorded videos at the conference, saying they diluted the effectiveness of the conference and made the entire event appear insincere. Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss bluntly criticized the event on social media, calling it a "farce."
In summary, this "Crypto For Harris" event failed to significantly change the cryptocurrency community's view of Harris. Many people are still skeptical about whether the Democratic Party will "reset" with the cryptocurrency industry. In the future, Harris must clearly express her position to truly win the support of this industry. Harris is expected to lay out some of her long-term economic plans in a campaign speech on Friday, which may be an opportunity for her to win over cryptocurrency supporters.
