It may be the one factor Crew Biden obtained proper politically — the slow-motion trainwreck that’s Kamala Harris and her political operation.
The Harris catastrophe is historical past within the making. By no means earlier than has a putative presidential marketing campaign failed so badly in getting something proper.
Harris needs to be dominant within the Democratic Occasion. She entered the post-Biden world with sturdy approval amongst Democrats, sky-high identify recognition and the good thing about 95 p.c of Democrats having voted for her in 2024. Plus, she had a built-in excuse for dropping — the colossal unpopularity of Joe Biden was clearly a drag for her and rocket gas for President Trump.
However Harris and her workforce have squandered these benefits in file time. They’ve demonstrated no coherent plan and no political sense. They don’t seem to have any allies within the media or the punditry.
Her transient flirtation with operating for governor of California is emblematic of her incoherence. Operating for main workplace just isn’t like shopping for a used automobile. You both need it otherwise you don’t. If Harris really wished to plant herself in California and be governor, her pause to “think about” operating would have been a delaying tactic to plan her announcement and her marketing campaign.
As an alternative, it seems that dropping out of sight was her method of getting ready to announce mainly nothing. She isn’t going to run for governor and she or he goes to launch a guide about her marketing campaign — not now, however later. On prime of that, her “media tour” has consisted of occurring the soon-to-be-out-of-work Stephen Colbert, the place she was at her phrase salad worst.
Not solely did she don’t have any message, however she whiffed on a collection of softball questions so badly that it could solely encourage each different Democratic hopeful. The actual fact that Colbert needed to ask her who’s main the Democrats was insulting — because the rapid earlier nominee, it’s purported to be her. However her non-answer made issues worse. Any respectable politician would have discovered a approach to maneuver Colbert to declare Harris the chief.
Compounding issues, she expressed her disappointment that there has not been sufficient opposition to Trump. Does Harris notice she simply known as herself out for being weak and absent? Trump’s disapproval rating amongst Democrats is 93 p.c. But Harris simply declared herself AWOL.
The massive downside for Harris is similar downside Joe Biden confronted after his disastrous debate in June 2024: It’s not a lot the present second that’s the downside — it’s the long run. With Biden, there was no likelihood he may have made it via the marketing campaign — debates, public appearances, speeches.
With Harris it’s the identical factor. She has proven no enchancment regardless of ample expertise. She stays unprepared, horrible off-the-cuff, and totally with out authentic concepts. What may presumably change? And clearly, the individuals who noticed Harris up shut when she was Vice President figured this out.
In my opinion, one of many nice unreported tales from the Biden Administration is the tryout Crew Biden gave Pete Buttigieg throughout the 2022 midterms to switch Kamala Harris — not essentially as Vice President, however because the heir-apparent to guide the Democratic Occasion. By no means earlier than had a Secretary of Transportation been so seen and a vice chairman so invisible throughout the midterms. Too dangerous for Buttigieg that he largely flopped or at the least did not catch fireplace.
However what actually confirmed that Harris just isn’t prepared for prime time was her presidential marketing campaign. With the nomination dropped in her lap, she utterly choked on the 2 most crucial selections.
First, she selected as her operating mate maybe the one Democratic politician extra inept than herself. Tim Walz introduced nothing to the ticket — not even Minnesota, which was nearer in 2024 than it had been in 2020. Harris may have picked Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a significantly better vote-getter than Walz, however the howls from probably the most leftist elements of the celebration have been too loud.
Second, she failed to interrupt with Biden. All of the polling in the summertime was horrible for the president. His favorables were way underwater and his ranking on inflation (the highest subject) was disastrous. In an surroundings very hostile to the incumbent, Harris wanted to make a break and current herself as one thing new.
However once more, she choked. And that is what is going to sink any likelihood she ever had of turning into the nominee for a second time. Harris is simply not a risk-taker. She is frightened of angering any a part of the squabbling Democratic Occasion, even the much-discredited Biden and his hangers-on. She crumbles within the face of any loud faction and tries to please everybody whereas saying nothing.
Harris has missed the second. By not breaking with Biden, she threw away her likelihood to win in 2024. As she stumbles round attempting to determine what to do, different Democrats are charging ahead, making their very own plans. No person is intimidated by her. Even the Biden internal circle — who needs to be forged out of Democratic politics completely — have threatened to sink her if she dares criticize them.
The nerve of Crew Biden is fairly unbelievable. Even after an avalanche of books ripping Biden’s White Home employees to shreds, they don’t have any qualms about threatening Harris. And, in fact, Harris dutifully defended Biden in her Colbert interview. Pathetic.
The true check for any politician is to work with no web. Kamala Harris has confirmed not solely that she can’t work with no web, but additionally that she will be able to barely crawl ahead.
Keith Naughton, a longtime Republican political guide, is co-founder of Silent Majority Methods, a public and regulatory affairs consulting agency.