How Kamala Transforms Vice President Harris
That Harris struggles is nothing new - what public figure doesn't? Yet, for some reason, she - and her fans - still don't understand what it takes for her to become a lot more formidable than she is
Publisher’s Riff
American political journalists (aka “political correspondents”) who claim to cover the always shaky and shifting world of politics are among the most click-bait ratchet, messy and gossipy people in the world - and those acting as their editors are even worse for letting them be. And folks are about to, figuratively, burn the servers of these trifling political media rags if we see another piece of lazy “reporting” on Vice President Kamala Harris’ aversion to Bluetooth ear buds, her selection of kitchen utensils or anonymous former staffers complaining about how much of an asshole boss she is.
Clearly, current reporting on Vice President Harris contains elements of a very well-coordinated smear campaign that is unprecedented in its scale and level of obsession with the inner-workings of a Vice President's office. First: What elected official isn't a difficult boss? On that question, exactly what makes Harris special? Anyone who has ever worked in politics or public affairs has worked for difficult and, in many cases, impossible bosses. But, political journalists, who have never been much more than glorified gossip columnists, won't be able to help themselves - especially since, of course, as expected, Harris is the first woman Vice President and she's a woman of color ... and a Black Asian woman at that. There is a level of maliciousness that will certainly go extra. It doesn't go unnoticed. The Fourth Estate should check itself.
Still: quiet as it has been kept, Harris has always appeared to struggle even when she's been, politically, on the upswing.
As a result, her stumbles seem uncannily reminiscent of the fictitious Selina Meyer protagonist in HBO's satirical "Veep" series. Some honesty will be needed on that. Her allies and fans must now put to rest, for good, the gratuitous soror honeymoon and fascination with being a “first” Black woman this and that. Conversation must emphasize and create an air of unmatched competence and intellectual ponderance. She can ably channel both; she didn't arrive in the White House by accident.
Obviously, she is a Vice President, and she can only act at the bidding of her President. But: she should fast refashion herself as West Wing subject matter expert and brain trust on a wide range of issues - to date, she has not. That could be turned around by quietly demanding from Biden that she pivot herself as such; internally, perhaps that puts her more in the role of close advisor versus human prop. We know she’s a shrewd and very capable political player, but she’ll now need to mold herself into an intense policy wonk.
Lastly: Vice President Harris needs coaching on giving stronger and much more earnest public speeches and media interviews that reflect the gravity of the mood and times we live in. We want Harris to work, but do away with the constant grin flashes and repetitive head nods of someone who can't stop being smitten with their new surroundings. Every visible opportunity must offer a public glimpse of a strong and decisive future President Harris ... not Kamala on window display.