# How good would Harris be in the general? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [June 28, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218 "2019-06-28T14:21:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/161 "2019-07-11T15:39:06Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I get the feeling that Harris is pretty good at being slippery, which is a quality that all effective and successful politicians have. Yes, it probably drives ideological purists nuts, but she doesn’t give a shit, and I don’t think we necessarily should either. She strikes me as a razor sharp woman. She’s probably got some ‘bitch’ in her, but that, too, is probably a necessary quality when you’re preparing to fight swamp creatures in the swamp. Yes, she is sharp and slippery, no doubt. She will conceal her real agenda until elected. And no, that Little Girl wasnt _her_, that’s been de-bunked. But she has a decent chance of beating Trump, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/162 "2019-07-11T16:03:06Z")
Huh? She was a little girl. And she was in that class. A bit can be practiced and planned and still be authentic. The shirts the next day may have been tacky and over the top but not proof of inauthenticity. The inauthenticity is her having portrayed support of mandatory busing to be such deeply personal item for her and so important, only to (appropriately) whip back from it a few days later as not needed to deal with segregation _now_. The inauthenticity is her saying that she never would have gotten any sort of quality education and achieved like she has if it had not been for busing, and implying that that little girl was a disadvantaged child in the same boat as those with multigenerational poverty and lack of educational opportunities, when she actually came from a fair amount of privilege on both sides, with parents who were both highly educated and who got her childhood education from Junior High through High School in a very good school in Canada while her mother was a faculty member and research physician at McGill. When Warren tells her story that establishes her poor childhood of a stressed church-going working class family, who learned big words by listening in on her parents discussing their financial worries when they thought she was asleep, with a mom that her taught her by example, well, grit and determination in the face of what scares you, and the importance of family … I _believe_ her. It seems to be true. It is a significant contrast. I just wish I was more convinced of Warren’s chances in the general. I think what hurt HRC the most was that narrative, from Sanders to Trump, and before, of her being sharp and slippery. She was not perceived as authentic. That hurt _most_ in the general. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/163 "2019-07-11T16:03:20Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I thought so too, until she started selling Litte Girl T-shirts the next day. I had forgotten about that. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/164 "2019-07-11T16:25:05Z")
The authenticity some seek is not found in national politics IRL. The closest we get is the transparent self-interest shown by Trump. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/165 "2019-07-11T16:32:30Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > The authenticity some seek is not found in national politics IRL. I agree with this. It’s best to assume all of them have a story to peddle and then it keep it moving. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/166 "2019-07-11T16:34:15Z")
Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/167 "2019-07-11T16:46:05Z")
Whether I agree or disagree is immaterial. The question is not what would be best to do, but what a bulk of voters are _going_ to do. The question is not even who is behaving authentically; it is who voters who care a lot about that _believe_ is. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/168 "2019-07-11T16:54:04Z")
Yes. The only Democrats elected president in the past 40 years were excellent at bullshitting voters in that regard. ETA: I mean that as a compliment! It’s exactly what we need. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/169 "2019-07-11T17:28:49Z")
I’m not convinced authenticity is anything that matters. Trump is authentic–his personal character is transparently obvious to everyone. It’s a candidate’s personal character that matters. Specifically, how their personal character relates to the voter, whether the candidate connects as “same” or “other”. Everything else is only a tie-breaker. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/170 "2019-07-12T06:23:02Z")
Harris showed that Joe Biden ain’t ready for the prime time. As I wrote much earlier in this thread, Biden never came close to getting the nomination on his previous runs, why does anyone think he’s a strong candidate this time around and decades older? I think the Trump camp is going big on “we’re really concerned Joe briar patch Biden’s going to run”. Joe simply wasn’t ready for the debate and was flummoxed by the on stage accusation. IMHO the candidate to beat Trump has to have more than “anyone but Trump” as the value card. Sanders is a one trick pony that the stars sorta aligned on 4 years ago, but methinks the orbits have changed. And he’s no spring chicken (I say this as one pushing 60) Harris seems to blow too much in the wind depending on the audience to come across as “authentic”. It’s certainly not a plus for her. She’s going to need to demonstrate that the Biden takedown is much more than a one time gotcha move. Elizabeth Warren is growing on me. She is a policy wonk and I generally like most of her policies. Wish she was a decade younger. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/171 "2019-07-12T12:30:10Z")
Joe Biden’s politics have more range with the electorate than any other real contender that I can think of. If it gets to the point where people view him as old and confused or completely out of touch, then I think the Democratic party’s chances of recapturing the White House go down a bit. Certainly, with an incumbent as toxic as Trump, an election victory is probably still within reach, but the prototypical candidate would be someone who has Biden’s politics but without the self-destructive tendencies. If it’s not Biden, then I sorta think that Harris has the political acumen to navigate the choppy waters of presidential politics. Time will tell, though. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/172 "2019-07-14T03:46:40Z")
Joe Biden is a nostalgia play. He wasn’t close to ever getting the nod on his previous attempts. He’s not going to the be the last person standing, especially if he couldn’t handle the Harris roundhouse on the first debate. She is a shark and he looks like an old flounder. Running on an “I’m not Trump but I’m an alternative Democratic Party old white dude” ticket isn’t exactly compelling. I don’t mean to be snarky, but what range is that? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/173 "2019-07-14T05:22:14Z")
Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/174 "2019-07-14T16:08:26Z")
Problem is nostalgia sells so that explains some of the Biden appeal ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/175 "2019-07-31T18:00:26Z")
Part two tonight when Harris meets with Biden and the others again. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/176 "2019-07-31T19:26:38Z")
I hope Joe doesn’t over-correct and come across as hostile or nasty. I find it hard to believe that he would, but I think tonight is going to be a brawl, and I’m not necessarily sure it’ll be limited to Harris-Biden. I’m fairly certain that Castro and Booker will take a few swings at Uncle Joe, and then you’ve got Woke New York Tough Guy Bill De Blasio who will be swinging for the fences. Wouldn’t surprise me if De Blasio goes right for Joe’s jugular. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/177 "2019-07-31T20:07:29Z")
Woke New York Tough Guy, so apt. I think you are right! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/178 "2019-08-01T00:48:56Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I hope Joe doesn’t over-correct and come across as hostile or nasty. And I hope he does, but like you, I’m not expecting it. Even though I’m much more of a Warren fan, I strongly suspect that Harris would be the best of the top four in the general election. Tonight should tell us more. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/179 "2019-08-01T01:11:16Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I hope Joe doesn’t over-correct and come across as hostile or nasty. I find it hard to believe that he would, but I think tonight is going to be a brawl, and I’m not necessarily sure it’ll be limited to Harris-Biden. I’m fairly certain that Castro and Booker will take a few swings at Uncle Joe, and then you’ve got Woke New York Tough Guy Bill De Blasio who will be swinging for the fences. Wouldn’t surprise me if De Blasio goes right for Joe’s jugular. Yep, Woke New York Tough Guy’s being a Woke New York Tough Guy. And I’m not sure Biden’s really responding well. ---
**Author:** ![FavreCo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a698b9/32.png) [@FavreCo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FavreCo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-good-would-harris-be-in-the-general/836218/180 "2019-08-01T02:03:51Z")
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