I see a lot of people saying they were not impressed by Harris in the 2020 primary debates. I kinda don’t get it. It was so many candidates participating at once that it was hard to stand out, positively or negatively. I was a Warren fan, personally, but she, like everyone else, had barely any speaking time. Harris, however, was at least notable for getting a big zinger in on Biden. It made Biden seem magnanimous later when he picked her for VP.
I don’t think the debates had much effect. Before you knew it, everyone was backing Biden. I wasn’t super happy about it, actually, but I fully warmed to his candidacy by the election, and that’s when I really noticed Harris for the first time, and I always thought she was great after that.
Harris did very well in her debate against Pence, btw.
When it comes down to it, isn’t Harris’ platform the same as Biden or any Dem candidate would be? It’s kinda the whole reason behind the parties. Now it just comes down to personalities, yeah?
She can and will, I think, adjust it in subtle ways. I think almost certainly she will speak about Gaza and 1) Communicate a coherent message, which Biden hasn’t, and 2) Distance herself from Biden’s current, poorly communicated policy to some extent.
Little late to the conversation (1 day feels late!), but I’ll say this:
I skimmed and think it’s been mentioned, but I’d say the unexpected enthusiasm is more for “not Biden anymore” and less for Harris in particular. I could see 10 (a 100?) other people I would be equally unexpectedly excited for. I think it was Harris just because she was VP/right place-right time thing.
But it is Harris so I’ll never know. And I’m not sure if she’s doing anything spectacular, but the bar was so low (don’t be sick at home during a campaign/read a teleprompter/don’t look confused so much) she’s at least able to do all the normal things you’d expect a Presidential candidate to do and do them with great enthusiasm.
I’m all in. I think there is great enthusiasm right now, and I hope it continues and grows, especially in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
I realize though that we went from a probable loss with Biden, to a 50-50 toss up with Harris. That’s wonderful, but still. But it’s also nice to be, finally, excited about this race.
Ugh. Hilary Clinton dropped her voice and still was called “shrill.” Harris should not in any way try to change her laugh. The criticism is, as I commented earlier, driven by misogyny–the desire to have women be quiet and demure in the realm of politics and other important ‘manly’ things. Not to mention the secret fear of being laughed at by a woman.*
Capitulating, or even compromising, on that point won’t get the sexists to see her as an acceptable presidential candidate. It will get them to see her as an acceptable woman and those two things will be mutually exclusive to them.
Yesterday I heard her laugh compared to Julia Roberts’s laugh. I think it’s an apt comparison, and it’s telling that you don’t see the latter criticized for her laugh. It isn’t the laugh itself that is bothersome.
This article looks to be on point, but I don’t have a subscription. Anybody have one? Do they do gift links?
*The pithy, and true, saying is:
Women are afraid men are going to kill them; men are afraid that women are going to laugh at them.
Good post. Criticisms of Harris’s laugh have always been obvious bullshit. Leads directly to the counter: “So that’s all you got?”
I can’t stand Trump’s decrepit, debauched, wizened, worked-on, orange-tinted fuckface, but I would never advance that as a reason not to vote for a genuinely effective and ethical leader.
Thank you! It’s a worthwhile article, and went in a slightly different direction–or maybe just went deeper–than I expected. It’s interesting that it frames criticism of her, and other powerful women, as invoking disgust. And that people on the right are more prone to disgust from specific images. In particular, I think reacting with disgust can tend to make a person “hysterical” (there’s another connection …). I mean that in the sense of acting frantically, hastily, irrationally. And with the right’s classic tactic of attacking with projection, that’s exactly what they attack Harris with. She’s “nuts” or unhinged, irrational, “hysterical,” but not using that word.
Agree. All the way til the June debate, the DNC did not grasp how desperately the electorate was begging for a matchup that wasn’t “81-year old versus Fascist.” The double-hater phenomenon was real.
When Biden stepped aside there was a huge sigh of relief, which then became indirect excitement for Kamala. The Ds could have nominated Newsom, Bullock, Whitmer etc. and had the same effect.
We were just on a Zoom call with Movement Voter Project which if you haven’t heard of it is a PAC specifically to support grass roots voter organizations. They had 6 leaders of regional organizations and people were extremely fired up. They had a lot of good ideas about not only getting people to vote but getting ahead of the disinformation that is coming immanently. We’re sending another $50k. This is serious.
I’ll post the call when we get a link. It’s an hour and a half but very informative and inspirational.
I’ll just ask again, for the 100th time perhaps, what the DNC have to do with this? They don’t pick candidates, prohibit candidates, or force candidates with withdraw.
While being laughed at is definitely diminishing, especially for Trump, I think it’s important that she establish the ability to be a calm professional. If she just laughs at Trump, whatever the circumstances, it would be too easy to cast her as a “silly giggly girl who has no substance”, a bimbo.
Think how Biden came off at the debate all suitors surprised at everything Trump said, even though those were exactly the lies to have expected. It would be a similar playing to expectations to spin a meme.
There’s a time for laughing and mockery, but there’s also a time to be serious and strongly confident.
I think the people who would let Harris being a woman, Black, and Asian keep them from voting for her were already voting for Trump.
I don’t think there is a large contingent of Biden voters who will not show for Harris. And there will be a lot of voters unenthusiastic about Biden that will be motivated to vote for Harris.
I think the few independents that might have accepted Biden in a tossup but not Harris so be far exceeded by people who weren’t going to vote who will for her.
And Trump sexist racists were already going to vote, not sit it out, so there’s no increase to his support there. So I’m optimistic.
I’m sure she’s up for it. Maybe she’ll be at the Convention.
It’s always been about personalities, that’s been Trumps strong suit with his supporters and Joes weakness. Now with two strong personalities there can be shift to actual bread and butter issues, which Trump is ill prepared to address with passion AND actual plans. In a debate Harris will not let him get away with hand waving phoney plans on the spot.