Americans have not been proud of the government that’s supposed to serve them for most of this century so far. The first president to take office in the 21st century was George W. Bush, who left the country divided, at war, and in recession. Barack Obama ran as a candidate of hope that could only come through change—through the repudiation of the previous administration.

After eight years of Obama, however, Americans sought hope in another great change, this time with the untried alternative to Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump. Four years later, voters declared the Trump experiment a failure, voting him out without necessarily eagerly embracing Joe Biden or Kamala Harris.

And after four years of Biden, the country is desperate again for change, maybe one that will bring “joy,” something that’s been in short supply these past 24 years. Informed voters who are not partisan Democrats know that Kamala Harris is not a force for change at all—she’s a continuation of the Biden administration, which is her administration too. She’s a slippery, cynical, standard-issue politician of the California liberal variety. The first and so far only major media interview of her campaign confirmed this—and also confirmed that Harris won’t be held back in the least by her record or political identity.