The revolving door for personnel in the office of Kamala Harris is well-documented. There have been plenty of reports that she is not the easiest person to work for and her office is frequently described as in chaos. This week it was announced that another new hire has come onboard and this time it is a chief speechwriter. Dave Cavell is the third chief speechwriter to be hired as Kamala’s speechwriter. How long will this one last?

Kamala’s first chief speechwriter left in February. Her second chief speechwriter only lasted five months and left in July. Here we are in October and the hiring of her third official chief speechwriter was announced. She’s been vice-president less than two years and is churning through the staffers. Good luck to Dave Cavell.

Here at Hot Air we’ve been documenting the exodus of staffers from Kamala’s office since 2021, only a few months into Biden and Kamala’s term in office. At first it might have been possible to chalk it up to the normal turnover in such a high stress environment. All presidential administrations experience staff turnovers. But then it quickly became evident that things are a little different in Kamala’s office. She is a difficult person to work for and who can blame her staff for seeking better employment?

It can’t be an easy job. Cavell, however, has some extensive experience writing speeches for government officials. The fact that Cavell is an attorney was a big factor in the decision to choose him.

DAVE CAVELL, who most recently wrote speeches for climate envoy JOHN KERRY and worked as a speechwriter in the final year of the Obama White House, has joined Harris’ office, people familiar with the move told West Wing Playbook. The vice president and her team were attracted to his resume, including his past experience writing for Massachusetts Attorney General MAURA HEALEY and former Massachusetts Gov. DEVAL PATRICK. But another selling point Cavell brought with him is that he’s a lawyer like both Harris and her husband.

Cavell is the third chief speechwriter for the vice president, who has tried to hone her voice in a role historically difficult to navigate.

Kamala is notoriously bad at delivering speeches and when she does, she repeats the same phrase over and over again. Her poor delivery isn’t the fault of the speechwriter, of course, because they only write the words. But, when Kamala’s speech performances are criticized, as they frequently are, apparently she blames it on the speechwriter. There is also some tension, it is reported, that Kamala has not hired a black chief speechwriter. Cavell is white. That tracks with the Biden administration in general, right? Hiring personnel is all about checking off identity boxes to prove how inclusive and diverse the administration is, not necessarily matching the right person with the right position. Just look at Biden’s cabinet. It’s a hot mess because it was more important for Sleepy Joe to proclaim that this person is the first gay person to be given the position or that person is the first Hispanic for a position.

The vice-president’s office released a statement to Politico about hiring Cavell.

“The vice president takes very seriously the team that works for her and we were pleased to have such great help from both Kate Childs Graham, Meghan Groob, Chris Huntley and now Dave Cavell,” communications director JAMAL SIMMONS told West Wing Playbook over the phone (extra credit for not just emailing a statement). “We look forward to her having many more interesting things to say.”

According to Ballotpedia, Cavell ran for office himself but was not successful.

Dave Cavell (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020. Cavell unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on September 1, 2020.

Political observers note that Cavell’s hiring may show that Kamala is prioritizing choosing “experienced, steady hands.”

But Cavell, with his lawyer chops, is also a sign that Harris is likely to continue to try to lean more into policy. Harris has often resisted the urgings of aides and allies to weave more of her own story and unknown aspects of her biography into speeches — as JOE BIDEN often does. Once they entered the White House, Harris again resisted such urgings in part to try to build trust with Biden world.

Are we ready for a more active Kamala in policy matters? Isn’t Sleepy Joe doing enough damage on his own? We saw what happened when Kamala weighed in on federal aid for victims of Hurricane Ike. She said aid would be prioritized along the lines of racial equity or some such nonsense. Anyway, we’ll see how long Cavell lasts in the job. He can write the best speeches in the world but the person delivering the speeches will still mess them up.