To Be Clear: Kamala's CNN Campaign Couples Conversation Kabuki Is Not Craven Cowardice

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

I found out last night watching the CBS Evening News (before you even start, we believe in KNOW THINE ENEMY in this house) that not only was the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated first Harris-as-presidential-nominee interview not going to come off the way we expected, but the  'why.'

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Knock us over with a feather, learning what the Harris campaign had set up after playing coy games and weeks of stalling, which resulted in even the liberal media agitating for an unscripted word from the Berkeley Burger-Slinging Babe.

"...When does the Harris honeymoon end? At SOME POINT, she's going to have to do a serious, sit-down interview..."

Goofy us. We all thought "that point" had finally arrived.

Kamala's first solo outing has somehow morphed into a Harris - chaperoned by her hulking emotional support Marxist for a pre-taped, non-spontaneous, not-live, good chance it's heavily edited even with kiss-asterisk Dana Bash minimizing the possibility of disaster - hour of choreographed CNN campaign kabuki theater.

VURT DA FURK

It goes without saying that "Republicans pounced."

I mean, how could they not?

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But those clever devils at the Harris campaign were ready for the babysitting slams in their own slinky, slimy way, and that's where the revelation at the very end of the CBS report came in. And I do mean the very end - at minute 2:31 of a Nancy Cordes piece focused on Trump, Arlington, Project 2025, and how basically Republicans suck. After a snippet of another vacuous Kamala word salad during a school visit, Cordes mentions Harris sitting down for the interview.

"...Republicans are criticizing her for doing it jointly with Governor Walz. Her campaign insists it's part of a long tradition of running-mates sitting down to do an interview together once the ticket is set..."

Oh, hello! I see the stra-tee-gery here now.

She's not chicken - it's family tradition!

Lo and behold, as if by some form of telepathy, that very phrase makes its way into all the media stories today. Even when some sources caveat the excuse, there's still wiggle room for Harris to imply she'll get around to a solo shot.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will sit down Thursday for their first major television interview of their presidential campaign as the duo travels in southeast Georgia on a bus tour.

The interview with CNN’s Dana Bash will give Harris a chance to quell criticism that she has eschewed uncontrolled environments, while also giving her a fresh platform to define her campaign and test her political mettle ahead of an upcoming debate with former President Donald Trump set for Sept. 10. But it also carries risk as her team tries to build on momentum from the ticket shakeup following Joe Biden’s exit and last week’s Democratic National Convention.

Joint interviews during an election year are a fixture in politics; Biden and Harris, Trump and Mike Pence, Barack Obama and Biden — all did them at a similar point in the race. The difference is those other candidates had all done solo interviews, too. Harris hasn’t yet done an in-depth interview since she became her party’s standard bearer five weeks ago, though she did sit for several while she was still Biden’s running mate.

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Like the song says, "It's not unusual..."

...But supporters of Ms Harris insist that given the unprecedented nature of her candidacy following President Joe Biden's sudden departure from the race, she is taking things at a smart pace.

“I think the cadence has been right,” said Peter Giangreco, a Chicago-based Democratic strategist. “Win the nomination, pick your nominee, lay out your economic plan, do your convention and now do some sit-downs and amplify that.”

Joint interviews featuring both members of a presidential ticket are not unusual.

Although these circumstances actually are unusual, whatever brave face Dems and their toadies put on this. There's no gainsaying the sidestepping here.

WORK IT, GIRLFRIEND

It's twue! It's twue!

As if to emphasize it is the chicken in Kamala's campaign cowering under the cover of tradition, every tiny bite of babel with Kamala extemporaneously spewing is completely cringe. 

Here's the longer version of what CBS used last night. The wannabe world leader - who is such a subject matter expert on leadership that she cannot function independently and must have her hand held - is speaking of leadership to potential young leaders at that Hinesville high school yesterday.

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Inspired yet?

Watching her blither in front of high schoolers at band practice only serves as reinforcement of why a "couple's" decision was made for "her" first sit-down interview and carefully slathered with "she's not chicken, it's long standing tradition" camouflage cover.

She is so not ready for prime time. Excruciatingly so.

Selfishly interested in adding more points to my martyrdom-for-the-cause score, I have volunteered to run play-by-play on tonight's pre-taped Kabuki Theater (Even Ed asked me if I was, like, serious.). 

I have to admit I have a morbid sense of curiosity besides sheer ghoulish anticipation of the spectacle itself, so what the heck - might as well live blog it, too, no?

Y'all're invited, as always, to keep me company tonight when Team Harris answers the burning "chicken or tradition" question.

Beege, WHY DO YOU DRINK?

'Cuz I listen to such dopes...

Hah!.

Could be a hoot.

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Ed Morrissey 10:00 PM | September 13, 2024
Beege Welborn 8:40 PM | September 13, 2024
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