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In the past week, there have been a handful of national-media stories about What Kamala Harris Is Doing Wrong. Or “doing wrong, according to the national media.” I’m not going to pretend that I would like to see the Harris-Walz campaign tweak their strategies here and there in the final month of this neverending election cycle, but I’m also not going to pretend that I don’t see Politico’s agenda and the NY Times’ agenda and WaPo’s agenda. They’re mad that Kamala Harris is running a disciplined and smart campaign. They’re mad that she hasn’t given them any “gotcha moments.” They’re mad that she hasn’t f–ked up. And most of all, they’re mad that she’s not giving them unfettered access so that they can rip her to shreds.
Democratic operatives, including some of Kamala Harris’ own staffers, are growing increasingly concerned about her relatively light campaign schedule, which has her holding fewer events than Donald Trump and avoiding unscripted interactions with voters and the press almost entirely.
In interviews with POLITICO, nearly two dozen Democrats described Harris as running a do-no-harm, risk-averse approach to the race they fear could hamper her as the campaign enters its final 30-day stretch.
With early voting by mail and in person already underway in more than half of the country, Harris spent just three days of the last week of September in battleground states. On Sept. 28, when Trump gave a speech in Wisconsin before flying to Alabama for the Georgia-Alabama football game, Harris was attending a fundraiser in San Francisco. And beyond concerns about her schedule, Democrats argue that Harris would benefit from venues that allow her to introduce herself to voters in a more authentic way, such as town hall events, more sit-down interviews and unscripted exchanges with voters.
“There’s a time at which you just have to barnstorm these battlegrounds,” said David Axelrod, the longtime Democratic operative who helped lead Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and was an early critic of President Joe Biden’s campaigning style. “These races are decathlons, and there are a lot of events, and you have to do all of them because people want to test you. It’s the most difficult oral exam on the planet for the most difficult job, and part of that is just that spontaneous — town halls, all kinds of interviews, and not just friendly interviews. OTRs where you interact in a substantive way with people, all of those things are valuable. And I would be doing them if I were her.”
“And I would be doing them if I were her.” As in, David Axelrod is mad that VP Harris didn’t hire him. Axelrod is always convinced that female politicians are doing everything wrong – I remember how he sniped at Hillary Clinton from afar in 2016. Anyway, the real point is what Axelrod says here: “town halls, all kinds of interviews, and not just friendly interviews.” Axelrod is carrying water for Politico and the Beltway media because Harris continues to speak to outlets outside the Beltway. Speaking of, VP Harris is going on the Call Her Daddy pod, in an interview which will be released next week:
Vice President Kamala Harris will be a guest on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast next week, a campaign spokesperson confirmed to Axios Friday. Why it matters: The show, hosted by creator Alex Cooper, was Spotify’s second-biggest podcast last year and the most listened to among women.
Harris sat for an interview with Cooper Tuesday, and the episode will air next week. The conversation focuses on reproductive rights and abortion, along with other issues important to women in the upcoming election. Representatives for Cooper did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Harris, who has continued to widen her advantage among women voters, has made abortion rights a defining topic of her campaign. Reproductive rights are among the key political issues exacerbating the wedge between male and female voters ahead of the November election, and a winning issue for Democrats in the post-Roe era. Harris’ appearance on “Call Her Daddy” highlights her campaign’s emphasis on appealing to women voters and younger audiences.
Last week, VP Harris appeared on the All the Smoke pod too. The Call Her Daddy pod is going to be a lot different, and I imagine it will reach so many more people (women) than if Harris did an interview with WaPo or whatever. It’s a presidential candidate meeting people where they are, and in this case, specifically targeting a young female demographic with a winning message about their rights. Whenever I worry about the ghosts of the 2016 election, I remind myself that 2024 is fundamentally different because of Dobbs. This is the first presidential election after women’s reproductive rights were stripped away. In 2016, Hillary Clinton told everyone what could happen and she was widely mocked. Eight years later, people can see for themselves what happened and how awful it is.
PS… Can we PLEASE get an emergency Hot Ones episode with Kamala??? And someone suggested that Tim Walz should go on the New Heights podcast and I keep thinking that sounds like a great idea. Also, I just saw that Kamala will go on Howard Stern’s show next week too.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
2024 Phoenix Awards Dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), honors the work done by the two groups to uphold democratic norms and institutions and chart a pathway for progress for Black Americans
Featuring: Vice President Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 14 Sep 2024
Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
2024 Phoenix Awards Dinner hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), honors the work done by the two groups to uphold democratic norms and institutions and chart a pathway for progress for Black Americans
Featuring: Vice President Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 14 Sep 2024
Credit: POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com
United States Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic Party nominee for President of the US, makes remarks addressing gun violence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, September 26, 2024.
Credit: Chris Kleponis / CNP
Featuring: Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 26 Sep 2024
Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
United States Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic Party nominee for President of the US, makes remarks addressing gun violence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, September 26, 2024.
Credit: Chris Kleponis / CNP
Featuring: Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 26 Sep 2024
Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
United States Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic Party nominee for President of the US, makes remarks addressing gun violence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, September 26, 2024.
Credit: Chris Kleponis / CNP
Featuring: Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 26 Sep 2024
Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
United States Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic Party nominee for President of the US, applauds during an event addressing gun violence in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, September 26, 2024. Credit: Chris Kleponis / CNP
Featuring: Kamala Harris
Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States
When: 26 Sep 2024
Credit: CNP/INSTARimages
