If it wasn’t official yet, it’s now official. Barack and Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination and the general election.
SEE: Barack Obama endorses Kamala Harris as presidential candidate
Since the DNC will be holding a virtual convention to avoid chaos on the floor, I can’t imagine a scenario where Harris doesn’t get the nomination. Not with the Obamas, Clintons, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer all on her side. This is good for the current vice president because it allows her to emerge as the likely nominee and bypass any sense of disunity within her party.
But Harris is still Harris, and that became clear after a clearly A staged and focus-group-led phone call between her and the Obamas was released. To be fair, the vice president had a pretty disciplined week when it came to her less than desirable public habits, but with this conversation, the cringe came flooding back. I’ll transcribe it, but you’ll have to listen to it to feel the full impact, including the ending.
OMG. I’ve seen some cheesy political videos in my life, but this Obama endorsement for Kamala is an absolute Gorgonzola classic… 🧀 pic.twitter.com/ifiH1rW8Xn
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 26, 2024
B.OBAMA: Kamala!
HARRIS: Hello!
M. OBAMA: Hello.
HARRIS: Ah, hello, you two are together.
M. OBAMA: I can’t leave this call without telling my friend Kamala that I’m proud of her. This is going to be historic.
B. OBAMA: We called to say, “Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to support you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.”
HARRIS: Oh, my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I’m excited to do this with you both, with Doug and I, and to go out there, to tour, but most of all I want to say that the words that you’ve spoken and the friendship that you’ve given me over the years mean more to me than I can put into words. So thank you both so much, and uh, we’re going to have a little fun along the way, right?
I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it dozens more between now and November. Kamala Harris is the most inauthentic politician in contemporary history. She makes Hillary Clinton, who once made a video of herself “chilling in Cedar Rapids,” look downright normal. Every single detail of that Obama “call” was carefully planned, and because Harris is not a good actress, it shows.
Pretend to be surprised by the call when the cameras are on already rolling because everyone knows who the call is from? That’s typical Harris and reminiscent of the “We did it, Joe” call from slow 2020. For some reason, she thinks it’s extremely effective to stage such calls and then make them public.
This complete inauthenticity is her greatest weakness. Ironically, it may also be her greatest strength. While Harris can be relied upon to cause embarrassment in overly planned scenes, the fact that she So “Pre-packaged” means you won’t see her have a public meltdown like Biden did.
She’ll know every line by heart at every debate. She’ll stick to the teleprompter word for word at every campaign speech. It’s also sheltered to assume that Harris will give fewer impromptu interviews this time, since they were so damaging during her failed primary campaign. She probably won’t be doing the giggling she’s become so known for very often. If you want a preview of what she’ll at least try to do, watch her meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu.
SEE: Kamala Harris meets with Netanyahu and claims she is “unwavering” in her support of Israel, despite signaling the opposite.
That’s why I said on Thursday that Trump needs to change his strategy against her. His attacks on Biden were uncoordinated and almost haphazard, and that worked brilliantly because the entire campaign revolved around the president’s needy health. Trump didn’t need to prepare for the debate because what he said was never going to be the main story. That vigorous no longer exists. The threat posed by Harris is very real, and Republicans underestimate the power of a united Democratic Party and its press at their peril.
Discipline of the message will be key. Harris is an intersectional figure with the entire Press shamelessly behind her. How this is handled needs to be seriously considered. What you saw last week with the coronation of Harris is just the beginning. The press can absolutely If this continues for another three months, it will sound embarrassing to those of us who know her, but there are plenty of gullible voters out there who could once again fall for the “return to normal” nonsense that Harris is clearly trying to convey.
