Vice President Kamala Harris is facing intense scrutiny as the 2024 election approaches.
All running mates face scrutiny, yes, but Harris will face unique scrutiny.
Why?
Because President Biden is eighty-years-old, clearly in decline, and people are half expecting that he will be unable to finish a second term – which means Harris won’t be a mere vice president, but the president.
Accordingly, Harris is being scrutinized in the way a prospective president might. And beneath the presidential-level scrutiny, Harris may well wither. Especially given her tendency for verbal gaffes – scripted and unscripted alike.
Harris’s speaking ability in question
Kamala Harris has been speaking publicly for decades. Before Harris was the vice president, she served as a senator, and as the attorney general of California, and as a prosecutor. She’s been speaking in front of judges and juries, and constituents for years.
So, Harris’s frequent inability to articulate herself should come as something of a surprise. But nevertheless, Harris often is unable to articulate herself.
Last week, Harris made headlines for her attempt at defining “culture” during the 2023 Essence Festival on Culture.
“Culture is – it is a reflection of our moment and our time. Right? And present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment. That is a reflection of joy. Because you know…it comes in the morning,” Harris said as she started to laugh. She continued. “We have to find ways to express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life. And I think about it in that way, too.”
Being able to define “culture” may not be a prerequisite for public office, and it may be a silly question – but Harris’s answer is comically incoherent.
Not the first time for Kamala Harris
While the culture answer was an unscripted response, Harris sometimes has scripted answers that leave the public scratching their heads.
While giving a speech at Vandenberg Space Force Base last year Harris remarked that “space is exciting, it spurs our imaginations. And it forces us to ask big questions. Space it affects us all. And it connects us all. There are so many opportunities in space for our country and for all of humanity. From science to commerce to national security.”
Space is exciting, it affects us all and connects us all. That’s pretty rough.
And the remarkable thing is that it was scripted. The language went through a speechwriter or three before Harris approved the language and then actually got on a podium and spoke the language in front of a national audience.
Harris was criticized for another speech on space, earlier this year, when she awarded former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
“Which brings me to May 30, 2020. Bob and Doug returned to the Kennedy Space Center. They suited up. They waved to their families, and they rode an elevator up nearly 20 stories. They strapped into their seats and waited as the tanks beneath filled with tens of thousands of gallons of fuel. And then they launched. Yeah, they did.” As far as a I know, Harris was speaking to a room of adults at the time.
Better speechwriters, better discretion, better improvisation. Harris will need to improve her ability to convey a coherent and compelling message before the 2024 campaign really heats up – otherwise she is going to be a liability for an incumbent candidate who is depending upon a strong running mate.
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor and opinion writer at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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