Have you noticed something interesting about Kamala Harris since she became the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee? You hear a lot about her from the media, whether it's about her fundraising, the "enthusiasm" behind her campaign, or her newly changed positions on the issues, but we haven't really heard from her, not in a substantive way, anyway. And we probably won't, at least not until after the convention.
It's been nearly two weeks since Joe Biden dropped out, yet Kamala is practically another basement candidate. Sure, she's had a rally that piggybacked off a hip-hop concert, but she hasn't given a press conference or even a significant interview since then.
We've seen this strategy before. In 2020, Joe Biden hid from the public as much as possible, and upon becoming president, his public appearances became fewer and farther between and highly controlled. Now, it seems Kamala, the "tough prosecutor" that everyone thinks will be a force to be reckoned with, is adopting a similar strategy, but with a more deliberate twist. Her public appearances thus far have all been designed to create the impression of massive enthusiasm and support without any substance. Why would she do that? For the same reason that the White House kept Biden out of sight as much as possible: to shield her from intense scrutiny that could expose her vulnerabilities.
One could say it's a brilliant strategy that will keep her insulated and all the media coverage of her new campaign glowing and positive without any real test of her political acumen. As we saw in 2020, she doesn't really have much. That said, waiting until after the convention to get out there unscripted could be problematic for the Democrats if they want to win in November.
DePauw University media studies professor Jeffrey McCall told Fox News Digital that he believes the Harris campaign is “well aware that Biden dodged the media throughout his 2020 campaign and still got elected.”
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"The Harris camp is also well aware that their candidate doesn't do well in unscripted settings, not to mention that a presser or legitimate sit-down interview would necessarily require her to defend some of her positions, previous statements and record. Thus, a rerun of the Biden basement campaign sounds pretty good, as long as you throw in a couple of rallies with Megan Thee Stallion," he added.
Can this strategy work for Kamala the way it did for Biden? Unlikely. Joe Biden used the pandemic as an excuse to hold a bare-bones campaign. Kamala Harris doesn't have that, and her failure to answer questions will ultimately give the Trump-Vance campaign free rein to define her to the public.
"From a rhetorical strategy standpoint, however, it would behoove Harris to actually do a presser and do real journalistic interviews," McCall continued. "At some point, it would seem, she'll have to attract moderates or undecided voters who want to see her take questions."
Kamala Harris knows that there are powerful people in the Democratic Party who don't think she can win in November. Lying low is a good strategy in the short term if she wants to cruise to the nomination without causing another panic attack at the convention, where another switcheroo could take place.
