Vice President Kamala Harris said (most) of the right words when asked whether she and Presidentish Joe Biden will run again in 2024, but her voice and face indicate she might not be feeling very confident.
Interviewed this weekend by Robert Costa on CBS’s Face The Nation, Harris lost her poker face.
“There is speculation among some Democrats and some Republicans,” Costa said to the alleged Veep, “that President Biden won’t run for reelection in 2024.”
“What’s your message to those who say that?”
Er, speculate that?
Costa’s clumsy phrasing aside, Harris urged viewers to “Listen to President Biden.”
She said, “He intends [long pause] to run [another long pause] and if he does I intend to run with him [nervous-sounding laughter].”
Harris nodded her head “Yes” repeatedly and frequently during her 14-word reply, getting quite vigorous about it near the end.
“Intends” and “if” aren’t exactly confidence-builders, either. But the set of Harris’s face and the tone of her voice put lie to any confidence she tried to exude.
Watch the clip and I think you’ll see what I mean:
The look on Harris’ face while Costa is setting up the question is the same one kids sometimes get at school. You know the look: It’s when they remember the rehearsed answer they’re supposed to give to the teacher but are scared stiff that they won’t say it correctly.
Harris has a warm, strong voice when she’s comfortable, but to my ears, in this clip, her voice sounds brittle.
For once, I’m not criticizing Harris. She’s in a tough spot as she and her boss continue flailing at various crises, some of their own making.
I’d be nervous, too, if my one-time allies at the New York Times started running headlines like this one: At 79, Biden Is Testing the Boundaries of Age and the Presidency.
Our own Rick Moran summed up the hit piece thusly:
Joe Biden is too old to be president. The Times doesn’t come out and say it, but they quote plenty of other people — close aides, friends, and Democrats — who admit that Biden is showing his age and that it might not be such a great idea for him to run for president in 2024.
The “Ditch Biden” chorus is singing so loudly that last week I got an entire VIP column out of it.
Also for our VIPs: Florida Man Friday: Worst. Insurrection. Ever.
Two weeks ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom began positioning himself for a 2024 bid to primary Biden out of office with a publicity-garnering ad he ran in Florida of all places. My own governor, that radical-in-sheep’s-clothing, Jared Polis, is making quiet moves of his own.
Lefty pollster Nate Silver predicts a possible snowball effect.
Gavin Newsom’s going to start putting that ad up in Iowa.
— Conor Sen (@conorsen) July 11, 2022
At this rate, President 81 Million Votes might find himself with 81 million primary opponents.
Just this morning, NYT ran yet another hit-piece on Slow Joe: Most Democrats Don’t Want Biden in 2024, New Poll Shows.
“They really *really* brought the knives,” quipped Stephen Miller.
More:
Maybe the Democrat-Media Complex is preparing to ditch Biden because of his lackluster response to Dobbs. Maybe the polls have them freaked out about 2024. Maybe they’re just trying to pre-spin the impending midterm disaster as Joe’s fault so they can be rid of him ASAP.
Maybe, probably, all three.
But one thing is for sure: If Biden isn’t the nominee in ’24, then Kamala Harris won’t be anywhere near the ticket.
No wonder she’s so nervous.
