Kamala Harris told reporters several weeks ago she had instructed her "team" to schedule an interview "by the end of the month." She's running out of time to make that happen.
On Tuesday, Politico published an "inside" look at Harris's "big interview decision." Whereas most politicians would just do an interview and use the platform to explain their policy proposals, Harris is consulting a team of strategists and family members (and journalists) for advice on this very basic element of her job.
"Operation Enduring Joy," as some are calling the Harris campaign's media strategy, involves no less than five senior aides—all with ties to Barack Obama—along with Maya Harris and Tony West, the candidate's sister and brother-in-law. There are reportedly "some tensions" between the various actors, which tends to happen on campaigns when the candidate is an incompetent leader who lacks a clear vision. This toxic dynamic features prominently in a New York Times report from November 2019: "How Kamala Harris's Campaign Unraveled."
This team of strategists has engaged in "considerable debate" about the "purpose and timing" of the interview. Some think Harris should have a "serious" conversation with a journalist who will "push her on issues." Harris reportedly disagrees, which would make sense given her track record in serious interviews with (relatively) self-respecting journalists. Her campaign has even been "asking reporters who they think she should talk to."
The task is a difficult one from the campaign's perspective, writes Philip Klein of National Review. They need to find a journalist "who knows not to ask potentially damaging questions, but who won't appear to be a total shill." Like a mobster bookie in need of a "boxer who will take a dive, but who won't make it so obvious." One former Harris aide suggested Gayle King of CBS News, who recently interviewed a psychic medium about what lessons he's learned from "spirits on the other side."
The Harris campaign is also concerned about letting her running mate, Tim Walz, speak to reporters unscripted. "The danger in sending him out to do big solo interviews is that he might not have a full command of where Harris is on every issue," Politico reports. One could argue that Harris herself does not have a full command of where she stands on every issue, hence the reluctance to do an interview on her own or even to answer a simple question without a teleprompter.
Earlier this month, for example, Harris was asked how she felt about the return of American citizens imprisoned in Russia. Her response was a word salad of vacuous drivel about how President Joe Biden "understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances."
Good luck with the interview!
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