The thing about putting lipstick on a pig is that underneath the lipstick, you’ve still got a pig. That’s the Kamala Harris campaign right now, at least according to a new report on the internal tensions roiling her operation.
There’s no doubt the vice president turned presidential nominee without winning a single primary vote has some momentum. There is a sheer jubilance among Democrats simply because they have someone other than Joe Biden to vote for. Much of what is bolstering Harris isn’t organic, though. It’s the result of a relentless press campaign to redefine her as a talented, likable politician full of “joy.” MSNBC even compared Harris to Taylor Swift.
The Kamala Harris Campaign o’ Joy tells us who the Democrats’ base is: college educated elites with the privilege to vote based on vibes and “joy” absent a lick of policy to explain how as president, Harris plans to make their lives easier. Who needs policy? Let them eat joy! pic.twitter.com/f1U6Esxwt5
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 9, 2024
But while the propaganda machine is hitting on all cylinders, Kamala Harris is still Kamala Harris, and that’s apparent behind the scenes.
Kamala Harris’ campaign is navigating internal tensions as a team of new senior strategists take hold of an operation largely staffed by people hired when Joe Biden was the Democratic nominee, according to six people, including aides familiar with the dynamics.
Longtime Harris loyalists are also chafing at the continuing presence of some Biden aides known for disparaging the vice president, three of the people said.
The unfolding friction is the result of an unprecedented overhaul of the Democratic ticket less than three months before the election, a daunting task that requires integrating two political worlds while at the same time selecting a vice presidential nominee and battling former President Donald Trump.
Keep in mind that we are talking about a person who had 92 percent staff turnover in the last four years. That wasn’t by sheer chance. Harris is a deeply difficult person to work for, with reports painting her as borderline abusive to her underlings.
In the case mentioned above, the situation is a bit more complicated. When Biden dropped out of the race, he left behind a fully staffed presidential operation. The last thing Harris wanted to do was start firing people because that would lead to dissent breaking out into the open. That’s left the vice president desperately trying to hold a house of cards together that is chock-full of operatives who hate each other.
The question is how long she can keep this charade going. She has the press on her side, and that’s a big asset as far as tamping down leaks.
What Harris does have in her favor right now is time, not because there’s so much left before election day but because there’s so little left. Given enough time, she would self-destruct as she’s always done. Harris has not suddenly become an excellent politician, but if she can stay away from the off-the-cuff situations that have historically haunted her, she may be able to run the clock out.
Still, there is at least one debate coming up, and that is probably the best chance Donald Trump will get to knock Harris off her astroturfed sugar high. If her campaign begins to falter at all, you could start to see cracks form given how weak the foundation is.
