Harris’s First One-on-One Interview Will Be with MSNBC’S Ruhle

It’s no secret by now that Kamala Harris is terrified of answering basic political questions put to her by anyone with a video camera nearby. Her avoidance of the media has, in fact, been at the center of my coverage of Harris’s surprise campaign, as well as everyone else’s here at National Review. (Folks, it was a wild summer.) But she continues to sit in a deeply uncomfortable position in the polls, leading Donald Trump only nominally and in a way few with memories of 2016 or 2020 have any confidence in whatsoever. People either don’t seem to know who Harris is, or don’t quite buy what it is they’re being asked to believe about her, so she desperately needs to get herself out there in front of voters in a humanizing way — rallies and ads aren’t getting the job done.

But what can you do with a woman who will forever be even more incapable of carrying on a detailed policy discussion than late-dementia-era Joe Biden? Biden used to be a canny blatherer at least, even if he spouted nonsense with the confidence of a fool; only age robbed him of his abilities in that regard. Harris, on the other hand, has never been able to have a serious policy conversation in public and never will be, for the simple reason that she is manifestly intellectually incapable of it. Asking her to get better at talking to skeptical media is like asking me to try extra hard to grow six inches taller, or asking RFK Jr. not to collect dead wildlife specimens. It’s just not going to happen. And as far as splashy, friendly interviews go, you can only draw water from the Oprah well once per four-year election cycle. (The FEC strictly enforces this rule.)

JB

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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It’s no secret by now that Kamala Harris is terrified of answering basic political questions put to her by anyone with a video camera nearby. Her avoidance of the media has, in fact, been at the center of my coverage of Harris’s surprise campaign, as well as everyone else’s here at National Review. (Folks, it was a wild summer.) But she continues to sit in a deeply uncomfortable position in the polls, leading Donald Trump only nominally and in a way few with memories of 2016 or 2020 have any confidence in whatsoever. People either don’t seem to know who Harris is, or don’t quite buy what it is they’re being asked to believe about her, so she desperately needs to get herself out there in front of voters in a humanizing way — rallies and ads aren’t getting the job done.

But what can you do with a woman who will forever be even more incapable of carrying on a detailed policy discussion than late-dementia-era Joe Biden? Biden used to be a canny blatherer at least, even if he spouted nonsense with the confidence of a fool; only age robbed him of his abilities in that regard. Harris, on the other hand, has never been able to have a serious policy conversation in public and never will be, for the simple reason that she is manifestly intellectually incapable of it. Asking her to get better at talking to skeptical media is like asking me to try extra hard to grow six inches taller, or asking RFK Jr. not to collect dead wildlife specimens. It’s just not going to happen. And as far as splashy, friendly interviews go, you can only draw water from the Oprah well once per four-year election cycle. (The FEC strictly enforces this rule.)

JB

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.