The description of Democratic presidential candidate Karmala Harris by American-Australian actor/director Mel Gibson that she “has the intelligence of a fence post” is, while founded in some truth, still rather unkind.
Ms Harris is after all a person who has completed a legal education, albeit not from a highly regarded institution, and held various positions in public law offices until she entered politics as the San Francisco District Attorney in 2003.
But the patronage of her one-time boyfriend, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and her obvious physical appeal as an attractive woman of colour, has overshadowed both her law enforcement and political accomplishments.
While she has significant support in this campaign, the question that cannot be answered by her backers is “what has she ever achieved in her two decades long political career?”
Any appearance she makes in the public arena during this presidential campaign tends to lend weight to Mel Gibson’s assertion.
The impression from interviews and her limited appearances at campaign rallies suggest she is a specialist in making word salads, speaks a lot but doesn’t say anything, and really has no clue about what she will do should she be the one to take the oath of office on January 20th.
Her unintelligible answer to a question posed by CBS reporter Bill Whittaker for a 60 Minutes interview was so garbled, the programme decided its audience needed something better. So they edited in something which made her look and sound (slightly) more credible.
That subterfuge by CBS, among the more scurrilous acts in the history of political journalism, was not Harris’s fault but it shows how desperate some sections of American society are to promote this woman way, way beyond her capability come the election next week.
I sense though even the left wing media have given up. They see the polls in the swing states moving in favour of Donald Trump. One article by Bret Stephens from the New York Times last week, republished in the New Zealand Herald, outlined the excuses the Democrats will trot out if Trump wins.
(FYI they’re black racism, white racism, the Electoral College, Joe Biden along with condescension, name calling, high-handedness, gaslighting, identity over class …. blah,blah)
What Stephens and many on the left are now discovering is that Harris is devoid of ideas, devoid of character and - most importantly in the world’s biggest popularity contest - devoid of charisma.
Trump has recently completed a three hour interview with Joe Rogan. At last look it had 32 million downloads. Think about that. Thirty two million ! More viewers and listeners than the first game of the World Series.
I listened to it. It was a fun 3 hours. Sure Trump was outrageous. He probably told a whole lot of fabricated stories. But he always does. Makes you wonder why the fact checkers waste their energy.
This week Trump will be on Tucker Carlson’s show, with Robert Kennedy Junior doing the introduction. That will do great business for Carlson too.
Harris apparently has thought about going on Rogan’s show. But she couldn’t last three hours. If she did the word salads would need some serious dollops of mayonnaise.
Even her appearances on supportive media outlets like the panel show “The View” have been at best uninspiring. Asked if she would have done anything differently to Joe Biden during the past four years she said, after hesitation, “there is not a thing that comes to mind, and I’ve been part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”
Gee. Like the disaster that was the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Like the infiltration of anywhere between ten and twelve million illegal immigrants into the US in the last four years, when she was the so-called “Border Czar.” Like the spending of more than a hundred billion dollars in Ukraine since 2022.
So four years under a Harris administration would be just like the last four years under Biden?
Hmmm.
Let’s never forget also that Harris has never made an impact with voters in national politics. Her previous run for President, at the start of the 2020 primary season in Iowa, saw her withdraw before a vote was cast in that state because her polling was so bad. This remember, at the start of a race where Joe Biden was the eventual winner!!
Harris was not elected to be the Democratic candidate. She was selected. Picked by the party grandees like Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer. That in itself is a problem for many Democrats. All the diversity in the world cannot make up for someone who is just not that politically smart or attractive.
As in 2020, the rest of the world still shakes its head at the reality that among 350 million people, the most powerful nation in the world can only produce these two candidates for President. It is not a great choice.
If I could vote, it would be for Trump. His record from 2017-2021 says the world will be a more peaceful place and Americans will feel better economically than during the last four years. The world is on a geo-political knife edge because of what’s happening in Ukraine and the Middle East. I’d trust Trump to defuse it far more than Harris.
With Harris, you know she won’t really be in charge. As with her elevation to candidate, she will be a puppet President of the Democratic hierarchy with Barack Obama to the fore, and the hawk-like foreign policy that involves.
Trump is a man of many flaws and his relationship with the truth is often stretched. But you know what you’ll get. He will run the show with his hand-picked people. The world did not implode during his previous administration. It won’t this time around either.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack This article was first published HERE
While she has significant support in this campaign, the question that cannot be answered by her backers is “what has she ever achieved in her two decades long political career?”
Any appearance she makes in the public arena during this presidential campaign tends to lend weight to Mel Gibson’s assertion.
The impression from interviews and her limited appearances at campaign rallies suggest she is a specialist in making word salads, speaks a lot but doesn’t say anything, and really has no clue about what she will do should she be the one to take the oath of office on January 20th.
Her unintelligible answer to a question posed by CBS reporter Bill Whittaker for a 60 Minutes interview was so garbled, the programme decided its audience needed something better. So they edited in something which made her look and sound (slightly) more credible.
That subterfuge by CBS, among the more scurrilous acts in the history of political journalism, was not Harris’s fault but it shows how desperate some sections of American society are to promote this woman way, way beyond her capability come the election next week.
I sense though even the left wing media have given up. They see the polls in the swing states moving in favour of Donald Trump. One article by Bret Stephens from the New York Times last week, republished in the New Zealand Herald, outlined the excuses the Democrats will trot out if Trump wins.
(FYI they’re black racism, white racism, the Electoral College, Joe Biden along with condescension, name calling, high-handedness, gaslighting, identity over class …. blah,blah)
What Stephens and many on the left are now discovering is that Harris is devoid of ideas, devoid of character and - most importantly in the world’s biggest popularity contest - devoid of charisma.
Trump has recently completed a three hour interview with Joe Rogan. At last look it had 32 million downloads. Think about that. Thirty two million ! More viewers and listeners than the first game of the World Series.
I listened to it. It was a fun 3 hours. Sure Trump was outrageous. He probably told a whole lot of fabricated stories. But he always does. Makes you wonder why the fact checkers waste their energy.
This week Trump will be on Tucker Carlson’s show, with Robert Kennedy Junior doing the introduction. That will do great business for Carlson too.
Harris apparently has thought about going on Rogan’s show. But she couldn’t last three hours. If she did the word salads would need some serious dollops of mayonnaise.
Even her appearances on supportive media outlets like the panel show “The View” have been at best uninspiring. Asked if she would have done anything differently to Joe Biden during the past four years she said, after hesitation, “there is not a thing that comes to mind, and I’ve been part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”
Gee. Like the disaster that was the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Like the infiltration of anywhere between ten and twelve million illegal immigrants into the US in the last four years, when she was the so-called “Border Czar.” Like the spending of more than a hundred billion dollars in Ukraine since 2022.
So four years under a Harris administration would be just like the last four years under Biden?
Hmmm.
Let’s never forget also that Harris has never made an impact with voters in national politics. Her previous run for President, at the start of the 2020 primary season in Iowa, saw her withdraw before a vote was cast in that state because her polling was so bad. This remember, at the start of a race where Joe Biden was the eventual winner!!
Harris was not elected to be the Democratic candidate. She was selected. Picked by the party grandees like Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer. That in itself is a problem for many Democrats. All the diversity in the world cannot make up for someone who is just not that politically smart or attractive.
As in 2020, the rest of the world still shakes its head at the reality that among 350 million people, the most powerful nation in the world can only produce these two candidates for President. It is not a great choice.
If I could vote, it would be for Trump. His record from 2017-2021 says the world will be a more peaceful place and Americans will feel better economically than during the last four years. The world is on a geo-political knife edge because of what’s happening in Ukraine and the Middle East. I’d trust Trump to defuse it far more than Harris.
With Harris, you know she won’t really be in charge. As with her elevation to candidate, she will be a puppet President of the Democratic hierarchy with Barack Obama to the fore, and the hawk-like foreign policy that involves.
Trump is a man of many flaws and his relationship with the truth is often stretched. But you know what you’ll get. He will run the show with his hand-picked people. The world did not implode during his previous administration. It won’t this time around either.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack This article was first published HERE
8 comments:
Peter I hope you are correct. However ability and competence are not required on the left, which is why you immediately have a lower quality candidate.
You only have to cast your mind back to Obama who was a great wordsmith but probably the worst president that I can remember. What did he actually achieve or accomplish in 8 years? A Muppet would have had more effect than Obama ever did.
The world is finally waking up to the toxic destruction of the left and now the left are moving to the far left. However they will do anything and everything to remain in control, let's hope these guys don't assinate Trump prior to the election, they have tried 3 times now.....they must really hate him.
I couldn't disagree more with this comment. I have no doubt that a Trump win, inexplicably a distinct possibility, would be a disaster. Harris is by far the superior candidate and her debate with Trump, along with much else, proved it.
Sadly Peter, what you have related to here in your article, the majority of New Zealander's will not see that perspective of Ms. Harris, unless they view such data via YouTube, as our MSM have shown once again, their political bias and who they " hate the most". It is interesting, that our TV show more of Trump but little of Harris and if they showed the CBS interview or any other interview that Kamala Harris has given, they would see the presentation of being asked a direct question, but unable to give a substantive reply. Ms. Harris has been " challenged, by American Media" to list the things she has achieved whilst Vice President, and in all cases, when asked that question, again can not give a substantive answer, even about the Southern Border, which (yes she was in charge) she " failed to deliver on managing that crisis".
Also " stories" have surfaced, from people who have worked with Ms. Harris, both in California, whilst being a Senior Legal Attorney, as a Senator, then as Vice President as being a person who was difficult to work with and not focused on the tasks in front of her.
The other domain that shows that we have, here in New Zealand, citizens who have a " hatred for Trump", one would asked what they base their dislike on, again is it because they "believe what our MSM have presented"?
I hear you Peter. You would think that our corrupt MSM was addressing potential voters in NZ. Their continual beat up of Trump is endless as they bombard the public with propaganda and obvious support for the Marxist revolution. You can’t even escape in the morning where Mike Hosking trots out his nasally and cynical mate, Richard Arnold, to spew his partisan vitriol against Trump. To me, the voting choice is easy as it was for we Kiwis. Another three years of the last destructive govt would have destroyed NZ completely. If Trump is unsuccessful, the shadowy puppeteers that control Harris’s strings as they did to Biden’s, will hasten the continuing demise of the US Empire, our strongest Ally.
One simply has to look ahead to the next cycle. Trumps vice president and the other quality members of his team. Who to support is a no brainer.
The last three paragraphs of your post sum it up Pete.
And Rob Beechey above has said it for me. Well said, Rob.
Is " one allowed to say we have a comment from a person, clearly demonstrating left leaning socialist thoughts - to whit hoping that Kamala Harris will win".
It does not bode well, when this kind of written opine appears, to clearly shows that the " Author has not investigated said lady and her inabilities from her time as a Legal Attorney, in California, via the US Senate and the four years as Vice President.
Can I suggest to said " Author" you need to go to YouTube and find any videos of Tulsi Gabbard, former Democrat Congresswomen for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District 2013 > 2021 (now a very supportive person of Donald Trump) - and you will certainly get to hear what above person thinks of Ms K Harris.
I suppose being 'fun' might count for some people. He is a bully - if you like bullies he's your man - he attacks people who cannot fight back verbally on his platform. He does not respect the judges, the military, nor election results - he says so constantly. You didn't mention foreign policy, which counts quite a bit for global stability. Trump has told Netanyahu to 'finish the job' on Palestinian. I do not support the war crimes, starvation and killing of babies and children, bombing and destruction of neighbourhoods, going on in Gaza or Lebanon. He is worse than Harris on that (and she is not great either). Trump says he will finish the war in Ukraine - it will only be on Russian terms, so Ukraine will give up a lot of territory and they will want the confiscated funds back - which are actually being spent by the West now. So not easy there either - it will not be the 'one phone call' Trump pretends it will be. He is also a very good salesman, but I vote for a leader who cannot be bought, who is not for sale to Elon Musk and the wealthy.
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