Vice President Kamala Harris tried really hard to impress a group of visiting children in a widely ridiculed YouTube special last week.
SO WHAT
Harris’ ongoing failure to win the hearts of Americans is a problem for the Democratic Party.
THE VIDEO
In the video, released Thursday for Space Week, Harris hosted the five kids at Washington, D.C.’s Naval Observatory, where she lives, and repeatedly expressed over-the-top enthusiasm about being the vice president and the head of the National Space Council.
Money quote: “You’re gonna literally see the craters on the moon with your own eyes! With your own eyes!” Harris said, smiling and gesturing intensely. “I’m telling you, it is gonna be unbelievable.”
- Harris also instructed the children to cherish her wisdom, “Never let anybody tell you who you are, you tell them who you are,” and shared her passion for “exploring the unknown.”
- While the kids were politely enthusiastic, nobody was seen taking Harris up on her offer to give “more advice” if “you just let me know.”
THE REACTION
Despite promotional efforts by Harris, her team and some media outlets, the 10-minute YouTube special received far fewer views than did clips mockingly shared by conservatives on Twitter.
“The Cringe,” commented Jack Posobiec on one of the videos.
Becket Adams of the Washington Examiner and others responded to another clip with jokes about Harris’ authenticity challenges.
Some said Harris seemed like she was on drugs, with Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, quipping, “Too much DayQuil.”
Rep, Lauren Boebert, R-Fl., was among those who suggested the White House had relegated Harris to the metaphorical kids table, saying, “She’s not allowed to speak to adults anymore.”
Actor Randy Quaid said, “This is her rebranding plan??? What a stupid phony!”
SERIOUSLY, THOUGH
Harris was supposed to be the future of the Democratic Party, but after failing to impress in the 2020 presidential primary, her popularity has plummeted along with the White House’s, as the Los Angles Times documented last week.
- In August, Harris hired a pair of crack crisis communications experts in what “some Democratic strategists close to the White House” told Politico was “a clear indication that the vice president and her top aides recognize they need to course correct.”
- “This is an important moment,” one strategist said. “We have the first woman as vice president and of course first women of color as vice president, and if we mess up this moment, that will set us back for a long time.”
SAME ENERGY
Two years ago this weekend, while running for the Democratic nomination, Harris announced her pronouns on stage at CNN’s LGBT presidential town hall.
