The training wheels are (almost) off. Vice President Kamala Harris unleashed her signature laugh in Milwaukee on Tuesday to kick off her first campaign rally since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. "Good afternoon, Wisconsin," Harris said. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." After that, she managed to catch herself and refrain from cackling for the remainder of a much-anticipated address that failed to meet expectations.
Harris's stump speech closely resembled the practice version she delivered at Biden-Harris campaign headquarters on Monday, less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden allegedly wrote a letter ending his reelection campaign. With her cackle under control, Harris praised Biden for a "legacy of accomplishment" after one term in office that has "already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms," such as Barack Obama.
The VP vowed that she will spend the next few weeks "continuing to unite" the Democratic Party, which has rallied around her in rapid fashion after Biden offered his endorsement on Sunday. Within 48 hours, Harris had secured enough delegates to lock up the nomination, even as many Democrats had hoped for an open process that would yield a more talented candidate whose most recent campaign didn't end in disaster.
"We're not afraid of hard work, we like hard work, don't we?" said Harris, who as vice president repeatedly refused to take on tasks she deemed too difficult. At one point Harris reportedly offered to oversee the Biden administration's "relations with the Nordic countries," a suggestion that White House aides instantly rejected and "privately mocked."
Harris's team does not appear to have worked very hard coming up with new slogans for her speech. "We are running a people-powered campaign," she said, echoing language used by Bernie Sanders, the socialist U.S. senator from Vermont, during his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020. In addition to being lifted from a rival campaign, the phrase isn't entirely accurate. Biden was ultimately forced to withdraw his candidacy and endorse Harris because wealthy donors (and Hollywood celebs) were threatening to withhold funding for Democrats.
Democrats are hoping swing-state voters will be swayed by Harris's rather unimaginative framing of the election as a contest between convicted felon Donald Trump and a former California prosecutor who threw teenagers in jail for smoking pot. Harris walked onstage to the song "Freedom" by Beyoncé, wife of Jay-Z, which might count for something, but who knows?
Voters will be eager to hear what policies Harris might pursue as president, especially given her abysmal track record when it comes to taking clear positions on controversial issues. For example, Harris promised to deliver "affordable health care" for all Americans, without clarifying what that would entail. As a primary candidate in 2020, Harris repeatedly flip-flopped when asked if she favored eliminating private health insurance, which most Americans rely on for coverage.
At the very least, Harris demonstrated her ability to read a stump speech off a teleprompter in a public setting, something Biden was unable to achieve in recent weeks. That's one of many reasons why he is no longer the Democratic Party's nominee for president. Americans will also be eager to hear from Biden himself. The nominal president has not been seen for several days while recovering from COVID at his beach house in Delaware. Biden is scheduled to address the country from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening.