I Almost Feel Sorry For Team Kamala

(August 30, 2024) After Thursday’s CNN interview, I almost feel sorry for Kamala Harris’ campaign team. They’ve had a Herculean task set before them—to turn the least popular VP in recent memory into a viable Presidential candidate in less than 100 days.

Yes, they’ve had lots of help—a billion or two in free publicity and image glow-up from the mainstream media, tens of millions of dollars of foreign (primarily Chinese) and dark money thrown at them through ActBlue, and a cavalcade of Hollywood stars swooning over her—but her first interview with Dana Bash on CNN showed us all just how far they have to go.

They had over a month to prep Kamala for her first interview, and that’s the best they could do? Although, I suppose one must consider just what they had to work with. What’s that saying about sow’s ears and silk purses?

What should have been an hour-long sit down turned into only 18 short minutes. The first segment was released Thursday afternoon and word began circulating that the rest was being delayed for “editing.” About the same time, CNN said they wouldn’t be releasing the full transcript, much less the unedited video. Oh, and the rest of the time slot when it was broadcast would be filled with an “inspirational video” about Kamala.

“Inspirational video?” That sounds a lot like a “campaign commercial,” doesn’t it? Will that time be reported by the campaign as an in-kind donation by CNN? I’m guessing it won’t be. Hello, FEC? Hello? Heeeeeelloooo?

The interview’s been dropped in three separate pieces on YouTube. I didn’t see the broadcast because I cut the cable cord ages ago. Like the DNC, I watched as much as I could stand, which was a fair bit of it. I had high hopes when Dana Bash pointed out that Kamala has been Veep for three and a half years, so why hasn’t she already done all the wonderful things she’s now promising to do on Day 1? Yeah, no; that was as far as the semi-tough questions went. Kamala deflected, diverted and denied, fell back on obviously-scripted, albeit somewhat rambling, talking points…and Bash let her.

Tim Walz, who for some reason tagged along, was also allowed to skate by, giving non-answers about lying about his military service. He was obviously just there in his capacity as an emotional support animal. I can’t remember a Veep nominee being part of a first Presidential candidate interview, ever. That's just one of many things about this propaganda puff piece that irks me.

Yes, that’s what Thursday’s interview was—a propaganda puff piece, one tiny step removed from a paid 18 minute campaign ad. It was on a very liberal network, hosted by a partisan talking head who’s married to one of the 51 “Spies That Lied” about Hunter’s laptop being Russian disinformation. The questions were almost certainly given to the campaign in advance, and were about as hard-hitting as marshmallows—the little baby mini marshmallows you put in hot chocolate, not even the regular size ones.

Without seeing the transcript and all the “editing” that had to be done, we all have to wonder: just how bad was it, really? What had to be edited out or spliced in? How much word salad and classic Kamala kindergarten-speak got chopped? How many times did Low-T Timmie have to bail Kamala out, or cut off the babble?

Even with all the work the editing crew undoubtedly did, it was only a fair interview, at best. Kamala isn’t, and has never been, ready for prime time. Thursday only confirmed what we already knew.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a friendlier setting for an interview, much less a first interview after becoming the official nominee. This wasn’t a case of putting lipstick on a pig. This interview was sending the pig for a full spa day makeover with Fashion Week couture—and it was still a pig after all that.

That’s why I almost feel sorry for Team Kamala. She and her stolen valor running mate are two of the lamest candidates either party has fielded in a long time, and that’s saying something. But, they have all the legacy media, all the Deep State/Cabal/Blob resources, laundered Chinese money and progressive True Believers behind them. Plus, they’re getting paid very well to keep Kamala on-prompter and away from any real reporters for the next sixty-odd days.

I just hope they don’t do their jobs very well. I’m reasonably certain the nation can’t survive four years of Kamala.

Dr. Bill Chitwood is a retired Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatrist who does political consulting and media relations. He is the author of Beyond Maga, available on Amazon under his pen name, Doc Contrarian. He can be found on Substack and social media as @DocContrarian.

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