There were many glaring deficiencies within the doomed presidential campaign of Kamala Harris, but perhaps the most obvious was her inability to communicate effectively and convincingly.
Now, nearly two months after Election Day, one prominent member of her own party is calling her out for using language in a way that millions of voters found disingenuous if not unintelligible.
Fox News reported on the recent remarks from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI):
“The point is we have a whole language that’s maybe not offensive, or irritating. But definitely unfamiliar to regular people,” Schatz told Politico in an interview.
Schatz referenced the term “LatinX,” but noted he doesn’t think many lawmakers use the term, which has been largely rejected by Latinos, according to a poll.
“I think Kamala did a really good job on focusing on middle-class concerns. But I remember her saying, ‘I’m going to center the needs of the working class.’ And I thought to myself, I don’t know anyone in the world who says center. I know people in politics who say center. I know people in academia. I know people in advocacy who say center. But centering the needs, or making space for, or all of that, is a clear indication that you are not normal,” he added.
“And it goes to not just being careful not to say things that are egregiously weird sounding, but it’s also the way we interact with advocacy groups,” Schatz continued.
Harris’ frustrating relationship with the English language was the topic of countless social media posts throughout the election cycle:
Trump just put out this compilation of Kamala Harris *attempting* to speak off script
And holy crap it’s brutal 🤣💀pic.twitter.com/hOk0n7O72a
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 9, 2024
NEW @KamalaHarris interview just dropped: she rambled, never answered questions directly, said the American Dream is gone, and sank her campaign. pic.twitter.com/Xqjb0wDyGJ
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) September 26, 2024
NEW: Kamala Harris goes on 2-minute "philosophical" word salad rant, starts saying her "what can be unburdened" quote before cutting herself off.
Lmao.
Question: What is on your heart to say to the American people?
Kamala: "We love our country."
"Let's come together with the,… pic.twitter.com/KyDjRG4rvx
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 20, 2024
INTERVIEWER: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BRING DOWN PRICES?
KAMALA HARRIS: LET ME TELL YOU A STORY… pic.twitter.com/e7Jl4IN9aC
— The ₿itcoin Therapist (@TheBTCTherapist) September 14, 2024
Former “Today” co-host Katie Couric shared similar post-election annoyances with Harris’ communication style, as the New York Post reportedly last month:
Couric’s guest on the podcast was Jen Psaki, the MSNBC host and former White House press secretary under President Biden. The two discussed the fallout from the election, which was won decisively by former President Donald Trump.
Psaki nodded as Couric described how Harris would not provide clear answers to questions.
“I also felt that, and again, I think [Harris] really did well in so many areas, but I was frustrated by her inability to really succinctly answer questions at times, Jen,” Couric continued.
“Like, if she was asked about changing the Supreme Court at that CNN town hall, she had an opportunity to talk about ethics and what, you know, [Supreme Court Justices Samuel] Alito and Clarence Thomas were doing, and she answered, like, in one sentence, and then went on to something that had nothing to do with the question,” Couric said.
“You know, people notice that, and it’s like, ‘Answer the goddamn question, please!’”
Couric was also critical of Harris for refusing to do any interviews for several weeks after she was picked to succeed Biden as the nominee, saying it was “making me crazy as a consumer.”
“What was that?” the former “Today” host asked.
Even “The Daily Show” couldn’t resist picking some of the low-hanging fruit:
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