When Kamala Harris takes the debate stage on Tuesday night, it will be one of just a handful of times she has fielded any unscripted questions since becoming the nominee. While Harris and her team appear to believe that the vice president can cruise into the Oval Office on “vibes” alone, polling data and basic common sense suggest that the coordinated media blackout may be a big turnoff with voters.
According to national pollster Frank Luntz, as of September 5, “The Trump-Vance ticket has done a combined 38 interviews since August 6, compared to only 1 for Harris-Walz.” A separate Newsbusters analysis found that “from July 22 to August 6, about two weeks before he was added to the ticket, Walz appeared on MSNBC, PBS, CNN, and Fox News a total of ten times.” He has since vanished from the airwaves.
Harris has consistently extolled the virtues of the press and made vague promises to do more interviews. But with early voting starting on September 22 in three states, there now appears to be a strong possibility that voters will begin casting ballots with Harris having done only the single sit-down interview – a softball-filled lovefest on CNN with Walz by her side.
Such a development would be a shocking departure from the norm in American politics. Typically presidential candidates sit for dozens of interviews where journalists have the opportunity to press them on issues that are important to voters. This is particularly important in Harris’s case, since she was just elevated to become her party’s nominee several weeks ago.
Yet Harris surrogates have dismissed the idea that interviews are even important at all. When Harris staffer Michel Tyler was asked on CNN if Harris would commit to more interviews, he deflected, stating, “We will commit to engage with the voters directly,” apparently referring to Harris’s rallies where she reads scripted remarks on stage.
In a recent interview, political professor Dafydd Townley likewise stated that Harris and Walz prefer large events because “they need to introduce themselves to the American public. While this is an opportunity to discuss policy, as much as anything else, it’s about engaging with targeted audiences in critical states.”
However, none of these events feature follow-up questions or opportunities for voters to ask Harris questions about individual issues or why she has completely reversed her position on a slew of important policies. Critics have also noted that her website until this very week did not contain an issues page that explains what she stands for or against.
Some sympathetic media outlets have recontextualized Harris’s lack of substance as a pivot to “vibes.” They assert that she is generating “joy” and “goodwill” and an ephemeral feeling of positive energy that is more potent than any actual political platform. A recent New Republic article stated that, for Harris, “a detailed platform will hurt her campaign more than it will help.” As Harris surrogate Ian Sams put it, “We don’t have time to sit around and think about why, over the last few years, certain things may have happened or may not have happened.”
While these excuses may have placated a corporate media that is all-in for Harris, the American people are less satisfied. After an initial polling surge following Biden’s exit from the race and the DNC Convention, Harris now appears to be in a slide heading into the home stretch of campaign season.
According to a Harvard-Harris poll out this week, Harris and Trump are now locked in a dead heat. At this point in 2020, Biden was ahead of Trump by 10 points in the same poll, while Hillary Clinton led Trump by seven points in 2016. A New York Times/Siena poll and Pew Research poll also out this week found virtually identical results.
Venerated political pollster Nate Silver has predicted the high water mark of Harris’s polling may have already come and passed. Harris would likely need a national vote advantage of at least +3 to ensure a victory in the Electoral College, and currently she is trending in the wrong direction.
This polling trend makes Harris’s debate against Trump on Tuesday all the more important. If she performs well, responds effectively to tough questions (should the ABC moderators ask any) and clearly articulates her agenda, it may be enough to carry her through to November without doing another interview.
If Harris performs poorly, however, she will likely be forced to sit for a number of interviews to attempt to right the ship. In Biden’s case, the interviews after his disastrous debate performance only confirmed what viewers had seen on stage and served as the final blows for his re-election campaign.
Harris’s record as vice president further suggests that more on-the-record interviews would hurt rather than help her campaign. Harris’s first sit-down interview after being tapped to lead the administration’s response to the border crisis, where she infamously said “and I haven’t been to Europe” after being called out on lying about going to the border, has continued to haunt her campaign. A year later, when Today Show host Craig Melvin asked Harris about whether the administration should change course in its COVID-19 strategy, Harris responded: “It is time for us to do what we have been doing, and that time is every day. Every day, it is time for us to agree that there are things and tools that are available to us to slow this thing down.”
Similarly confusing word salads have abounded in most of Harris’s public remarks, including her sole interview with CNN since becoming the nominee. As a result, it seems the Harris campaign has simply decided that they’ll let surrogates and the media make Harris’s case for her.
But Americans want to hear directly from their leaders – not scripted on a teleprompter or filtered through a friendly media pundit. Should Harris continue to hide from reporters and ignore interview requests, voters will rightly grow more and more suspicious. Ultimately, Harris’s unwillingness to face any sort of scrutiny may cost Democrats the White House.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
“it will be one of just a handful of times she has fielded any unscripted questions since becoming the nominee“. Really? Does anyone for one second doubt that ABC will be providing her the questions ahead of time? Just like Hillary.
“Unscripted questions”? I am sure since this network works for the Demos that VP Harris has had time to formulate her answers for the questions. Pres. Trump should be able to trounce the VP but we will have to wait and see how the moderator and network handle things.
Kamala doesn’t speak because she has nothing of value to say.
Like everyone else, I hope the network and interviewers will be honest . . . one can only hope.
Pray for Presidet Trump – we need him back in the Oval office.
Ian Sams’ satement, “We don’t have time to sit around and think about why, over the last few years, certain things may have happened or may not have happened.” Sounds a lot like Ilhan Omar’s infamous, “Some people did something,” to describe 9/11.
Why are do many of this administration’s media flacks, from Sams to KJP, come across as ignorant, snarky, none-too-bright junior high school kids?
”A departure from the norm” says it all. Hairball is copying the Biden basement campaign and could very well steal this election. I hope DJT mops the floor with this liberal wh—e (rhymes with ’more’) tonight so early undecided voters can see that Commie-la and Tampon Tim will complete the destruction of our country. I won’t be watching the debate since I know who I’m voting for, and I don’t want to throw a perfectly good remote control at the TV as the liberal moderators toss softball questions at the cackling communist while hurling accusations at Trump. MAGA!! VOTE EARLY AND MAKE THIS ELECTION TOO BIG TO RIG!!!!
Stay tuned for the biggest MSM scam, (sham)to take place. If these polls were anywhere near accurate and people with brains are actually searching for the truth it should be that Trump has 15-20 point lead in all polls.
I will watch for entertainment purposes only. It is a tragedy that she is a choice for the president for that will be catastrophic for the nation Media will be humiliatingly gentle with her I am sure and will do everything possible to torture Trump.
“Taking itdirectly to the people” by not even having the courage to do softball interviews with a colluding press? Like Nancy said ” you have to pass the bill to see what’s in it”; guess that goes with Democrat candidates nobody voted for yet. My question is: when she tanks tonight, who will the DNC nominate next? They’re almost running out!
Unscripted questions ?? I doubt it !!!!! Seems as tough the Democrats have received debate questions before !! This person still has her job !!! They don’t have to be worried about because they won’t be found out till after the election, same as before !!!!
The Hosts are Liberals..they have already given her the questions..and that is what many of us believe.
There’s much inexplicable stuff about Harris, her campaign, and why she deems herself a “hip, groovy” candidate to manage the interests of a nation that’s been void of competent leadership since 2020.
I don’t see “cliché” gestures and utterances as a force with which to manage our nation… even if we had NOT been deprived of actual governance for the past 4 years.
I know you folks, need content, to fill the pages with some / any rhetoric, trying to define the upcoming election … but my suggestion would be, that rather than reminding all of us who already know that kamala is generally a worthless candidate, and a waste of oxygen .. to ingrain, and remind everyone, especially conservatives, and republicans … as well as any open minded independents and democrats … to make sure they are registered to vote, and preferably vote in person … but VOTE! Anyone reading these articles, knows kamala is a poor excuse for a political candidate … these articles might suggest, she is so poor, no one is going to really vote for her, so don’t worry if you don’t make it to the polls, she is going to lose. NOTHING IS CERTAIN … there are enough crazies, out there, that will vote for her because she is a woman, and because she is not Donald Trump.
Unscripted questions? That’s BS. Hyena Harris has been hiding out with her crayon book going over her scripted answers. She’s out of her league going up against President Trump. I just hope he can keep his cool and not get aggravated with the pony show they are calling a debate. President Trump has spent time at the desk not under it.
Harris is totally a product of the liberal media. I would believe my sister telling me the electric fence is turned off, go ahead and touch it, before I would believe anything the media says.
Those who think that Kamala has not received the questions in advance live in a fantasy world. If DJ Trump sticks to answering the questions on his policies and does not attack Communist Kamala he will win the debate hands down. He needs to stick to his policies which are good for America. I pray for an honest election but realize the Democrats will cheat but God has the answers for that and they will be caught.
While I don’t doubt Harris’ incompetence, there are too many gullible voters who are swayed by a pretty face and a cheerful attitude (at least in public). Add to that the sycophantic MSM and election fraud and there is a recipe for disaster.
No Guest roles
No interviews
Nothng to go on
Same old pattern! Communists don’t like questions that why Stalin had Gulags, Castro and Mao prisons, Pol Pot killing fields, and why Xi Jinping has organ harvesting concentration camps. Ask questions, and they turn you into a personal tragedy which for them is just a statistic. Ask all the questions you can get in now, expose the horrific duo of Harris/Walz, and reveal the naked emperors because if they manage another steal the time for questions is over, as would be freedom, peace, family, property, prosperity, and equality. Communism is anti-human, and anti-social. It is the worst form of mental disorder that sees others not as human beings but as objects to be manipulated, deceived, exploited, and disposed off.
Kackler wants people to “buy” her program without giving them ANY information. That’s called “buying a pig in a poke.” Or perhaps, “bait and switch.” In real life, she would be arrested for FRAUD! We’ll see how the fake “moderators” handle tonight’s debate and if they even TRY to be even-handed.