Democracy Dies in Darkness: The Rebranding of Kamala Harris

by Richard Manning

In a world where Internet fame is more important than accuracy, what passes for media today is little more than a bunch of Instagram influencer wannabees who are more interested in making a point than following the news wherever it takes them.

It is generally more challenging to do fundamental research than to serve as a scribe, writing what you are fed without question.

However, even laziness cannot account for the past three years and the White House “press” corps’ failure to report and press the White House press secretary about a story right before their eyes: Joe Biden’s apparent failing mental acuity. Stationed at the White House to provide day-in and day-out coverage of events that affect the world, the White House press corps largely allowed the illusion that the President has been operating at total capacity to continue.

With a few exceptions, those selected to cover the White House were either too afraid of being shunned by the spin presenter at the podium, too partisan to report the truth about the man who defeated Donald Trump, or too dumb and naïve to believe what was right in front of them.

The lack of availability to President Biden stood in stark contrast to the almost daily capacity to ask questions and engage in banter with former President Donald Trump, who relished the back and forth and provided openness and availability unmatched in modern politics.

Instead, the White House press corps feigned shock when Biden was removed from the 2024 presidential race by billionaires, actors (George Clooney), and Democrat elites in a swift coup prompted by his enfeeblement tanking his polling numbers.

They didn’t even dare comment about the coup and how it contradicted the entire underlying “protect democracy” theme of the messaging they had received from the White House over the Biden years.

What followed next, though, is perhaps the death knell for a future president who would even bother talking to the media.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the anointed successor in the race to stop Trump at all costs, needed to be repackaged. The vice President had developed a public reputation for being inept and uninspiring.

With about 100 days to election day and a little more than a month before ballots would be sent to voters in some key states, the collective media demonstrated the curiosity of a mole in sunlight as Harris’ political handlers rebranded her as “joy and hope.” These are two terms that have never been associated with the vice president in the past.

Rather than aggressively demand access and exposure for the American public to the newly minted candidate for President, who similarly did not have to undergo any vetting via a competitive primary in the Democratic Party, the media allowed a virtual blackout of her availability to the average voter.

After the programmed and edited CNN interview featuring Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, many pundits wondered out loud if Harris should risk doing any more interviews with the media, as it might harm her chances of winning.

I never thought I’d say it, but I miss Sam Donaldson. While a liberal, Donaldson embodied the brash journalists who spoke truth to power no matter who was being skewered. It always seemed that he gave Democrats the benefit of the doubt, but at least he demanded they answer questions.

Not today.v