Most news outlets described the faceoff in similar terms. Forbes called it “a contentious interview” in which, The Hill noted, “the two sparred frequently.” The Washington Post noticed the candidate “sat for a contentious interview with Fox News” while Roll Call remarked that Harris “jousted with Fox News anchor Brett Baier in an interview (which was) her most contentious so far.” For The New York Times, it was "the most adversarial interview of her campaign."
The Democratic nominee aiming to be the first black female president had been interviewed by the National Association of Black Journalists; black entertainer Charlemagne tha God; 60 Minutes- which generously saw fit to edit its interview; liberal radio host Howard Stern; Oprah Winfrey, who first noticed politics when Barack Obama ran for President; and the Call Her Daddy podcast. So any exchange in which the questioner was not already in her corner would have to be “her most contentious so far.” Good job in assembling an Amen choir, Ms. Harris.
Nonetheless, the Fox News confrontation was less a friendly chit-chat than an interrogation, which should defined interviews with all serious presidential candidates, and as would be an interview with Donald Trump were he man enough to accept one.
My, how times have changed! In very early September Errin
Haines, editor-in-chief of weekly newsletter The Amendment, spoke for
conventional wisdom when she observed
Kamala Harris’ campaign for president has been largely
defined by joy — which some people seem to think is a bad thing….
(But) For many Black Americans – particularly Black women – joy has long been a form of resilience and resistance, a method of survival. For Harris, it is also now political, as a key pillar of her campaign that is resonating with many Democrats. It’s attracting Americans who may be curious about her and this new feeling in our politics and tired of the divisive climate that has dominated much of the last decade.
Harris’ joy is also a visible rejection of the idea of the
“angry Black woman,” a stereotype rooted in racism and misogyny that has long
worked to dismiss and diminish Black women’s voices, leadership and agency
across society. In this campaign, it is Trump who is the angry one, lashing out
at Harris with personal attacks.
Her joy is a tactic that has disarmed Trump….
Well, evidently Ms. Harris has concluded that the strategy of joy has not sufficiently disarmed Trump. The Vice-President, justifiably or otherwise, was visibly annoyed at the questions she was asked and at being interrupted by Mr. Baier a she characteristically veered off-topic to attack Donald Trump and avoid answering the questions posed. Being challenged is very uncomfortable for the former Senator and state Attorney General. There is no indication yet whether Ms. Haines, who decried the notion of the "angry Black woman," is pleased that Harris has helped confirm the stereotype.
The nominee's strategy, whatever it is now, may be more effective than the alternative of leveling with voters and still marks her as more honest and forthright than her opponent. In turn, that highlights the best argument for the election of Kamala Harris to the presidency: we are given a binary choice, and if Donald Trump’s opponent were only a dead armadillo or a live groundhog, he still would be the less qualified option.
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