Astead Herndon in the New York Times:
“The question I’ve always wanted to know the answer to: Was Kamala Harris really chosen as a running mate because she had the right identity at the right time, the highest-profile diversity hire in America?”
“I directly placed in front of her the question others had only insinuated. ‘When someone asks, “What does Vice President Kamala Harris bring to the ticket?” what is that clear answer?’ I asked. Her team made clear it would be my final question. ‘Were you in this room of 2,000 people?’ she asked. I nodded. ‘Did you see them cheering and standing?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘That’s what I say.’ She stood up and walked out of the room.”
Elaina Plott Calabro in The Atlantic:
“Of course Kamala Harris is ready for the presidency, to the extent that anyone can be ready. This should not be hard for her own colleagues to talk about. Not talking about it leaves the subject open for political exploitation — by opponents whose own likely candidate makes the idea of readiness absurd. And yet the topic is treated as a trip wire…”
“I asked Harris herself: Had she and Biden discussed how to address questions about her readiness to step in as president, should circumstances ever require it? ‘No,’ she said. And that was the end of the conversation.”
