On Monday, Kamala Harris held a “town hall” with Liz Cheney. Things started badly after moderator Maria Shriver came out and told the audience that all questions were “pre-determined.” But while my initial write-up of the event focused on the broader strokes of how stupid it was for the Harris campaign to embrace Cheney, the vice president’s failures extended past discussions of political strategy.
SEE: Kamala Harris ‘Town Hall’ With Liz Cheney Blows Up on the Launch Pad
For example, Harris has a strange penchant for cracking herself up, and one moment caught the eye of the Trump campaign.
Is Kamala ok? pic.twitter.com/4VVFVuQQpT
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 22, 2024
Let me explain what’s happening there. Harris has “theater kid syndrome.” Because she’s such a laughably inauthentic politician molded and led by a group of handlers, she has the tendency to go overboard. When she gets in front of a camera, she’s playing a role, and because she’s a terrible actor, it’s immediately obvious to anyone watching. Further, Harris has no ability to remain in character, which leads to the odd trend of her randomly laughing at things that aren’t funny.
That means that when the vice president does try to stay serious, she comes across as a lame schoolmarm. Listen to the pacing and tone of this next clip and you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.
HARRIS: In many, many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man.
(dramatic pause)
HARRIS: But the consequences of him being president of the United States are brutally serious. There are things that he says that will be the subject of skits and laughter and jokes.
It is immediately apparent that because Harris knew the questions beforehand, something established by Shriver’s admission to the audience, she rehearsed these answers verbatim. Anyone who speaks publicly knows that’s usually a bad idea. Sure, a professional actor might be able to pull that off, but for the most part, your average politician is going to sound much more relatable and authentic if they speak from broad strokes instead of singular, pre-written lines. There are times when reading a teleprompter speech works, but a “town hall” is not that time.
KAMALA: “We cannot despair. The nature of a democracy is such that I think there is a duality…” pic.twitter.com/rHM2rbA17G
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 21, 2024
With that said, if you noticed Liz Cheney’s body language was a little off during Harris’ answers, it only got worse as the event dragged on.
Watch Liz’s face … she thinks Kamala is a moron but now it’s too late. She’s all in. pic.twitter.com/iXKH6UTmFG
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) October 21, 2024
The look on Liz Cheney’s face when it starts to dawn on her that there’s not going to be a Harris administration for her to get a job in. pic.twitter.com/cZJaCahnae
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 21, 2024
Cheney did everything but roll her eyes during this “town hall.” She looked bored, often staring off into space and randomly looking off to the side during Harris’ answers. She knew what she was hearing, and with every vapid, over-produced answer, the former congresswoman saw her prospects fade just a bit more. Whatever administration position Harris promised Cheney, the chances of it materializing are quickly diminishing.
It’s too late for Cheney, though. She chose this path, and there’s a decent chance she’ll suffer one, final humiliation in a few weeks. It couldn’t happen to a better person.
