How Kamala Harris's Campaign Unraveled

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

How Kamala Harris’s Campaign Unraveled

Ms. Harris is the only 2020 Democrat who has fallen hard out of the top tier of candidates. She has proved to be an uneven campaigner who changes her message and tactics to little effect and has a staff torn into factions.

By Jonathan Martin, Astead W. Herndon and Alexander Burns
Nov. 29, 2019
Updated 8:20 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — In early November, a few days after Senator Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign announced widespread layoffs and an intensified focus on Iowa, her senior aides gathered for a staff meeting at their Baltimore headquarters and pelted the campaign manager, Juan Rodriguez, with questions.

What exactly was Ms. Harris’s new strategy? How much money and manpower could they put into Iowa? What would their presence be like in other early voting states?

Mr. Rodriguez offered general, tentative answers that didn’t satisfy the room, according to two campaign officials directly familiar with the conversation. Some Harris aides sitting at the table could barely suppress their fury about what they saw as the undoing of a once-promising campaign. Their feelings were reflected days later by Kelly Mehlenbacher, the state operations director, in a blistering resignation letter obtained by The Times.

“This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly,” Ms. Mehlenbacher wrote, assailing Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Harris’s sister, Maya, the campaign chairwoman, for laying off aides with no notice. “With less than 90 days until Iowa we still do not have a real plan to win.”

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/us/politics/kamala-harris-2020.html

[calimary]

1. That's a damn shame.

I was driving home through the BEAUTIFUL Columbia Gorge on the day she announced. I was listening to her speech. I felt so proud and uplifted that I got choked up.

[demmiblue]

2. I just finished reading the article.

I am saddened by this... she is one of my favorite candidates.

Here is the letter:

[BeckyDem]

3. wow

Terrible is an understatement.

[LakeArenal]

4. Have never supported her since Franken.

Lots of us remember that day very well.

[SharonClark]

6. Yeah, I remember when Franken resigned instead of fighting back.

Not a good look.

[judeling]

7. Franken took one for the Team

it was an important moment that could have played out much different even with exactly the same result.

[LakeArenal]

8. All conjecture. We will never know. Sadly.

[question everything]

14. There was nothing he could do abou it. They won

It was drip drip drip, each day a new anonymous "allegation." He had to respond, he could no longer be effective.

[LakeArenal]

15. I disagree. He should have had due process.

Anyway, like I said, we will never know.

[question everything]

11. That, too. Also Warren

[LakeArenal]

13. And Booker. Sanders.

[StarfishSaver]

5. One way her campaign "unraveled": media narratives about her campaign "unraveling"

[msongs]

9. evidently she does not have the attributes primary voters care about in Iowa and SC nt

[question everything]

10. Wow!

I think that she thought she could follow the Obama script but, really, only Obama could do it.

[Kahuna7]

12. Bingo! People were calling her the female Obama. Maybe she

fell for it. I don't know. Obama has a charisma that is unequaled by anyone presently on the political stage. For me, Obama has a cool, calming demeanor that can lull you into submission.

My advice to all the candidates is to not listen to the Beltway chattering classes. If you do, you will go the way of Ironstache. Meaning, you will believe the hype that will not come into fruition.

[LeftInTX]

17. Kamala has delivery issues

She could have used some practice in that area. She comes across as edgy on the debate state at times.

However a big problem is her sister is her campaign chairwoman.

I really wanted her to succeed. I think underneath it all, she has what it takes. But when she rolls her eyes or does things like that it really takes away from the message. I like Castro's delivery, but he's polling in the negative....but if you could put Castro's delivery style with Kamala's message etc, you could have a winning candidate.

[Polybius]

16. She's a poll away from not being included in the next debate

I wonder how long she stays in.

[Kaleva]

19. She qualified for the December debate in early November

"Kamala Harris qualifies for December primary debate"

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/03/kamala-harris-december-primary-debate-064630

[Polybius]

21. Wow, so they put poll qualifications out there that far in advance?

Suppose someone is polling 4% in early November, and is now polling 1%? So they would still make it. It might be time to up the qualifications a little.

[Kaleva]

22. The qualifications have been tightened.

As of Nov. 24, only 6 candidates have qualified for the December debate. Amy Klobucher is the latest. Yang, Gabbard, and Steyer are close and have till the 12th to qualify.

[madville]

20. She's 4th in her own state of CA

If they prefer three other candidates over her then the rest of the country isn’t going to be very enthused either.