John Hendrickson writes:

Vice President Kamala Harris seemed to have one goal at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, yesterday: Prove she’s ready to square up to Donald Trump. Harris said Trump’s name 15 times in fewer than 20 minutes, and you could hear the disdain in her voice each time.

“As Trump bows down to dictators, he makes America weak,” she told the crowd. She scoffed that Trump has “embraced” Russian President Vladimir Putin. She warned of Trump’s own authoritarian aims, such as targeting his political enemies, rounding up peaceful protesters, and, in her words, terminating the U.S. Constitution. This race, she said, is “the most existential, consequential, and important election of our lifetime.”

For now, of course, the monumental task of defeating Trump still belongs to President Joe Biden. But in the two weeks since Biden’s disastrous debate against Trump, calls for him to step aside haven’t subsided. Should Biden choose to leave the race in the coming days, Harris is currently his most obvious replacement. The Biden campaign is reportedly polling how she’d fare against Trump in November. Others are, too. A new ABC/Ipsos poll shows Harris beating Trump by three points in a general-election matchup. And so, after three aimless years as vice president, Harris seems to be discreetly making her pitch to be at the top of the ticket.

In Greensboro, her messaging appeared to work. The crowd was far more lively, attentive, and engaged than the one that came out for Biden last week in Madison, Wisconsin. Whereas the Biden-Harris campaign has lately felt funereal, yesterday afternoon was festive. A booming drum line and dance team warmed up the crowd, and a live DJ cycled through Michael Jackson songs and R&B classics.

Harris is still figuring out her political personality, and she isn’t magnetic onstage; she may never have the political “rock star” qualities of former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Throughout her speech, though, she appeared far more cogent and capable than her GOP opponent—or her running mate. [Continue reading…]