Since Joe Biden bowed out of the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris has been thrust into the limelight. She went from hiding in the background to presumptive nominee to, just today, winning enough delegates in a special virtual roll call to secure the party's nomination. She's younger and checks all the DEI boxes, and the party seems satisfied - but that might not be enough firepower to get across the finish line with the general electorate. With a reputation of being a difficult person to work for, Harris lacks a solid group of close aides to help navigate the tricky public persona waters that have been closeted since 2021 – mostly because of the constant floodwaters of abandoning staffers.
Does Harris have a distinct leadership style utilizing F-bombs and drill sergeant tactics to run an efficient tight ship? Or is she an underprepared prima donna who demands respect that has yet to be earned and probably cannot be faked on a debate stage?
A recent report from watchdog group Open the Books found that Harris had an overall 92% staff turnover. A quick sift through public government payroll records reveals Harris can be viewed as a revolving door boss and perhaps a human resources nightmare.
Poor Behavior or Tough Boss Lady?
Perhaps Harris found herself ill-prepared for the job of vice president, but her lack of compassion as an employer has been noted for years.
Nevada County (California) Planning Commissioner Terry McAteer was asked and answered in a 2019 interview about how his son was treated as an intern while she was the state's attorney general. McAteer didn't hold back and let the cat out of the bag:
"Senator Harris vocally throws around 'F-bombs' and other profanity constantly in her berating of staff and others. The staff is in complete fear of her, and she uses her profanity throughout the day. As Attorney General, Senator Harris instructed her entire staff to stand every morning as she entered the office and say, 'Good morning, General' and to never address Harris or look her in the eye as that privilege was only allowed to senior staff members."
"It's clear that you're not working with somebody willing to do the prep and the work," claimed a now-former staffer when speaking with a major DC media outlet in 2021. The employee also complained that the newly minted VP played the redirection ploy of "constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence." He called her a bully.
Even the heavily left-leaning publication The Atlantic couldn't help but condemn the Harris chaos apparent in her first two years on the VP job: "In her first year and a half as vice president, Harris saw the departure of her chief of staff, communications director, domestic-policy adviser, national security adviser, and other aides," the magazine wrote.
"Working for Harris is a nightmare, not just because she rides her staff hard, but also because she does so without the competence, decisiveness, and effectiveness that inspires people in politics to suffer under demanding bosses," wrote Dan McLaughlin for The National Review.
It has been widely reported she won't read white papers and rarely practices her speeches – which can turn into word salad disasters on all fronts. She berates her people for her failures and now lacks a close and trusted coterie to assist her in reaching the highest office in the land.
What is Harris' problem?
Level of Confidence
It could be that her vocal demands for respect are due to a lack of confidence, sometimes diagnosed as the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which people mistakenly believe they are smarter and more capable on a topic than those around them. For example, chatter around the dinner table may have one pontificating on a subject on which they have little expertise — and everyone else realizes the blowhard believes what he or she is saying. As Charles Darwin wrote in The Descent of Man, "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
Dunning and Kruger suggest that this phenomenon stems from what they refer to as a "dual burden." People are not only incompetent; their incompetence robs them of the insight to realize just how inept they are.
Another sign that Harris may be in over her head is her laugh: a harsh giggle-guffaw combination that comes out at the most inappropriate times. Liberty Nation News' Leesa K. Donner penned a thought-provoking piece on the phenomena, concluding:
"Uncontrollable and inappropriate laughter is not among the many leadership qualities Americans look for in a president. Thus, [Harris’] choices are to limit it as best as possible, cut it out entirely, or continue to defend it. So far, she's chosen the last of these, but many Americans aren't buying it and remain disturbed by her odd reaction to situations that simply aren't funny."
One might recall Harris showing up at Air Force Two loaded down with cookies she had specially made that featured an image of her face embedded in the icing. How insecure does one have to be to pull a stunt like that? To make that colossal misstep worse, Kamala giggled and said, "I thought you'd like to eat my face." That's not weird at all.
Double Digit Days
Can wary Democrats win with Harris when there are so few days left? Closest advisers have skedaddled, Harris has ignored Hillary Clinton's border lessons, and even the most sought-after public relations queen of DC, Kiki McLean, apparently has done Kamala no good. It's difficult to undo years of abusing public servants with just days to spare. Will prep and good excuses override the inability to keep a loyal and competent staff to get one to the Oval Office? The White House Human Resources Department might want to staff up and ready itself to salute the commander-in-chief — just in case.
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