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C’mon, Madame Vice President.
If you believe the betting markets, the race for the White House is Kamala Harris’ to lose. Her campaign is starting to play it safe. In a lot of ways, that makes sense. Run the clock out when you have a lead and don’t make mistakes.
But the presidency is not a football game. As I wrote after the first — and apparently only — debate between Harris and Donald Trump, Harris needs to step up and deal with the challenges that come with the office. In that setting, she ducked hard questions about the performance of the Biden Administration.
Now, she’s missing an opportunity to display magnanimity, humor, and grace as this nation’s would-be president.
One of the more fun traditions in presidential campaigns is the Al Smith dinner. Hosted by the Archbishop of New York for the last 80 years, it has become a treasured ritual. Opponents take to the podium and make fun of themselves, each other, and circumstances.
It has offered some great scenes over the years. In 2008, John McCain — running against Barack Obama — noted that he believed some of the New York Democrats in the room were secretly pulling for him. He went on to thank Hillary Clinton for being there.
Vice President Harris has decided to skip the dinner this year. Since 1960, the only other major candidate to skip out on it was Walter Mondale.
Mondale went on to lose 49 states in one of the most lopsided elections in the nation’s history. It seems nigh-impossible for Harris to lose in similar fashion, but ducking the dinner is absolutely a miss on the vice president’s part.
The increase in partisanship and polarization is a serious challenge for the country. It is being stoked by everything from social media, to opinion news outlets, to foreign actors hellbent on seeing the United States in a weakened state so they can wreak havoc across the world.
Events like the Al Smith Dinner are an opportunity for would-be elected leaders to model the way forward for the nation. Political opponents are not mortal enemies. John McCain did not want Barack Obama to be the president. He refused to wish the Illinois senator luck, but he was happy to wish him well.
Donald Trump struggles with magnanimity. He often resorts to retorts and sharp quips. But his shortcomings do not justify Harris’ bailing on a longstanding political tradition that raises funds for charity.
One of the greatest attributes of Americans are our charitable leanings. We run laps around other developed countries in terms of both financial support and volunteerism. Elected officials do well when they encourage others to do the same.
We’re just over a month away from Election Day. The presidential contest will undoubtedly be a close one. Harris is the favorite, but favorites can lose.
Hiding from hard debate questions and skipping traditions is a good way to keep your head down and avoid negative headlines. Yet, while the presidential campaign is not a game, analogies can still work.
In football, the saying is that the prevent defense — focusing on not giving up a big play — only prevents you from winning.
Vice President Harris is the odds-on favorite to take the White House. She likely won’t have another opportunity to debate Donald Trump. But hiding from a longstanding American political tradition — the Al Smith Dinner — focused on helping a charity is the political equivalent of the prevent defense.
Walter Mondale was prevented from winning the White House in historic fashion after missing the dinner. It isn’t too late for Kamala Harris to reconsider.
