Tonight the joint interview with VP Harris and Gov. Walz will air. Last night, as my husband and I were settling into sleep, I relayed that Meghan McCain, princess of Arizona, said the “image of the possible first woman president being incapable of giving an interview alone without the presence of a man to help her” was “damaging.” Sure, Meghan. https://www.rawstory.com/meghan-mccain-harris-walz-interview/
But then something crazy happened! My husband said she had a point! He said voters like Meghan are exactly who Kamala needs to reach (wrong!) and if she can’t sit down for an interview alone like all the candidates do (wrong!) then, that’s a problem (wrong!). He added, of course he’s going to vote for her, he’s just speaking for voters like …Meghan McCain…I guess.
This whole conversation made me so dang mad. While my husband and I were bickering, a line from Michele Obama’s DNC speech kept thundering in my head. “Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment!” Why that line and why did this conversation upset me so much?
Okay here’s why: First, why does Megan McCain interpret a joint interview to mean that Harris is incapable of giving an interview alone without the presence of a man to help her. Isn’t it more likely that this is just a normal choice in keeping with the post-convention tradition of joint interviews? Again, see https://www.rawstory.com/meghan-mccain-harris-walz-interview/ Or how about this: what if the joint interview is help Walz, a county fair corn dog, who’s largely unknown outside of Minnesota and who has never given a national interview. (Ed. Note: Walz is not a “county fair corn dog” or maybe he is but in the most complimentary way!)
For Meghan to view what is essentially a programming announcement (Hey, joint interview coming your way, tune in) as evidence of Harris’ weakness seemed to telegraph that Harris can do nothing right in her eyes. Meghan just doesn’t like her. https://ew.com/meghan-mccain-slams-kamala-harris-woman-cannot-be-vice-president-8424619 Fine. Kamala doesn’t need to reach highly partisan republican voters like Meghan. They have consumed a steady diet of “dumocrats are evil” for 14 years and are unreachable right now.
But my husband is a democrat, not a highly partisan republican voter. Why did he agree with GOP talking points and help erect some new and novel hurdle for Harris? Partly because this election is so consequential that we’re all super stressed out, but mostly I think it’s good old internalized, sub-conscious misogyny. He thought she was using Walz as a security blanket. Walz is a good political communicator but SO IS SHE! Did you see the rally speeches!? Did you see the DNC?! Why are we stuck on the clumsy thing she said on a panel that one time? Have you heard Trump? Biden? Vance? W? None of these jabronis can stick an interview and we just keep it moving. But with Kamala, it feels like anything less than perfection will be met with a bunch of “I never warmed to her” or, “see, I didn’t think she was ready.” Perfection will be met with the next test; “yeah, but the debate, tho!?”
We all treat a woman seeking power as unnatural. We scrutinize her until we can finally disqualify her. Let’s not do this to Kamala and let’s create a forceful wind at her back so its harder for others to do this to her. Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment!
In addition to shouting that Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment, Michelle Obama also told us what to do when this predictable negativity came her way, our way: do something! Do something to keep pushing Harris through the headwinds of misogyny that we have all internalized. Even my darling husband. If I’m being honest, even me.
My Do Something is: 1) Dripping this drop of a blog post into the ocean of the internet; 2) Donating weekly to Harris Walz; and 3) Volunteering with VoteSaveAmerica. What’s yours?
PS: I’m writing this a few hours before the interview airs, but I saw a promotional thumbnail. My first thought: Kamala looks tired. Say hello to my internalized misogyny. But I know Kamala Harris is more than ready for this moment and I am willing to do something!