As the 20th century writer and strategist James Burnham put it, “Where there is no alternative, there is no problem.”
How did Kamala Harris become so good at this?
How does a sub-par vice president get transformed nearly instantaneously into a joyful performer who can do no wrong?
It’s easy.
As the 20th century writer and strategist James Burnham put it, “Where there is no alternative, there is no problem”: Since there was no alternative to pumping up Harris to star status (or the only alternative would be to sub out Joe Biden for a barely replacement-level politician), she’s now inspirational, hip and beguilingly moderate.
In other words, Kamala has reversed the usual dynamic for being considered a JFK- or Obama-level political talent: She is great because she’s the Democratic nominee; she’s not the Democratic nominee because she’s great.
If Joe Biden had done the responsible thing and stepped aside last year, there presumably would have been a contested nomination battle.
Kamala would have been the favorite and perhaps would have won the nomination.
But she would have had to fight for it — doing town halls and interviews, participating in debates, defending her record, dealing with media scrutiny, and winning the support of real voters.
Securing a nomination is a major accomplishment, and there’s usually a moment when even the weakest nominee looks like he might have something going on.
