A campaign stop by Vice President Kamala Harris in Mississippi underscored the Democratic Partys ongoing struggle to energize voters beyond its progressive base.
According to the New York Post, Harris addressed a less-than-packed high school gym in Columbus, Miss., where her attempt at an inspirational message quickly turned awkward. You know, I mentor a lot of young people, and I talk to them sometimes and part of the advice I give them is, you know, never let someone else with limited ability to see your capacity be a limitation on your ambition, she told the crowd gathered to support Democratic Senate hopeful Scott Colom.
The line, clearly intended as a rousing applause moment, landed with a thud, drawing almost no response from the audience. Visibly taken aback, Harris tried again, slowly repeating, Let me repeat that: Never let anybody elses, somebody elses limited ability to see your capacity to be a limitation on your ambition, which finally produced a modest reaction.
Harris then attempted to build on the theme, insisting, Thats their limitation. Thats not our limitation. Thats their limitation, before drifting into what critics have long derided as her familiar rhetorical word salad. She added, We are not limited in our ambition and desire and ability to see what is possible and what can be, a line that underscored the lofty but often vague messaging that has dogged her national profile.
Colom, a state district attorney challenging Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the upcoming midterm elections, acknowledged that bringing Harris to Mississippi raised concerns even among Democrats. Why would you do that? Colom said he was asked, before recounting his own response: You know what I told them, Why not?
Online, the event drew even sharper criticism, with users seizing on what they described as a contrived speaking style tailored to the deep South audience. Kamala Harris just unveiled a new accent at a rally in Mississippi, read a post from End Wokeness on X. This might be the worst one yet.
The post featured a clip of Harris repeatedly shouting, Mississippi matters and We got 12 days, in reference to the looming election, a performance that many conservatives saw as pandering rather than persuasive. Holy cringe its like nails on a chalkboard, talk show host Chris Ripa remarked on X, adding, And whats with the new accent.
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