Kamala’s DNC team is saying the quiet part loud

From the moment Kamala Harris ascended to the status of 2024’s bringer of joy, the vice president has navigated a world where the media has been overwhelmingly positive about her presence at the top of the ticket. But if there’s one thing we know about the media, they dislike being ignored. It’s a sign of disrespect, you see — we helped Joe Biden off the slow ramp, we praise you to high heaven as and the deal is you sit down for an interview — quid pro quo, Kamala!

Obviously, the Harris-Walz ticket hasn’t done this — and it’s starting to get under the media’s skin. In Chicago, some members of the press are already raising the issue as a dodge, especially in the wake of her failed launch of a series of economic policy reporters receiving criticism even from friendly outlets like the Washington Post. Rather than defend these proposals herself to any serious degree, Harris has just claimed that her plan will “pay for itself” — a response that satisfies no one serious.

What is remarkable about this is that the Harris campaign, including its surrogates, don’t seem to care about how blatant this disregard is, for any policy beyond talking points and any interaction with the press beyond scripted events. This morning on ABC News Live, Democrat Kaivan Shroff said the quiet part out loud:

Vice President Harris has been incredibly brave to roll out an ambitious economic agenda… The more details you share, the more your policies are going to get picked apart. But she’s saying, I trust the American people, I trust the journalists, to explain these policies and our values to folks. And I think when that happens, it will be successful for Democrats.

Well, it’s a strategy. Democrats are counting on their allies in the media to be loyal soldiers for them, selling a mystery box product to the American people in a sprint to the finish. A few members may grouse about the lack of access or seriousness, but that won’t amount to much. The risk for Kamala is if the American people wake up in time to notice. The Trump-Vance team will have to shake them awake, and that will take more than calling this ticket communist — even if it is.