Kamala Harris took the stage smiling.
It was day 204 of the tour celebrating her memoir 107 Days, named for the length of her 2024 presidential run.
Only one minute after she strode on stage in Columbia, S.C., the former vice president broke into her signature laugh. During her first words to moderator Kardea Brown, the host of Food Network’s Delicious Miss Brown (highlighting Gullah-inspired Southern recipes), Kamala happily exclaimed, “I watch your show all the time!”
Brown started by commenting on all the scrutiny around her book, asking Harris why she wrote her memoir now. After noting the historicity of the election (a sitting president standing down, a Veep stepping up with just over three months to go against a former president), Kamala said the process was so “opaque” that “I believe we need to be more transparent.”She added, “I wasn’t about to let history tell the story without my voice being present.”
Soft Questions and Red Meat for the Crowd
During her one-hour talk, Harris warmed up the crowd with the style of encouragement that made me think of Drew Barrymore calling her “Momala.” Early in the night she urged listeners to not “ever allow other people’s limited ability to understand be your limitation.” Later she attacked President Donald Trump on practically every policy, to the delight of the crowd.
Even though this was a book tour, that first question was the last question specifically about the book. But the event was a gathering of friends (who paid from $43 to $99 for tickets), so tough questions were not on the program. Harris fielded softballs like:
- During those 107 days, when did you feel like yourself? “There was no time to meditate and be with yourself. My meditation was the work.”
- When will someone get up and give us some hope? (This was as close as the moderator got to asking if she was going to run in 2028.) “I believe each of us have light inside of us. It’s in moments of darkness, we have to let that light shine.”
- What lessons did your mom teach you? “Serve. It’s not about you.”
- When you’re feeling overwhelmed, what’s your favorite thing to cook? Harris gave us her recipe for roast chicken. She lets hers dry brine in the refrigerator for a day, after being coated with grated lemon, and rosemary and thyme from her garden.
As the author and a foodie I must interject: Roast chicken is the first dish many cooks learn to make, and one of the basics in a cook’s repertoire. I’ve got Ina Garten’s recipe memorized.
Harris let loose when she started talking about President Trump. At the first mention of the “sitting president,” boos erupted from the audience, egging her on. After Brown asked, “President Trump said he would be a president of peace — what happened?” Harris burst out with, “He’s a liar,” to raucous applause. “This has been a corrupt, callous, incompetent administration.” She railed against the SAVE Act, Trump’s foreign policy (“he has made America unreliable”), and the cuts to USAID.
Who Was There?
The Township Auditorium in Columbia, S.C., has 3,000 seats. It looked to be about 80% full – there were sections in the second balcony that were completely open. The crowd demographics surprised me. More young (twenties, early thirties) white women were there than I imagined would attend. I was also surprised by the number of men there. It looked like men made up 15% of the crowd. I thought it would be a night among the ladies.
I’ll never again believe that racism was a reason that Harris didn’t do well. The audience for this event must have been 60% black, 40% white.
The Atmosphere
When I got to the event in Columbia, S.C., prior to doors opening at 6 p.m., I joined a line stretching around the corner of the Township Auditorium. We panted in the 89-degree heat, chatting with each other while watching two t-shirt vendors do big business in Kamala gear. Most of the women were well dressed in skirts, dresses, or slacks. Some wore their old campaign buttons. I saw one that had a comma mark followed by “la.” Took me a minute to figure out.
I wanted to go early so I could talk to people attending. Two ladies seated behind me in the first balcony had gone early to the pre-talk meet and greet, where they got pictures and Harris signed their copies of 107 Days. They said there were at least 100 people at the signing. “It was surreal,” said one, and her friend added, “Kamala was so personable.”
Is She Running?
Is Harris running for another shot at the top job? My colleagues Robert Spencer and Stephen Green have been reporting on the speculation lately. One thing is for certain: she’s running against Trump – not against anyone who may be actually in the race. Just as Obama ran against the unpopular policies of George W. Bush in 2008, Harris is running against Trump. He’s the all-purpose boogeyman on the left. Don’t underestimate the resentment he stokes on that side of the aisle; it is real. She’s running against that, from now until she decides she’s not running, or is forced out of the 2028 race.
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