Kamala Harris’ latest media blitz has reignited a firestorm within the Democratic Party, and it’s not hard to see why. Her newly released book, 107 Days, dropped more than six months after her electoral defeat, and instead of uniting her party, it’s tearing open old wounds, as Politico reports. For conservatives watching this unfold, it’s a masterclass in progressive self-sabotage.
Harris’ book and recent interviews on shows like ABC’s The View” and on MSNBC have sparked fierce debate among Democrats about their past losses and the return of a certain Republican to the White House.
Let’s rewind to Harris’s infamous October 2024 appearance on The View, which she herself called “symbolic of the issue.” She admitted to struggling to separate her image from President Biden, saying she didn’t want to seem critical. Well, that loyalty might be noble, but it’s also a glaring misstep in a party desperate for fresh faces.
Fast forward to this week, with Harris hitting the airwaves on Tuesday, across ABC’s Good Morning America and The View, plus MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show the day before. Her excuse for the loss? “We just didn’t have enough time,” she claimed on The View, as if 107 days weren’t enough to make a case against a well-known opponent.
Then there’s her book itself, 107 Days, in which she doesn’t hold back on Biden, calling his decision to run again “reckless” on Good Morning America. She wrote that the stakes were “simply too high” for it to be a personal choice. Coming from someone who praises Biden as “highly capable” in the same breath, this feels like a convenient rewrite of history.
Harris also stirred controversy by revealing why she passed on former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate, citing the risk of a ticket with “a Black woman married to a Jewish man” and a gay man. She clarified on MSNBC that it “wasn’t about any prejudice,” just caution due to a tight timeline. But Buttigieg’s “surprising” reaction suggests not everyone buys her reasoning.
Democrats are not amused, with strategist Michael Hardaway lamenting that “this book seems to be unhelpful and divisive.” When your own party thinks you’re undermining the fight against a Republican administration, that’s a problem. For conservatives, it’s almost amusing to watch the left eat its own over a memoir.
Public opinion isn’t helping Harris either, as polling shows her favorability has tanked since October 2024. Some in her party worry she’s starting to look like a “sore loser,” as one former campaign staffer put it. That’s a label no politician wants, especially when eyeing a comeback.
Speaking of comebacks, Harris dodged questions about future ambitions, saying, “I’m not focused on that right now.” Yet a source from her inner circle hinted to Politico that this book isn’t her political swan song. It’s hard to take her coyness seriously when the breadcrumbs are already laid out.
Critics within her party aren’t mincing words, with an adviser to a potential 2028 contender calling the book a “gossip” piece prioritizing “pettiness.” When even your allies think you’re missing the mark on leadership, it’s a wake-up call. Or it should be, if progressive egos weren’t so inflated.
David Axelrod, a veteran Democratic Party adviser, questioned the book’s purpose, asking if it was a “campaign launch” or just “catharsis.” He dryly noted that as a launch, it “didn’t get off the pad.” That’s a polite way of saying Harris might have grounded herself with this move.
The parallels to Hillary Clinton’s 2017 book tour are striking, with one top donor back then telling Politico that she should “just zip it.” History seems to repeat itself as Democrats fret over yet another backward-looking memoir. Meanwhile, President Biden’s upcoming White House memoir looms, promising more of the same navel-gazing.
Some Democrats, like strategist Mike Nellis, defend Harris for “speak[ing] her truth,” even if it’s “uncomfortable for people.” But when that truth alienates your base, it’s less about honesty and more about poor timing. Conservatives can only hope this infighting keeps the left distracted.
Ultimately, Harris’ media tour and 107 Days have painted a picture of a party at odds with itself, unable to move past old grievances. For those of us who value a strong, unified opposition to progressive overreach, this is a silver lining.
Let’s see if Democrats can stop writing memoirs long enough to mount a real challenge.
