Kamala Chameleon’s Girl From the Hood Gambit
Kamala Harris’s path to the White House is a textbook example of how a carefully crafted false narrative can be weaponized to win hearts, votes, and ultimately, power. Let’s take a hard look behind her air-brushed “poor black kid from the Oakland hood” story.
During the 2020 Democratic primaries, Harris didn’t just spar with Joe Biden — she went straight for the jugular with a well-rehearsed line about busing that was designed to resonate deeply with voters. She invoked an emotional image of a poor little black girl who was bused to school as part of a desegregation effort. “That little girl was me,” Kamala declared, the crowd went wild, and for at least one shining moment, Joe Biden was vanquished. (READ MORE: Despite the Harris Candidacy, I’m Actually Optimistic)
Truth be told, however, Harris wasn’t some dirt poor kid from the hood who took a freedom ride to overcome impossible odds. She grew up in a privileged, middle-class Berkeley, California home — yes, that Berkeley — a city better known for the radical left-wing politics Harris has embraced than for being a hotbed of racial tension.
Kamala Harris Cast Herself as a Victim of Systemic Racism. She’s Not.
To advance her career, Kamala Harris developed a “daughter of Oakland” persona to distance herself from the People’s Republic of Berkeley and thereby develop a richer black narrative.
Yes, Kamala was born in Oakland. But that’s it. The only thing she ever did related to Oakland other than be born there was to put young black men from Oakland behind bars for selling nickel bags of marijuana across the bay in San Francisco where she served as district attorney.
And consider this further shading of the truth: While Harris bashed Biden for opposing federal busing, Berkeley’s busing program was a local government initiative that faced no resistance — quite unlike the firestorms unleashed by bussing in places like Boston or Detroit. (READ MORE: Mediaite Plays the Race Card Over Trump Rally)
Harris was simply bussed from one integrated Berkely school to another that may have had a slightly better academic record and even that’s unclear. Yet Harris’ rendition of events was cynically designed to cast herself as a victim of systemic racism, even though her own experiences weren’t at all harrowing.
This Is a Matter of Public Trust
Why do Harris’ multiple deceptions matter? When politicians exaggerate or selectively highlight certain aspects of their life stories, it becomes a matter of public trust. Harris has built her career on a carefully crafted image that rings hollow with the reality of her middle-class and privileged upbringing. Indeed, the duality in Kamala Harris’ narrative — embracing one part of her background while distancing herself from another — raises serious questions about Harris’s authenticity
Harris has even taken to talking “Black English” now when it’s politically convenient. It’s called “code-switching” in the parlance; and it involves altering one’s language, dialect, or speaking style to resonate with a particular audience. As Joe Biden might say, “C’mon man.” (READ MORE: Trump and the Kennedys for Tax Cuts, Kamala Not)
In the end, Kamala Harris’s story is a masterclass in political image management, but it should make voters ask: “Who is the real Kamala Harris?” If she’s willing to stretch the truth about her own life, what else might she be willing to do?
We already know at least two answers to that: Kamala Harris will hide from the press, and Harris will flipflop on every position that voters disagree with her on simply to get elected.
Of course, if the past is prologue and Harris wins the White House, she will do exactly what she wants. Is anyone frightened by that? You damn well should be.
Peter Navarro is a former White House advisor. His latest book is The New MAGA Deal: The Unofficial Deplorables Guide to Donald Trump’s 2024 Platform.
The post Kamala Chameleon’s Girl From the Hood Gambit appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.