Can she fake it to make it?

HarrisHQ's strategy: Grin and babble through it. Oh, and Trump.

Kamala Harris’ last best moment as a presidential candidate came when she was standing a few feet away from Donald Trump.

But the afterglow from her September 10th debate victory evaporated as quickly as daylight in late December.

In the subsequent two weeks since, the 2024 campaign has settled into an inconclusive fog of margin-of-error polling, indicating a stalemate that could push either way in the final 38 days. Arguably, Trump’s position in one important battleground state — Arizona — has even solidified as summer turned to fall.

Harris’ capacity to stand toe-to-toe with a petulant, obstreperous Trump gave uncommitted Americans legitimate reason to flirt with the idea of the first female commander-in-chief. Even get excited about it.

So why hasn’t she moved into a lead?

Harris has gingerly stepped up her media appearances, fielded more questions in undemanding interview settings (Oprah, local public radio, MSNBC) and delivered an economic policy speech in an attempt to allay the perception she’s an empty vessel.

The problem is no longer a dearth of interviews, it’s what she’s failing to say in them. She hasn’t closed the deal.

Instead of giving the reluctant voter a reason to hop off the fence and into her arms, Harris looks to be trying to run out the clock. Surfing on safe, hazy language. Bobbing around and over specifics. Filling the void with vacuous platitudes and circuitous nostrums.

That laugh you hear is a fig leaf for caution.

Playing it safe