CHRIS CRUCIAL: The dumbest GOP spin on the Kamala Harris interview

PLUS: Why the Rust Belt is (still) the key

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1. The Interview

I haven’t thought very much about Kristi Noem lately. (RIP, Cricket.)

But, this afternoon I came across a quote from the South Dakota Governor about tonight’s CNN interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz that caused me to immediately roll my eyes.

Here it is:

Looking at this from a woman’s perspective, it’s just so disappointing. We have a woman who wants to be the leader of the free world and she can’t get through an interview without being propped up by a man….I hope that everybody recognizes that Tim is there to prop her up and if it gets awkward or she’s starts giggling or looking crazy that he’s going to interrupt and take over.

Noem is far from alone in using this talking point. Fox News has been banging the drum on it since the interview was announced earlier this week. Here’s how the network described the dual interview in a “news” story:

However, the news that Harris’ first interview would be alongside Walz, and with a sympathetic host and network, was seen as an admission that the vice president, infamous for her word salads, is “incapable” of doing an extended media appearance on her own.

Look. I have been as critical of Harris as anyone about her decision to dodge media interviews. (And many of you have made clear your unhappiness with my criticism of her!)

But, to me, the Noem prebuttal of the Harris interview is utterly dumb. For a few reasons.

First, there’s a long history of presidential nominees and their VP picks sitting down for a joint interview — as my friend S.E. Cupp noted on X Wednesday night:

Yes, that usually happens right after the VP pick is made. And, yes, Harris should have done this interview sooner. But it’s not like we have never seen a presidential and a VP nominee doing a joint interview. It happens all the time. It’s more the rule than the exception, in truth.

Second, the idea pushed by Noem that if Harris falters then Walz will step in is patently preposterous. Can you imagine if Harris was talking and Walz interrupted and said something like “I think what Kamala is trying to say is…”??? The blowback — even and maybe especially among Democrats — would be immediate and harsh. Harris would never allow it. Walz would never do it. It’s just not going to happen.

And third, the idea that Noem and other conservative critics are making about the joint interview seems to presume that CNN’s Dana Bash is going to ask 50% of her questions to Harris and 50% to Walz. No way! My guess is that Dana will ask Harris 90% of the questions and Walz 10%. Or something close to that split. And there’s no way that Dana is going to let Walz give Harris a breather or a timeout while she is trying to answer a tough question. Again, not going to happen.

Now. Is there some marginal benefit to Harris that Walz will be there? Sure. She’s likely to be slightly more at ease, for one.

But, the notion that he is going to “prop her up” or save her from bad answers or get half of the questions directed at him is just nonsensical. It’s not how politics or political journalism works.

This interview — whether Walz is there or not — is about Harris. How does she explain her policy flip-flops? How much or little does she talk about where she differs from Joe Biden on issues? Is she confrontational with Dana? Conciliatory? Defensive? At ease?

These are the things that will determine how the interview went — and whether it matters at all to how voters are thinking about her and the campaign. Not whether Tim Walz was sitting next to her.

Dumb.

2. The Rust Belt matters bigly

I always say that the best way to decipher where a campaign believes the race for president will be decided is to look at where they are sending their candidate in the final months of the race.

The candidate’s time is the most valuable thing that a campaign possesses. And that time is, by the nature of, uh, time, limited. So deciding where to deploy a candidate for even a day matters hugely.

Which brings me to a new Washington Post breakdown of where the four candidates (Kamala Harris/Tim Walz and Donald Trump/JD Vance) have been since July 15.

Here’s the Democratic travel map:

And here’s the Republican map:

Notice anything? There are a WHOLE lot of dots in both maps in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. (Trump is actually in Michigan and Wisconsin today.)

Which tells you everything you need to know about where, when rubber meets road, the two campaigns believe the race will be decided.

Yes, North Carolina emerging as a true toss-up state matters. Ditto Harris’ competitiveness in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

But, ultimately, the campaigns see the Rust Belt as where the presidency will be won or lost. Which, for what it’s worth, is the same story as the 2016 and the 2020 presidential races.

Where does the race stand in those three states? According to the Washington Post polling averages, Harris has an edge in all three. She leads Trump by less than a point in Michigan and has slightly larger margins of 2 in Pennsylvania and 3 in Wisconsin.

3. $600 million for the Senate

Remember yesterday when, in my Senate rankings piece, I told you that these races are absolutely critical to the direction the country takes over the next four years?

This chart — via Ad Impact — proves that point:

Over $600 MILLION in TV ad time has been reserved for Senate races around the country. That’s more than ad reservations for House races ($458 million) and the presidential race ($401 million).

That HUGE outlay of money on Senate races speaks to just how critical control of the majority is for the next president and his or her agenda. Donors don’t give to things that don’t matter.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.” — A statement from Arlington National Cemetery on the actions of Donald Trump’s campaign during a visit there earlier this week

ONE GOOD CHART

How many presidents have been alive at any one time since 1789? This video/chart tells you. So cool.

SONG OF THE DAY

No one in music has a more unique — or more haunting — voice than Nick Cave. Cave will be out with a new album (“Wild God”) tomorrow but you can hear a preview of it today! This is “Long Dark Night.”

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