The news that Maya Rudolph will reprise her role as Kamala Harris in “Saturday Night Live” this fall has reignited discussions about the show’s political satire and its willingness to mock both sides of the political spectrum equally. In the past, “SNL” had a reputation for poking fun at politicians from both parties, but some argue that since Obama took office, it has become more one-sided in its approach.
This change in tone is particularly evident when comparing how the show treats Republican and Democratic candidates. For example, while Trump’s mannerisms and speech are often parodied on “SNL,” Harris’ word salads and cackle receive less attention. Additionally, it seems that only one candidate – Trump – will be made to look like a buffoon in the coming months, as “SNL” has abandoned its old approach of both-sides satire.
This shift is disappointing, but it also reflects how Kamala Harris’ nascent campaign has been treated by the media and cultural institutions alike. The Democratic Party appears to be attempting to rewrite Harris’ history, from her far-left policy stances to her role heading up the border. In doing so, they are creating a “Kamala character” that the nation can envision in the Oval Office.
The media is allowing the Democratic Party to shape the narrative around Harris and her campaign without scrutiny or questioning. For instance, Politico recently ran a story about her stance on fracking, which she explicitly said – on camera in 2019 – that she wants to ban. However, the headline was changed after criticism, removing mention of Trump’s accusations but keeping it in the story text.
Similarly, there have been numerous stories and clips from 2021 suggesting that Harris was in charge of the border, yet the media continues to insist she wasn’t. This narrative-shaping has extended to New York Magazine’s cover proclaiming “Kamalot,” with a picture of a laughing Harris on top of a coconut, while Gen Z Tiktok users refer to her as “brat” and share memes about her.
Mainstream publications like the New York Times and the New Yorker have covered Kamala Harris’ “vibe shift,” focusing more on her personality than her policy stances. These features are ridiculous when compared to the lack of substantial reporting about her political positions. For example, while Harris has backed scrapping ICE and was a Green New Deal sponsor, she is now ranked as the “most liberal” member of the Senate by GovTrack. However, this labeling seems to have been memory-holed since GovTrack changed their methodology recently, retracting the label and saying rankings using data from a single year were not sufficient for creating a reliable portrait of the activity of legislators.
This lack of critical reporting on Kamala Harris’ policy positions is concerning, as it allows her to avoid scrutiny and continue presenting herself as a serious candidate with little substance. In addition to this media coverage, Trump is also allowing this narrative-shaping by focusing more on personal attacks rather than substantive critiques of Harris’ political stances.
Ultimately, if the Trump campaign continues to focus on personal attacks and avoid addressing the true nature of Kamala Harris’ policy positions, they may lose the opportunity to expose the nonsense being pushed by her campaign and those supporting it.
