Joan Walsh looks back on Kamala Harris's first campaign. Should you use up one of your five Nation clicks on it?
There are many reasons I haven't written about the San Francisco magazine profile I did of California Senator Kamala Harris, back in 2003 when she was running for San Francisco district attorney, her first elected office, against incumbent progressive Terence Hallinan, whom the headline writers cast in the role of "Beast" because of his pugnacious style. I haven't written about it, even though it was her first big magazine profile, and it's not online; I have it all to myself.
Most of the reasons I've set it aside have to do with the way the story embarrasses me, not at all her, 16 years later.
It starts with that headline ["Beauty and the Beast"], which I didn't write, but which still makes me shudder. It continues with my describing her, early on, as "black-eyed, raven-haired, latte-skinned." I made much of her stylish clothes. Yikes. I apologize, to her and to all women everywhere. I also called her "smart and strategic, ribald and flirty," and that's probably not politically correct either, but I kind of stand by it.
( Kamala Swag here by NOT Not Wonkette.)
Yes, pretty much any time I get few hundred comments in
I wouldn't even say that's close to true. I think among the staff, it's a pretty mixed bag, and certainly among the non-commenters, there is a pretty wide support across all candidates.