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Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House
The ultimate, comprehensive investigation into the life and career of Vice President Kamala Harris from former Washington Examiner and Breitbart News political reporter Charlie Spiering.
Who is the real Kamala Harris? And how did she ascend to the second highest office in the country? Despite her limited experience in national politics and confusing professional history, there hasn’t been a comprehensive examination of Vice President Kamala Harris’s journey to the White House...until now. Find out how the San Francisco socialite turned politico fast-tracked her way onto the national stage, only to lose the faith of her base and her president.
With exclusive reporting and a detective’s eye, Charlie Spiering delivers the first-ever deep dive into Kamala Harris’s hilarious, incompetent, radical path to the vice presidency. From her tumultuous tenure as California prosecutor to the fiery interrogator in the United States Senate, then to her disastrous presidential campaign and finally, her calamitous first years in executive office, this is an unfettered look at the woman who is only one heartbeat away from leading the free world.
Who is the real Kamala Harris? And how did she ascend to the second highest office in the country? Despite her limited experience in national politics and confusing professional history, there hasn’t been a comprehensive examination of Vice President Kamala Harris’s journey to the White House...until now. Find out how the San Francisco socialite turned politico fast-tracked her way onto the national stage, only to lose the faith of her base and her president.
With exclusive reporting and a detective’s eye, Charlie Spiering delivers the first-ever deep dive into Kamala Harris’s hilarious, incompetent, radical path to the vice presidency. From her tumultuous tenure as California prosecutor to the fiery interrogator in the United States Senate, then to her disastrous presidential campaign and finally, her calamitous first years in executive office, this is an unfettered look at the woman who is only one heartbeat away from leading the free world.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2024
137 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 4, 2024
I read it so you don't have to. I take comfort that this is all they have. "Amateur Hour" is a better description of Charlie Spiering's attempts to take down Kamala Harris than it is of her qualifications and career. Amateur Hour breaks NO new ground. It appears Spiering's research was conducted by scrolling various social media feeds and then chronicling for us the various alleged scandals we already know about. Spiering's chief criticisms of Harris are:
1. She is focused on career advancement - a critique reserved for women,
2. She has a weird laugh and she laughs at inappropriate times, (...women)
3. She has no accomplishments as vice president, (...all VP's, ever)
4. She is not there for Biden when the going gets tough,
5. She is hard to work for with lots of staff turnover, (though Trump is the standard bearer here, Charlie, but whatever),
6. She sometimes struggles to find the right words leading to confusing rambles, (oh please, you don't want to compare her articulation with Trump's or Vance's, just stop),
7. She is a chameleon (tough on crime/defund the police), and
8. You get the idea......nothing to see here.....
I had this checked out from the library for several weeks as an act of civil disobedience, hopefully keeping it out of the hands of Naperville's ULTRAMAGA, although it's doubtful they know how to read or where the library is located.
1. She is focused on career advancement - a critique reserved for women,
2. She has a weird laugh and she laughs at inappropriate times, (...women)
3. She has no accomplishments as vice president, (...all VP's, ever)
4. She is not there for Biden when the going gets tough,
5. She is hard to work for with lots of staff turnover, (though Trump is the standard bearer here, Charlie, but whatever),
6. She sometimes struggles to find the right words leading to confusing rambles, (oh please, you don't want to compare her articulation with Trump's or Vance's, just stop),
7. She is a chameleon (tough on crime/defund the police), and
8. You get the idea......nothing to see here.....
I had this checked out from the library for several weeks as an act of civil disobedience, hopefully keeping it out of the hands of Naperville's ULTRAMAGA, although it's doubtful they know how to read or where the library is located.
January 28, 2024
Terrifying
Riveting read and spot on. We all knew Harris was chosen because of identity politics. Precisely why Biden can’t drop her as his running mate now. Classic catch-22. She is fundamentally and remarkably ill-prepared and ill-suited to be President.
Riveting read and spot on. We all knew Harris was chosen because of identity politics. Precisely why Biden can’t drop her as his running mate now. Classic catch-22. She is fundamentally and remarkably ill-prepared and ill-suited to be President.
February 28, 2024
This is a well-written and organized look at how Kamala Harris has done in her time in public office from State Attorney's Office to Senate to Vice President of the U.S. -- how she performed to acquire each position; how she did in office; and how she conducts herself in all aspects of her work. And in the end of all the honest and candid assessment only one title works: "Amateur Hour: Kamala Harris in the White House". Amateur indeed!! From her incoherent word salads, cackling laughter; circular answers, self promotion above all else, unpreparedness; blaming her faults on others; mistreatment of staff; and overall incompetence, this book lays out all the actual bleeps and blunders.
It is not a situation which elicits laughter or mockery (though it easily could); it is just a very, very sad situation compounded by the cognitive incompetence of the current president leaving the U.S. in a sad and frightful state!!
It is not a situation which elicits laughter or mockery (though it easily could); it is just a very, very sad situation compounded by the cognitive incompetence of the current president leaving the U.S. in a sad and frightful state!!
March 8, 2024
That Daily Show tweet got it right: The Veep reboot looks amazing! lol.
SO don’t come to this book looking for a flattering depiction of the Veep, that’s for sure. Spiering compiles Kamala’s political ride and rise from her days in a baby stroller demanding ‘fweedom,’ to her position as an ambitious DA in San Fran. He portrays her pretty much as someone always bit ahead of her skis, but ya know, it’s worked out well for her so far. As it did for Selina Meyer, come to think of it. (I’m going to have to go back and binge that!) Even listing her baffling vapid word salads doesn’t take away from that.
Not too scholarly, just basic reporting and compiling of what we’ve seen and heard. But when it’s all put together it’s a bit cringy and a lot disquieting.
SO don’t come to this book looking for a flattering depiction of the Veep, that’s for sure. Spiering compiles Kamala’s political ride and rise from her days in a baby stroller demanding ‘fweedom,’ to her position as an ambitious DA in San Fran. He portrays her pretty much as someone always bit ahead of her skis, but ya know, it’s worked out well for her so far. As it did for Selina Meyer, come to think of it. (I’m going to have to go back and binge that!) Even listing her baffling vapid word salads doesn’t take away from that.
Not too scholarly, just basic reporting and compiling of what we’ve seen and heard. But when it’s all put together it’s a bit cringy and a lot disquieting.
June 3, 2024
I loved it. A devastating account of the first DEI Vice President. Though I was aware of much of it , I love the inside baseball and seeing the details fleshed out. If you are on the fence about her , read this before the election.
January 27, 2024
In-depth book about the VEEP
Highly recommend this book to understand the real VEEP. Enjoyable book for all to understand DC at its finest. :)
Highly recommend this book to understand the real VEEP. Enjoyable book for all to understand DC at its finest. :)
July 24, 2024
The book clearly leaned to the right but was interesting
to learn more about her political background and how she got to where she is now.
to learn more about her political background and how she got to where she is now.
October 22, 2024
Lesson in Politics
I haven’t read many books like this. While I don’t agree with Ms. Harris politics, I was shocked by the climb she made together to where she is. I did not know that money and people you know are what matters. I am 67 Years old and I thought she had some integrity and cared about her constituents. She is hard nosed and only thinks about her power.
I haven’t read many books like this. While I don’t agree with Ms. Harris politics, I was shocked by the climb she made together to where she is. I did not know that money and people you know are what matters. I am 67 Years old and I thought she had some integrity and cared about her constituents. She is hard nosed and only thinks about her power.
July 20, 2024
Wouldn't usually read a book like this but it actually had a lot of good biographical information, before the end which was just a long list of Harris's mistakes and failings. I think it's insane that her memoir doesn't mention Willie Brown at all. Overall the book makes her come across as insecure, but really it seems like most/all politicians are fake and try to hide their imperfections, I do not envy them their jobs. I agree with a lot of the book but it doesn't fully communicate how cringeworthy every other video of her can be.
March 12, 2024
This is a right-wing hit piece which is fine as you should be aware of that coming into reading it.
But it’s what I don’t like about the current state of U.S. politics. Very easily and I’m sure there are books of this type written by left-wing authors/journalists about Pence or Trump. What’s the point?
Spiering’s book comes out of a fear of the idea of Kamala Harris becoming president. Does that really need 230 pages? I don’t particularly see why.
The most valuable thing to come from this book is anything that has footnotes that go to actual worthwhile pieces of journalism or reference moments/interviews that can be watched on YouTube. With that, you can dig for yourself that Harris isn’t really the most presentable person. Then again, I could say that of many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Either vote for Biden/Harris or don’t. It’s whatever at this point. Both Biden & Trump are old as hell and likely equally delusional.
Spiering’s book doesn’t hide from its slant or who its audience is. That’s fine but it doesn’t make for a good, balanced book. Frankly, I can’t take seriously a writer who picks apart every little thing about a person in 230 pages but doesn’t do enough research to properly make reference to the 1995 film “Friday” instead calling it “Freaky Friday,” which is a completely separate movie that isn’t even remotely close in its content.
But it’s what I don’t like about the current state of U.S. politics. Very easily and I’m sure there are books of this type written by left-wing authors/journalists about Pence or Trump. What’s the point?
Spiering’s book comes out of a fear of the idea of Kamala Harris becoming president. Does that really need 230 pages? I don’t particularly see why.
The most valuable thing to come from this book is anything that has footnotes that go to actual worthwhile pieces of journalism or reference moments/interviews that can be watched on YouTube. With that, you can dig for yourself that Harris isn’t really the most presentable person. Then again, I could say that of many politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Either vote for Biden/Harris or don’t. It’s whatever at this point. Both Biden & Trump are old as hell and likely equally delusional.
Spiering’s book doesn’t hide from its slant or who its audience is. That’s fine but it doesn’t make for a good, balanced book. Frankly, I can’t take seriously a writer who picks apart every little thing about a person in 230 pages but doesn’t do enough research to properly make reference to the 1995 film “Friday” instead calling it “Freaky Friday,” which is a completely separate movie that isn’t even remotely close in its content.
August 9, 2024
Skip this time waster of a book and read The New Yorker article from 2019, The New York Times articles prior to 2020, and libertarian Reason Magazine articles, among others, being mindful of the publication dates, before the nomination. If the reader has been following the news, there is nothing new or insightful here at all.
This is the second biography of Harris that I've read. She's not that interesting; I keep trying to see some glimmer of substance, ethics, and authenticity, but there isn't any. It is clear that Harris is no statesman, but an ambitious, image-conscious egomaniac (like most politicians) whose policies are determined by public opinion polls. On the one hand, she portrayed herself as a "tough-on-crime" prosecutor by highlighting her role in jailing parents whose children were habitually truant, but she released dangerous criminals in order to have high conviction rates. We don't need to rehash the Willie Brown affair. He's a California kingmaker; we get it. Newsom and others owe their careers to him. Move on.
Harris' Southeast Asian Indian grandmother was a contraception educator and Harris has positioned herself as an advocate for abortion rights, but her sister, Maya Harris, became pregnant at 16 and chose to keep the child. What's the story there? How did this influence Harris' attitudes toward abortion and the Black side of her identity, since Black and Latina girls—but not Asians— are more than twice as likely as white girls, who are almost twice as likely as Asian girls, to become pregnant before they leave adolescence. In fact, 45% of African-American adolescent females will become pregnant before the age of twenty, and among this 45%, 38% will drop out of school because of their pregnancy (National Day, 2015). Maya didn't. She went on to UC Berkeley and Stanford Law. Maya Harris served Hillary Rodham Clinton and is Kamala's most trusted advisor.
Not mentioned in the book, but significantly, Maya is married to Tony West, the chief legal officer of Uber, a company criticized for its labor practices and its role in normalizing employment without health benefits, for increasing traffic congestion in cities—over 8%!—AND bankrupting legal immigrants and others who paid $100,000+ for taxi medallions. (Prior to the advent of Uber, any taxi driver who was not in possession of a legal medallion was considered a gypsy cab and in violation of the laws.) [See "Meet Maya Harris". This contradiction raises questions about the consistency of Harris's stance on issues of social justice and labor rights. Does no one realize that West's involvement with California companies criticized for unethical practices under Harris' watch adds another problematic layer to Harris's public image?
This connection, which should be widely known, is omitted in the biography, leaving the reader to wonder why such a significant detail was not given more attention.
The biography also touches on Harris’s controversial approach to leadership, suggesting that she often relied on polling rather than principle to guide her decisions. This was particularly evident during her time as Vice President when she was criticized for her absence during critical moments of the Biden administration, when her role was supposed to have been supportive of whatever error Biden made. She has a distinct tendency to distance herself from controversy, which undermines the image of a decisive and steadfast leader.
The newsreader will find nothing new here. One glaring omission in the biography is the lack of discussion on Harris's clear plagiarism of a story told by Martin Luther King Jr.
Harris: “My mother tells the story about how I’m fussing, and she’s like, ‘Baby, what do you want? What do you need?’ And I just looked at her and I said, ‘Fweedom,’” Harris told the magazine.
King recalled a moment he witnessed between a young black girl and a white police officer.
“I will never forget a moment in Birmingham when a White policeman accosted a little Negro girl, seven or eight years old, who was walking in a demonstration with her mother,” King told the magazine.
“‘What do you want?’ the policeman asked her gruffly, and the little girl looked at him straight in the eye and answered, ‘Fee-dom,'” he continued.
Egads. Did she think no one would catch this? The omission of this from the biography is indicative of a fast writing job, sloppy and with insufficient research, which will be clear to well-informed readers.
In comparison to articles from The New Yorker, which provide far more insightful and informative analyses of Harris’s career and personal life, this biography falls short. The narrative is fragmented, and the author’s attempts to explore Harris’s character often feel like cheap shots rather than genuine critiques. The book struggles to present a coherent and balanced portrayal, instead leaving the reader cold.
Ultimately, this biography does little to enhance our understanding of Kamala Harris. It highlights contradictions and controversies and her idiotic word salads* without providing the context or analysis needed to fully grasp their implications. Readers interested in a more nuanced and comprehensive examination of Harris’s life and career would be better served by turning to other sources, such as in-depth articles and investigative journalism published prior to her nomination that delve deeper into the complexities of her public and private personas.
_______________
*"So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that's wrong."
“The significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time.”
"The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea. And it is an alliance that is strong and enduring."
Her favorite: "What can be, unburdened by what has been."
This is the second biography of Harris that I've read. She's not that interesting; I keep trying to see some glimmer of substance, ethics, and authenticity, but there isn't any. It is clear that Harris is no statesman, but an ambitious, image-conscious egomaniac (like most politicians) whose policies are determined by public opinion polls. On the one hand, she portrayed herself as a "tough-on-crime" prosecutor by highlighting her role in jailing parents whose children were habitually truant, but she released dangerous criminals in order to have high conviction rates. We don't need to rehash the Willie Brown affair. He's a California kingmaker; we get it. Newsom and others owe their careers to him. Move on.
Harris' Southeast Asian Indian grandmother was a contraception educator and Harris has positioned herself as an advocate for abortion rights, but her sister, Maya Harris, became pregnant at 16 and chose to keep the child. What's the story there? How did this influence Harris' attitudes toward abortion and the Black side of her identity, since Black and Latina girls—but not Asians— are more than twice as likely as white girls, who are almost twice as likely as Asian girls, to become pregnant before they leave adolescence. In fact, 45% of African-American adolescent females will become pregnant before the age of twenty, and among this 45%, 38% will drop out of school because of their pregnancy (National Day, 2015). Maya didn't. She went on to UC Berkeley and Stanford Law. Maya Harris served Hillary Rodham Clinton and is Kamala's most trusted advisor.
Not mentioned in the book, but significantly, Maya is married to Tony West, the chief legal officer of Uber, a company criticized for its labor practices and its role in normalizing employment without health benefits, for increasing traffic congestion in cities—over 8%!—AND bankrupting legal immigrants and others who paid $100,000+ for taxi medallions. (Prior to the advent of Uber, any taxi driver who was not in possession of a legal medallion was considered a gypsy cab and in violation of the laws.) [See "Meet Maya Harris". This contradiction raises questions about the consistency of Harris's stance on issues of social justice and labor rights. Does no one realize that West's involvement with California companies criticized for unethical practices under Harris' watch adds another problematic layer to Harris's public image?
This connection, which should be widely known, is omitted in the biography, leaving the reader to wonder why such a significant detail was not given more attention.
The biography also touches on Harris’s controversial approach to leadership, suggesting that she often relied on polling rather than principle to guide her decisions. This was particularly evident during her time as Vice President when she was criticized for her absence during critical moments of the Biden administration, when her role was supposed to have been supportive of whatever error Biden made. She has a distinct tendency to distance herself from controversy, which undermines the image of a decisive and steadfast leader.
The newsreader will find nothing new here. One glaring omission in the biography is the lack of discussion on Harris's clear plagiarism of a story told by Martin Luther King Jr.
Harris: “My mother tells the story about how I’m fussing, and she’s like, ‘Baby, what do you want? What do you need?’ And I just looked at her and I said, ‘Fweedom,’” Harris told the magazine.
King recalled a moment he witnessed between a young black girl and a white police officer.
“I will never forget a moment in Birmingham when a White policeman accosted a little Negro girl, seven or eight years old, who was walking in a demonstration with her mother,” King told the magazine.
“‘What do you want?’ the policeman asked her gruffly, and the little girl looked at him straight in the eye and answered, ‘Fee-dom,'” he continued.
Egads. Did she think no one would catch this? The omission of this from the biography is indicative of a fast writing job, sloppy and with insufficient research, which will be clear to well-informed readers.
In comparison to articles from The New Yorker, which provide far more insightful and informative analyses of Harris’s career and personal life, this biography falls short. The narrative is fragmented, and the author’s attempts to explore Harris’s character often feel like cheap shots rather than genuine critiques. The book struggles to present a coherent and balanced portrayal, instead leaving the reader cold.
Ultimately, this biography does little to enhance our understanding of Kamala Harris. It highlights contradictions and controversies and her idiotic word salads* without providing the context or analysis needed to fully grasp their implications. Readers interested in a more nuanced and comprehensive examination of Harris’s life and career would be better served by turning to other sources, such as in-depth articles and investigative journalism published prior to her nomination that delve deeper into the complexities of her public and private personas.
_______________
*"So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that's wrong."
“The significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time.”
"The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea. And it is an alliance that is strong and enduring."
Her favorite: "What can be, unburdened by what has been."
December 30, 2024
Pretty formulaic for this type of genre, a partisan biography, but it starts out OK with sources for all its claims, and this was the part I got the most out of, as it concerns Harris "beginning" if you will, upbringing, education and positions in California, which I only had passing knowledge about beforehand.
Then it becomes more...opinionated, the sources are still there, but the tone is different.
This book is fast becoming obsolete, as its written and published before the palace coup that saw Biden replaced with Harris, so I if ever was to read it was now or never.
My biggest beef is that it bogs down into pretty much listing episode after episodes of gaffes, bad communication and other nonsense, while its unnerving to read, it doesn't make for an especially good read.
So, perhaps I should have listened to the reviewer who recommended The New Yorker article for basically the same content.
2.5* really, just OK.
Then it becomes more...opinionated, the sources are still there, but the tone is different.
This book is fast becoming obsolete, as its written and published before the palace coup that saw Biden replaced with Harris, so I if ever was to read it was now or never.
My biggest beef is that it bogs down into pretty much listing episode after episodes of gaffes, bad communication and other nonsense, while its unnerving to read, it doesn't make for an especially good read.
So, perhaps I should have listened to the reviewer who recommended The New Yorker article for basically the same content.
2.5* really, just OK.
February 11, 2024
I finished this one in two days. It documents Kamala’s political career from the beginning using published news sources and personal accounts. If you watch her you can see she makes no sense at all and the quotes are all in the book so you can reread and attempt to decipher her confused statements. Somehow she got the very wealthy in California to support her and trash her rivals and she’s still successful running on that. And if you don’t support her you’re just a racist and a sexist. She need not lead or achieve anything. And people are afraid to hold her accountable for anything. Interesting title Amateur Hour, could have also been Politics Greatest Conartist or Hot Mess in Power.
March 15, 2025
Harris is the best example for an incompetent and inept presidential candidate
Author Charlie Spiering, an experienced journalist at the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News, gives an investigative report of Kamala Harris's rise in politics, from her time as a California prosecutor to her role as Vice President, and 2024 presidential campaign. Her ascent was rapid and highly problematic, because of her inexperience, incompetence, and focus on personal advancement. She will go down in the history of presidential campaigns for her incoherent communication and nonsensical statements. During her trip to Guatemala, Harris sat down for an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, stated that she never visited the US-Mexico border as a Border Czar and asked if she had plans to do so. She replied ''At some point, you know, we are going to the border”' Harris said, fumbling for the right words. "You haven't been to the border;' Holt noted again, Harris responded, with a laugh, saying, “I haven't been to Europe.” "And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making.” Harris was shockingly unprepared for a question that Republicans and reporters had been asking her for months. What alarmed her staffers was that she had recently received comprehensive media training including a prepared answer in case she was asked why she had not visited the border. The "border czar" also treated border enforcement agents like garbage. Four days later on ABC network’s “The View,” Harris expanded her thoughts, comparing the border agents to slave owners, and them treating undocumented immigrants as slaves. Governor Abbott of Texas used the occasion to send more busloads of migrants to Harris's home in Washington, DC, reminding everyone how she was failing as a border czar. At one stage she said the immigration issue is the responsibility of the United States Congress.
Harris prioritized her identity as a black woman over her Indian heritage, and none of her ancestors faced the horrors of slavery or racist codes of the civil rights era like many ancestors of African American politicians. She was difficult to work with, having high staff turnover rates, and relying on polling rather than political and economic principles to guide her through. She was artificial on stage, never willing to engage or risk her brand, and constantly playing defense. Her speeches lacked conviction and spiraled into word salads.
This book looks back as how Harris began as the district attorney of San Francsico and moved into local San Francisco politics and high society after dating much older California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. She positioned herself carefully as a politician in California, threading her social connections, her personal biography, and law enforcement record to rise quickly in state politics until she became a United States senator and ultimately vice president of the United States. She went on to spend over one billion dollars during her failed 2024 presidential campaign. Her own internal poll suggested that Donald Trump was far ahead of her in many “swing” states.
Author Charlie Spiering, an experienced journalist at the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News, gives an investigative report of Kamala Harris's rise in politics, from her time as a California prosecutor to her role as Vice President, and 2024 presidential campaign. Her ascent was rapid and highly problematic, because of her inexperience, incompetence, and focus on personal advancement. She will go down in the history of presidential campaigns for her incoherent communication and nonsensical statements. During her trip to Guatemala, Harris sat down for an interview with NBC's Lester Holt, stated that she never visited the US-Mexico border as a Border Czar and asked if she had plans to do so. She replied ''At some point, you know, we are going to the border”' Harris said, fumbling for the right words. "You haven't been to the border;' Holt noted again, Harris responded, with a laugh, saying, “I haven't been to Europe.” "And I mean, I don't understand the point that you're making.” Harris was shockingly unprepared for a question that Republicans and reporters had been asking her for months. What alarmed her staffers was that she had recently received comprehensive media training including a prepared answer in case she was asked why she had not visited the border. The "border czar" also treated border enforcement agents like garbage. Four days later on ABC network’s “The View,” Harris expanded her thoughts, comparing the border agents to slave owners, and them treating undocumented immigrants as slaves. Governor Abbott of Texas used the occasion to send more busloads of migrants to Harris's home in Washington, DC, reminding everyone how she was failing as a border czar. At one stage she said the immigration issue is the responsibility of the United States Congress.
Harris prioritized her identity as a black woman over her Indian heritage, and none of her ancestors faced the horrors of slavery or racist codes of the civil rights era like many ancestors of African American politicians. She was difficult to work with, having high staff turnover rates, and relying on polling rather than political and economic principles to guide her through. She was artificial on stage, never willing to engage or risk her brand, and constantly playing defense. Her speeches lacked conviction and spiraled into word salads.
This book looks back as how Harris began as the district attorney of San Francsico and moved into local San Francisco politics and high society after dating much older California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. She positioned herself carefully as a politician in California, threading her social connections, her personal biography, and law enforcement record to rise quickly in state politics until she became a United States senator and ultimately vice president of the United States. She went on to spend over one billion dollars during her failed 2024 presidential campaign. Her own internal poll suggested that Donald Trump was far ahead of her in many “swing” states.
September 16, 2024
Will the real Kamala Harris please stand up? It has been less than two months since her campaign for president was launched on July 21, 2024. We should have a good idea of who she is since she has been in the White House as our current VP for 3-1/2 years. In that time she has launched three separate versions of herself: 1) "True Partner" to President Biden. 2) Breaking Free Kamala -- promoting the successes of her boss to the people of the US. 3) Partisan warrior -- ready to attack the opposing party on issues like gun control, abortion, voting rights, and racial justice.
I would argue that yet another version of Kamala was on the debate stage last week. This new reiteration was wearing a moderate mask and seemed so polished and prepared. Most certainly a contrast to the Kamala who campaigned for the presidency far left of center and failed to receive even a single vote as she dropped out of the race before the first 2020 caucus in Iowa.
If you are as confused as I have been, this book will also be helpful to you. Charlie Spiering begins with her childhood in the educational elite neighborhoods of Berkley (not middle class, folks) and follows her political career from California prosecutor and girlfriend of Willie Brown to her time as the VP in the current administration.
I know many of my GR friends are looking forward to voting for Kamala in November and I am happy for you. Even before reading this book I could have told you that I am not with her. Since January of 2021 she has attempted to solve some of the problematic issues in our country. Here is a list from Charlie Spiering on the areas to which she has been assigned or took on voluntarily: immigration, "disinformation," abortion rights, broadband access, black maternal mortality, racial inequality, women in the work force, infrastructure, voting rights, artificial intelligence, and the Space Council. I do not see results.
This book was published months before the switcharoo from Biden to Harris as 2024 candidate. If a chapter could have been added to address this change I think might have assigned an additional star. One final point: Kamala Harris has had just one media interview in the past two months. That interview was with a "friendly" network (CNN). Still Harris insisted on a taped interview and that her VP candidate Tim Walz be in the room with her. Knowing this makes me wonder how she will be able to handle meetings with other world leaders like Putin were she to be elected as our next president.
I would argue that yet another version of Kamala was on the debate stage last week. This new reiteration was wearing a moderate mask and seemed so polished and prepared. Most certainly a contrast to the Kamala who campaigned for the presidency far left of center and failed to receive even a single vote as she dropped out of the race before the first 2020 caucus in Iowa.
If you are as confused as I have been, this book will also be helpful to you. Charlie Spiering begins with her childhood in the educational elite neighborhoods of Berkley (not middle class, folks) and follows her political career from California prosecutor and girlfriend of Willie Brown to her time as the VP in the current administration.
I know many of my GR friends are looking forward to voting for Kamala in November and I am happy for you. Even before reading this book I could have told you that I am not with her. Since January of 2021 she has attempted to solve some of the problematic issues in our country. Here is a list from Charlie Spiering on the areas to which she has been assigned or took on voluntarily: immigration, "disinformation," abortion rights, broadband access, black maternal mortality, racial inequality, women in the work force, infrastructure, voting rights, artificial intelligence, and the Space Council. I do not see results.
This book was published months before the switcharoo from Biden to Harris as 2024 candidate. If a chapter could have been added to address this change I think might have assigned an additional star. One final point: Kamala Harris has had just one media interview in the past two months. That interview was with a "friendly" network (CNN). Still Harris insisted on a taped interview and that her VP candidate Tim Walz be in the room with her. Knowing this makes me wonder how she will be able to handle meetings with other world leaders like Putin were she to be elected as our next president.
December 13, 2024
Phew. Dodged a bullet with this one. I smiled at the “I’ll be the bitch holding the Bible,” anecdote.
Here are some of my favorite quotes.
Identity Politics
“As her national political career blossomed, however, Harris largely abandoned her Indian heritage in favor of her identity as a black woman in America.”
Jamaican Heritage
“Imagine the horror Donald Harris felt when his daughter finally spoke about her Jamaican heritage as part of a joke to prove she was a not only a user but supporter of legalized marijuana. ‘Half my family’s from Jamaica—are you kidding me?’ She laughed during an interview on The Breakfast Club radio show when asked during her presidential campaign if she smoked marijuana or supported making it legal. Her father was furious. ‘My dear departed grandmothers (whose extraordinary legacy I described in a recent essay on this website), as well as my deceased parents, must be turning in their grave right now to see their family’s name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected, in any way, jokingly or not with the fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker and in the pursuit of identity politics,’ he wrote. ‘Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty.’”
“I’ll be the Bitch Holding the Bible.”
“Brown’s wife knew her estranged husband, as the mayor recounted in his autobiography. When asked by a friend about rumors that Brown would marry Harris, he recalled that Blanche replied, ‘Listen, she may have him at the moment but come inauguration day and he’s up there on the platform being sworn in, I’ll be the bitch holding the Bible.’ It was true.”
Willie Brown
“Harris loathes the idea that she relied on Brown to launch her political career and does not mention him once in her 2019 political memoir.”
“Brown has only teased details of his romance with Harris over the years. “It was a real love affair,” he said in an interview with KCBS Radio in February 2019. ‘I loved me and she loved me.’”
“Brown indicated Harris seemingly threatened him after she won her race for district attorney. ‘Harris is the only one who, after I helped her, sent word that I would be indicted if I ‘so much as jaywalked’ while she was D.A.,’ he wrote. ‘That’s politics for ya.’”
Here are some of my favorite quotes.
Identity Politics
“As her national political career blossomed, however, Harris largely abandoned her Indian heritage in favor of her identity as a black woman in America.”
Jamaican Heritage
“Imagine the horror Donald Harris felt when his daughter finally spoke about her Jamaican heritage as part of a joke to prove she was a not only a user but supporter of legalized marijuana. ‘Half my family’s from Jamaica—are you kidding me?’ She laughed during an interview on The Breakfast Club radio show when asked during her presidential campaign if she smoked marijuana or supported making it legal. Her father was furious. ‘My dear departed grandmothers (whose extraordinary legacy I described in a recent essay on this website), as well as my deceased parents, must be turning in their grave right now to see their family’s name, reputation and proud Jamaican identity being connected, in any way, jokingly or not with the fraudulent stereotype of a pot-smoking joy seeker and in the pursuit of identity politics,’ he wrote. ‘Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty.’”
“I’ll be the Bitch Holding the Bible.”
“Brown’s wife knew her estranged husband, as the mayor recounted in his autobiography. When asked by a friend about rumors that Brown would marry Harris, he recalled that Blanche replied, ‘Listen, she may have him at the moment but come inauguration day and he’s up there on the platform being sworn in, I’ll be the bitch holding the Bible.’ It was true.”
Willie Brown
“Harris loathes the idea that she relied on Brown to launch her political career and does not mention him once in her 2019 political memoir.”
“Brown has only teased details of his romance with Harris over the years. “It was a real love affair,” he said in an interview with KCBS Radio in February 2019. ‘I loved me and she loved me.’”
“Brown indicated Harris seemingly threatened him after she won her race for district attorney. ‘Harris is the only one who, after I helped her, sent word that I would be indicted if I ‘so much as jaywalked’ while she was D.A.,’ he wrote. ‘That’s politics for ya.’”
September 13, 2024
Overtly anti-Harris and even anti-Democrat, this book attempts a Kamala takedown. I have to wonder.... Compared to even just the average Trump examination I have read, as muckraking this is rather weak tea. I do get the impression from here and other places that she has not successfully translated her prosecutor's elocution and confidence from the California courtroom to the Capitol chambers. The result is someone a bit media shy with a history of gaffes and "word salad" (as called here) that can be dissected.
This author seems the Harris history supporting gay rights, marijuana decriminalization, abortion access, and a stance against capital punishment as negatives.
It also makes a big deal about Harris dating Willie Brown for like a year some decades ago,.
Yawn.... Nothing sensational here.
This author seems the Harris history supporting gay rights, marijuana decriminalization, abortion access, and a stance against capital punishment as negatives.
It also makes a big deal about Harris dating Willie Brown for like a year some decades ago,.
Yawn.... Nothing sensational here.
July 28, 2024
Factual but dull
If you're looking for a one-stop-shopping compendium of media accounts outlining the political history and footprint of this exceptionally obnoxious politician, this is your book. The book is quite factual and to the same degree, on the dull side. It's worth reading as it collects in one convenient place most of the publicly available reasons to detest this grating, pretentious and mendacious race baiter. Her rise is solid evidence of the depths to which our country has sunk.
If you're looking for a one-stop-shopping compendium of media accounts outlining the political history and footprint of this exceptionally obnoxious politician, this is your book. The book is quite factual and to the same degree, on the dull side. It's worth reading as it collects in one convenient place most of the publicly available reasons to detest this grating, pretentious and mendacious race baiter. Her rise is solid evidence of the depths to which our country has sunk.
August 17, 2024
I knew most of what was covered in this book. The compilation was very good.
Her career history is unremarkable and she’s been promoted not by accomplishments but by identity. What is alarming is her sudden ascendance from most unliked VP to best candidate for President & a sudden rise in polls. Not unlike Biden’s sudden fall from office (no pun intended). We are being manipulated and will be harmed by our laziness in choosing to be uninvolved & uninformed voters; irrespective of Party affiliation.
Her career history is unremarkable and she’s been promoted not by accomplishments but by identity. What is alarming is her sudden ascendance from most unliked VP to best candidate for President & a sudden rise in polls. Not unlike Biden’s sudden fall from office (no pun intended). We are being manipulated and will be harmed by our laziness in choosing to be uninvolved & uninformed voters; irrespective of Party affiliation.
June 6, 2024
Well written account of our less than bright Vice President. Should send a shudder down the spine of any decent, intelligent American. She is a complete laughingstock and an embarrassment to the United States and watching Joe Biden sink deeper and deeper into oblivion and knowing she is next in line is absolutely terrifying not only for the United States but the world. The only good way to describe her is a line from the 1970s comedy “All in the Family”….Dingbat!
February 13, 2024
A frightening tale of what happens when the second highest office in the land is filled by an affirmative action agenda, as Joe Biden made perfectly clear in his selection of Kamala Harris.
Whether you voted for Joe Biden or not, you should read this book to find out more about the woman who is one (weak) heartbeat away from the presidency.
Whether you voted for Joe Biden or not, you should read this book to find out more about the woman who is one (weak) heartbeat away from the presidency.
May 1, 2024
Like Kamala——choppy and way too long
The history of and the prospects for Kamala Harris’s political career can be summed up succinctly—-she’s over her head and there’s nothing she can do to change the perception. That was told over and over and over again in the book. Would be a great OpEd but not a book.
The history of and the prospects for Kamala Harris’s political career can be summed up succinctly—-she’s over her head and there’s nothing she can do to change the perception. That was told over and over and over again in the book. Would be a great OpEd but not a book.
February 5, 2024
Kamala Harris is one BIG Hot mess. She is very incompetent as a VP. And she is very unpopular. Liberals need to stop putting unqualified people in office just for aesthetics. It's time to have qualified people in office.
September 1, 2024
Slightly outdated already, but that’s to be expected with the topic. If you love Harris, you will hate this book. If you’re open-minded, you may learn a lot. If you already see Harris for who she is, very little in this book will surprise you.
September 7, 2024
Charlie Spiering can barely contain the bias he obviously holds while writing this book. Most of what he says is true, albeit favorably curated. He appears to lose steam towards the end of the book relying on tired writing and uninspired commentary.
September 29, 2024
An interesting book with comprehensive factual information about Harris, her career, and selection as VP. The author takes a lot of the information from Harris’s memoir. The bias is very right, so it is important to understand that.
February 26, 2024
interesting take
This book was well researched and an interesting take on our vice president Kamala Harris. There are some insights that may or may not be true.
This book was well researched and an interesting take on our vice president Kamala Harris. There are some insights that may or may not be true.
August 4, 2024
More authors and news media need to tell the truth the same way it was told in this book. Kamala is not the answer.
August 21, 2024
Good easy read, unfortunately very depressing. I grew up believing I could do anything, it didn't matter on my sex or skin color. Hard work & commitment is all it takes.
August 28, 2024
Amateur Hot
Interesting behind the scenes information on our vice President. Not going to vote for her that is for sure. Highly recommend reading this book.
Interesting behind the scenes information on our vice President. Not going to vote for her that is for sure. Highly recommend reading this book.
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