A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away — 2024 to be precise — the Democratic Party bypassed the most fundamental notions of democracy to install Kamala Harris as its presidential candidate before attempting to force her upon the electorate. Unsurprisingly, the electorate responded with a resounding “no,” thanks at least in part to the sheer level of disingenuous cringe that surrounded her, much like a green fog surrounds a cartoon skunk.
Most public figures with even the smallest scrap of shame would have accepted this defeat and gracefully retreated into obscurity. But, as we are seeing, this doesn’t include Harris, who is bizarrely attempting to relaunch herself as the savior of the Democratic Party in 2028. She faces the same problem of overwhelming cringe, however, with the latest laughable example being her attempt to leverage the youth.
“Madam Vice President, what’s going on with Kamala HQ?” the grinning Harris is asked, before delivering a definitely-not-scripted announcement of a “new Gen-Z led progressive content hub”:
“Well, I’m so glad you asked. I have good news! So, Kamala HQ is turning into Headquarters, and it’s where you can go online to get basically the latest of what’s going on, and also meet and revisit with some of our great courageous leaders, be they elected leaders, community leaders, civic leaders, faith leaders, young leaders. I’m really excited about it. So stay engaged, and I’ll see you out there. Thank you.”
Honestly, this is the best example of Steve Buscemi’s “How do you do, fellow kids?” meme I’ve ever seen.
The problem at the center of this is twofold. First, it’s yet another example of the unbelievable pandering that politicians engage in every single time they’re looking to garner support from a certain category of person. They’ll suddenly scarf down collard greens, or change their accent, or randomly play “Despacito” onstage, all because they think we can be so cheaply bought. Sometimes, unfortunately, they’re right. And this video from Harris is yet another example. And at this point, she might as well dance the Macarena and host a debate over which member of NSYNC is the most fetch.
But the second problem cuts to the heart of just how out of touch politicians such as Harris have become. Gen Z roughly includes those born between 1997 and 2012, meaning that, as of 2026, they range from mid-teens to mid-20s, growing up in a fully online world made worse by the fact that many of their formative years were spent under government-imposed lockdown, during which their social education was diluted through Zoom. Thanks to this level of online literacy, for all their faults, Gen Z is a better judge of authenticity than any other generation and can smell performative and manipulative nonsense from a mile away. This video is patronizing to its core and is precisely the reason so many young people despise politicians and politics.
KAMALA HARRIS REMINDS EVERYONE SHE IS AN INAUTHENTIC POLITICAL ROBOT
In a cynical world, we might want Harris to keep this up, as bad news for the Democrats is good news for conservatives. But in a world where we want our political discourse to improve and for the younger generations to become politically engaged, treating them like shallow and foolish children is bad for all of us.
After all, it’s hard to be Gen Z-led when your leader is not Gen Z, not a millennial, and not even Gen X, but a 60-year-old cackling maniac boomer with a great skincare routine, wardrobe, and dentist who probably still uses AOL Messenger.
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on X (@ighaworth)or Substack.