A Vibe Shift for Kamala Harris

Playbook: “For the first time in years, Harris seems to be having a genuine moment — fueled by speculation that she, not Biden, would be the more competitive nominee.”

“The vibe shift solidified over the course of several hours yesterday — from when former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) called on Biden to “rip the band aid off” and hand the baton to his VP, to the release of a CNN poll that showed Harris outperforming Biden in a head-to-head with Donald Trump, to a parade of pundits online and off recognizing that maybe their wishcasting about certain ambitious governors had actually been misplaced.”

“What’s clear is that the strange new respect developed without any nudge from Harris herself, who at every turn since Thursday’s debate has defended Biden and batted away questions about a bow-out.”

“While Biden has been slow to reach out to key Democratic allies, he has spoken multiple times with Harris since the debate, we’re told. Later today, in a true to-be-a-fly-on-that-wall moment, they will sit down for lunch together at the White House.”