Word Salad Wednesday: Let the Spirit Spirit Us to Greater Good Spirits

Today’s deep question: Would Comedy Central’s Daily Show run this skit now? Color me … skeptical. In fact, I wonder whether it will remain up past today. 

Initially, a friend of mine passed this along as a potential update to either my post earlier this afternoon, or to Duane’s comprehensive takedown of Kamala Harris’ interview performance this morning. Indeed, it would have worked well with either, and you may want to read both first. This skit speaks to a larger issue about media bias and corrupt narratives, though, that stand alone. 

First off, both Duane and I highlight this part of Harris’ vacuous responses, in which she repeated the word “holistically” almost as a talisman to avoid specifics:

For example, some of the work is going to be through what we do in terms of giving benefits and assistance to state and local governments around transit dollars, and looking holistically at the connection between that and housing, and looking holistically at the incentives we in the federal government can create for local and state governments to actually engage in planning in a holistic manner that includes prioritizing affordable housing for working people. 

Harris’ “holistic” word salad reminded my friend of this Daily Show clip from May 22. The skit revolves around a satirical Harris ‘holistic thought advisor’ named Dahlia Rose Hibiscus. The Daily Show used it to hilariously skewer Harris’ vacuity and nonsensical word salads … then:

Note well how the Daily Show anticipated Harris’ use of “holistic” as a rhetorical crutch. Also. listen to the laughter of the live audience in the background. In mid-May, everyone was in on the joke — everyone. “Speaking without thinking” was so much of a hallmark of Kamala Harris’ persona that even Left-leaning comedians targeted it, and to great comic effect. 

In May. When Harris was the running mate, not the nominee. And even more specifically, Comedy Central produced and aired this skit when Harris was a running mate that had Democrats and progressives arguing whether Joe Biden should dump her from the ticket, rather than the other way around. 

In May, when everyone knew why the White House had kept Harris from media engagement for almost three years. 

After the presidential debate on June 27, and especially after Biden’s withdrawal on July 21, the narratives all abruptly changed. No longer did Harris demonstrate “speaking without thinking” — the media narrative changed to “Joy!” It’s almost as if Dahlia Rose Hibiscus sent out an urgent telegram to the Journolist demanding a new “holistic” appreciation for word salads. And that narrative leads directly to Ruhle’s declaration on another comedy show, Bill Maher’s Real Time, that Harris’ inability to answer questions should be no impediment to voters in this election cycle. 

And ever since July 21, the media has walked in lockstep to enforce the Narrative of Joy, and to scold anyone who thinks that Harris is anything less than an inscrutable genius

With that in mind, let’s take bets on how long this skit stays live on YouTube. I wonder if it will even still be accessible when this post goes live. 

Addendum: You know what to do about it. And if you use 2024, you get half off, too.  

Addendum II: Dahlia Rose Hibiscus has been busy on the Journolist hotline already, reports Curtis Houck at Newsbusters:

MSNBC’s ethically challenged 11th Hour host Stephanie Ruhle scored a softball-filled interview Wednesday with Vice President Kamala Harris and, despite even Ruhle admitting Harris didn’t really answer her questions, the “Big Three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC rushed to celebrate Harris “drilling down on her vision” and “detailing plans” they hope will lead to voters trusting her more on the economy.

While the interview aired on NBC’s sister network MSNBC, ABC had to use Good Morning America to fawn over their Dear Leader. 

Good Lord. Even Ruhle admitted that she didn’t get details or answers from Harris. 

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