The extraordinary makeover of Kamala Harris

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- At a time when a current president decides not to run for re-election and a past president is shot, what could possibly be an even more remarkable event? Certainly, the transformation and makeover of Vice President Kamala Harris from, at best, a second-rate politician finding difficulty in speaking plain English to Superwoman status -- a distinction even in these extraordinary times. Wow!

How could this have happened? How could someone who was widely accused of being an inferior vice president and an extreme left wing progressive now have reversed the highly negative perceptions and bad press to become the darling of the media? Was this blind luck? Was it shrewd planning by the Democrats? Or are there other answers?

Many people are not familiar with Harris' background. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and twice as California attorney general, in 2010 and 2014. She joined the Senate in 2017 and took office as vice president to President Joe Biden in 2021. Democrats assert this experience and background makes Harris an ideal candidate for president.

Critics of Harris see her as an extreme progressive who supported radical programs, including the "Green New Deal," defunding the police and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and Medicare for all. The Hill recently reported Harris was the second most extreme liberal Democrat to serve in the Senate. But since winning the nomination, Harris has reversed course of these and other policies, moving to the center with such alacrity that would induce whiplash in most ordinary people.

Regardless of the reasons for her embracing positions she once vigorously opposed, in the days since Biden stepped down as a candidate, Harris has run an immaculate campaign. So far, not only has she not made a misstep, she has put former president Donald Trump on his back foot, as polls show a much tighter race in which Trump is behind in several key battleground states.

Remarkable does not adequately describe this political reversal of fortune. In large part and surprisingly, the depth of despair Democrats held for Biden's chances of winning was underestimated. The sense of intense relief of him stepping down led to raising over $300 million and 100,000 volunteers in the first few days. And so Harris' characteristics, such a cackling laugh and excessive use of body language to substitute for verbal failings, became assets.

Harris is a very attractive campaigner. Her frequent smiles turned out to project a very positive attitude in these difficult times, especially when contrasted with Trump's glower. While she has been assailed by Republicans for refusing to answer questions, those charges have not hit home yet.

Perhaps that Harris is 59 years old, very energetic and enthusiastic is a refreshing contrast with Biden. She also has been good in using the teleprompter to pass on her sound bites and zingers, which have been well received by supporters. And the huge turnout at her rallies indicates the depth of support she has received in a very short period of time.

People have speculated over her choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for vice president. My guess is Harris felt very comfortable and congenial with Walz. Further, unlike Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Walz has no aspirations for the presidency and thus would be a very loyal vice president.

Democrats have attacked Walz as another extreme progressive and have used his 24 years service in the Minnesota National Guard to "Swiftboat" him as exaggerating his rank and lying about wartime service. Frankly, many people see Walz as grandfatherly and even Santa Claus -like. That alone will deflect these allegations.

Teamed with Walz, Harris has picked a partner whose good nature reinforces the positive nature of her campaign. It is still early days. And with the Democratic National Convention less than a week away, Harris' momentum will probably grow. But after Labor Day, the honeymoon will be over.

Some argue it is Trump's election to lose. In his initial reactions to Harris' candidacy, Trump has stumbled badly. His vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, likewise has subjected himself to foot-in-mouth political disease. If Trump does not make a major course change, Harris must be seen as the favorite.

The Financial Times' perceptive U.S. columnist Ed Luce argues it is Harris' election, not Trump's, to lose. What he means is Harris cannot realistically depend on Trump imploding, which he may well. She will come under intense scrutiny. If she survives that, against all odds, Kamala Harris may become America's 47th president.

Harlan Ullman is UPI's Arnaud de Borchgrave Distinguished Columnist, a senior advisor at Washington's Atlantic Council, the prime author of "shock and awe" and author of "The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became the Looming Existential Danger to a Divided Nation and the World at Large." Follow him @harlankullman. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.