Since Kamala Harris failed miserably at her attempt to become president, she’s been cloistered with her husband and advisers to try to figure out which direction to go next in her career. With Gavin Newsom’s term at an end, the former vice president is considering a run for California governor, and polls suggest she would have a good chance of winning. There’s also the 2028 presidential election to be considered. Neither of these career choices is surprising. Starting a think tank, though, now that has raised more than a few eyebrows and caused a round of merriment across the internet.
Brian Nelson, an adviser to Harris since she was the Golden State’s attorney general, has reportedly approached several universities, including Stanford, on the possibility of establishing an “institute for policies and ideas.” In other words, Ms. Word Salad is considering starting a “think tank.” As you can imagine, the idea caused a wave of hilarity. Have a look at just a few reactions:
“The Kamala Harris institute for kids who can’t policy and ideas good and wanna learn to do other stuff good too,” podcaster Noah Blum paraphrased from the movie Zoolander.
“The Kamala Harris Center for the Unburdening of What Has Been should provide a bottomless well of material,” said writer Doug Powers.
“An Institute for People Who Institute Things that are Institutable,” added creator Dan Goldwasser.
“The Kamala D. Harris Institute for Examining the Importance of Understanding What Needs to Be Done,” joked Andrew Stiles of the Free Beacon.
Kamala Harris and Her Institute for Policies and Ideas
The term “think tank” was first used during World War II to describe a safe place where military plans and strategies could be discussed, according to Britannica. In the 1960s, the concept began to evolve, becoming a private nonprofit policy research organization. It is thought that the socialist Fabian Society, founded in the late 19th century in Great Britain, was the first such enterprise. In the 1920s, there were just a few, by the 1950s there were around 100, and now there are more than 7,800 across the world, international think tank Chatham House explained. Here are just a few in the United States today:
American Action Network was established in 2010 by Fred Malek, founder of Thayer Capital and former Republican National Committee deputy chairman.
The Urban Institute was founded in 1968 by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
Institute for Policy Studies was created in 1963 by Marcus Raskin and Richard Barnet, who were officials in the John F. Kennedy administration.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities was formed in 1981 by Robert Greenstein, a former political appointee in the Jimmy Carter administration.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget was started in 1981 by Rep. Robert Giaimo (D-CT) and Sen. Henry Bellmon (R-OK).
While launching a policy institute is a common move for former officeholders, one wonders how Harris’ think tank will fit in with top competitors. The consensus seems to be that this would not be a good move for the former VP, not only because of her word salads and boisterous laugh but also because of the fundraising issues that may arise. “Some allies have noted that raising money for such a center could, depending on the donors, create liabilities in the future,” the New York Post reported. Such a move could expose her to “political headaches, especially if she chooses to run for California governor in 2026 or take another shot at the White House in 2028.”
Who will write these policies and ideas? We only have to look back at some of her articulate responses and explanations while serving as vice president. For example, Kamala spoke about abortion rights to a crowd at Howard University (one of the institutions her adviser has reached out to for her think tank):
“So, I think it’s very important, as you have heard from so many incredible leaders, for us at every moment in time – and certainly this one – to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past but to the future.”
Kamala also spoke at a White House event for Women’s History Month to “honor the women who made history throughout history.”
While the left grapples with how to define a woman, the former VP spoke at a music festival in New Orleans, LA, in 2023 and attempted to explain what “culture” is. How would this definition factor in to the policies and ideas of her think tank?
“Culture is – it is a reflection of our moment in our own time, right? And in present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment.
“And we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment that is a reflection of joy, because as you know, it comes in the morning.
“We have to find ways to also express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life. And I think about it that way too.”
During one appearance, Kamala seemed to insult America’s youth. In a speech while swearing in commissioners for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, she said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people, you think you just fell out of a coconut tree.” With her signature cackle she continued, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what you came before you.”
Who can forget her love of school buses, especially yellow ones? Remember when she broke out into an off-tune rendition of “The wheels on the bus go round and round”? Or when she went on a binge in Seattle, WA, about yellow buses? “Who doesn’t love a yellow school bus, right? Can you raise your hand if you love a yellow school bus? Many of us went to school on the yellow school bus, right? It’s part of our experience growing up. It’s part of a nostalgia, a memory of the excitement and joy of going to school to be with your favorite teacher, to be with your best friends and to learn. The school bus takes us there.”
As Kamala ponders her next career step, “I can imagine what can be, and be unburdened by what has been,” is a familiar phrase of hers that comes to mind. The American people can only hope not to be burdened by the Kamala Harris Institute for Policies and Ideas.
