On Sunday, Politico published a story titled "2 states, 1 tepid view of Kamala Harris and her political future." A much more accurate title of the story by Melanie Mason and Brakkton Booker would be "2 states, 2 tepid views of Kamala Harris and her political future."

Although Mason and Booker tossed cold water on the idea of Harris running for president again via the South Carolina primary they were also much less than enthusiastic about her running for governor of California. If they didn't quite toss cold water on that campaign they seemed to throw much less than even lukewarm water  on it. 

The very first paragraph of the story sure gives off strong "meh!" vibes over Harris' political future whether by the South Carolina or California route.

In South Carolina, influential Democrats this weekend were hardly talking about Kamala Harris anymore. In California, they greeted the thought of her political future with impatience and weary sighs.

So Harris is pretty much unwanted in both South Carolina and California.

The former vice president has kept campaign junkies guessing as she contemplates running for California governor or taking another shot at the White House in 2028. But party members on opposite coasts, who gathered for simultaneous confabs this weekend, did not express much clamor for either iteration of a Harris candidacy.

And as you can see above, the second paragraph remained in "meh!" mode on Harris' political paths in both states.

Some Democrats in South Carolina, girding for battle to retain their favored status on the presidential primary calendar, went so far as to suggest that a run for California governor could offer a graceful exit from the national stage.

“I think she should run for governor and be the best governor California has ever had,” said Amanda Loveday, a Democratic strategist and former executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party.

That sounds like a somewhat less than polite way of wanting to be rid of Kamala Harris in South Carolina.

And in her home state, some Democrats openly fretted that California was simply a fallback option for Harris after her presidential ambitions were thwarted last year.

“We haven’t really heard from her on California issues since Trump’s inauguration,” said Madison Zimmerman, a state party delegate from rural Shasta County. “I feel like California isn’t a consolation prize.”

Right about now readers must be wondering how Politico came up with only 1, not 2 tepid views in the title since both political paths in both states look lousy for Kamala by Politico's own description. You have to wonder if Politico is pulling our collective legs when they promote California as viable option for Harris simultaneously with this distinctly downbeat analysis:

That was the immediate question that came to mind for Carol Weiss, a delegate from Sunnyvale, when assessing the potential governor’s race field at this weekend’s California Democratic Party convention.

“My concern about Harris is that she would be using the position, if she won, as a placeholder for a second run at the presidency,” she said. “And that would make me feel like I’m wasting my vote. I want a strong governor for at least four years.”

Harris, who was in Australia last week to speak at a real estate conference, did not appear at the convention. She sent in a brief video address which was greeted with warm, but not protracted, applause from the audience. A spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

It sure sounds as if Politico is presenting Harris' political future in either state as heads she loses, and tails she still loses.

Now read this paragraph and try to remind yourself that California is supposed to be the non-tepid path for Harris, at least according to Politico.

Lorena Gonzalez, who leads the powerful California Labor Federation, said she has also not heard much desire for Harris to clear the field, and she’s detected a perceptible change among candidates the longer the vice president takes to declare her intentions. (Harris has given herself a deadline of late summer to make up her mind.)

And now for this laughable show of "support" in which a vote for Harris for governor is presented as somewhat akin to tolerating an upset stomach:

“I’m really on the fence,” said Minola Clark Manson, a delegate from eastern San Diego County. “I probably would vote for Kamala Harris but there would be an underlying discomfort.”

One has to wonder if Politico reporters laugh out loud while writing up stuff like this. Perhaps they are using this opportunity to audition as comedy writers as a refreshing career change. Comedy writing posing as political analysis. Nice gig!