For years, I have heard people ask why Donald Trump just cannot get his act together. Why can’t he show some discipline? Why can’t he act normally? Why can’t he come through in key moments so that he and his acolytes don’t lose. Why, nearly a decade into this gig, does he say insane things that put off voters he knows he has to win? The answer, I realized early on, is that he is incapable of any other behavior, because he is a capricious narcissist. Sometimes, Trump will give the impression of restraint, but it’s just that: an impression. He is what he is, and that’s not going to change. If you choose him as your nominee, this is what you’re going to get.

Now, I hear similar questions about Kamala Harris. Why can’t she talk in public? Why can’t she answer elementary questions? Why can’t she provide any details of what she believes — or outline her political agenda — without descending into indecipherable platitudes? I think the answer is similarly simple: Harris is incapable of any of that, because she doesn’t have anything useful in her head. Hers isn’t a language problem, it’s an ideas problem. The issue is not that Harris possess all manner of well-considered notions but struggles to translate them into English; it’s that she’s never engaged with politics as anything other than an electoral exercise, and she probably couldn’t if she tried. Last night’s interview with Stephanie Rule further persuaded me of this. Words follow thoughts — and Harris doesn’t have any.