While the rest of America celebrated Independence Day with fireworks and red meat, former vice president and failed Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris called it "a moment to reflect" and warned her supporters that things "are probably going to get worse before they get better."

Is that any way to plot the huge comeback the commentariat can’t stop fantasizing about? Harris as the comeback kid is something of a cottage industry among writers who, I don't know, finally grew bored with comparing Trump to Hitler.

There's been a surge of these predictions lately, but the earliest I'm aware of came barely more than a month after election day. "Democrats eye Harris 2028 presidential run as they devise political comeback," the Guardian reported last December without a trace of irony.

"Harris plots ambitious political comeback," RollingOut's Amari Apple confidently predicted in January, citing her "nuanced understanding of political momentum."

Take a moment to wipe the coffee off your monitor, but the point is that the trickle of post-election comeback reports has only accelerated — even as the man who dashed her presidential ambitions, Donald Trump, scores one win after another.

The latest is from conservative Kelly Sadler for the Washington Times, who noted that Harris's pointed Independence Day tweet "may have hinted at her future ambitions: a political comeback." But the only people "incredibly pumped" for a Harris comeback, Sadler dryly noted, are all Republicans. 

If Harris isn't ready for a redo of her failed presidential bid in 2028, there's plenty of conjecture that the California governor's mansion might be hers for the taking in 2026. And — who knows? — Californians might just pull out the pistol one more time, aim it squarely at their own foot, gently squeeze the trigger, blow another hole in it, and wonder why walking still hurts so much.

Here's the curious part. The earliest report I found mentioning Harris's comeback hopes was written by Brent Eastwood for 19FortyFive way back in April... of 2023. For those keeping score at home, that's more than a year before Biden dropped out and, with his endorsement, short-circuited many Democrats' hopes for a mini-primary.

Long before she stumbled into becoming her party's presidential candidate, many saw Harris as a walking punchline — stumbling her way through a job whose main rigor is waiting around for the boss to die or become incapacitated.

Frankly, she didn't even do that very well. Long after it was obvious to anyone with eyeballs (and not named "Jake Tapper") that Harris had a duty under the 25th Amendment to gather the cabinet and report to Congress that Biden was "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office," she just kept doing whatever it was she was doing.

And that wasn't much. 

Assigned by Biden to tackle the "root causes" of the border crisis, take the lead on the administration's push for new voting rights legislation, heading up the White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and more, Harris accomplished virtually zilch in any of those roles.

But that's exactly what should have been expected from Harris, having come up through Bay Area politics without ever having to seriously fight for anything. In her first statewide election — for attorney general in California — Harris won by less than 1% of the vote. IN CALIFORNIA. And even that squeaker of a win might only have been thanks to personal intervention by Barack Obama.

When she finally hit the national stage, Harris was as unprepared as the Boy in the Bubble set loose in a Wuhan lab. 

Mostly, during her four years as veep, the terminally underprepared Harris was known for showing up, speaking badly, and doing nothing.

The only thing I won't do is accuse Harris of failing to take full advantage of her truncated presidential campaign. Few candidates in history have packed so many bad decisions, gaffes, and poor optics into full-length efforts.

So allow me to end with a question: Kamala Harris is supposed to come back from what, exactly?

Recommended: King, Conqueror, and Cultural Makeover: The BBC Did It Again

P.S. Thanks so much for reading. If you'd like to join some of the smartest voices on the internet in our Virtually Troll-Free™ comments section — plus access to exclusive essays, podcasts, and video live chats with your favorite writers — consider becoming a VIP member with this 60% off promotion offer. Providing alternative conservative news and commentary ain't free (but right now, it IS cheap).