Kamala’s Favorite Phrase
Have you seen the latest video of Kamala Harris welcoming Jamaica’s prime minister to the White House yesterday? As I sat there watching that painful clip, one phrase jumped out at me, mostly because I’ve noticed recently that Kamala uses that phrase a lot. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s her favorite phrase.
Here’s the clip:
Now, it is much better if you see in print:
“We also recognize — just as it has been in the United States — for Jamaica, one of the issues that has been presented as an issue that is economic in the way of its impact has been the pandemic.
“So, to that end, we are announcing today also that we will assist Jamaica in COVID recovery … um … by assisting IN TERMS OF the recovery efforts in Jamaica that have been essential to, I believe, what is necessary to strengthen not only … ah … the, the issue of public health, but also the economy.”
Now, it might not have leaped out at you the way it did me. But that’s probably because you haven’t been reading through the White House transcripts of Kamala’s press conferences the way I have when I was putting together my column “Our Vapid Veep Visits Europe.”
Trust me. Kamala’s favorite off-the-cuff phrase is “in terms of.” She falls back on “in terms of” the way Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez falls back on “it’s like” and “you know.”
It’s Kamala’s involuntary burp.
Or, to put it into the correct imagery, “in terms of” is the romaine lettuce in a Kamala Word Salad.
So after watching that clip from yesterday, I decided to venture back to the White House website and review the last 15 transcripts of public remarks from Kamala Harris.
And let’s just say, Kamala’s favorite phrase crops up every time Kamala isn’t speaking from prepared speeches.
Let me give you some examples.
A couple weeks ago, Kamala appeared at the White House with women’s soccer players including the gay one … wait, that doesn’t narrow it down … the gay one with the pink hair. And at the very start of her remarks, Kamala used her favorite phrase three times – twice in one sentence:
“Welcome, everyone, to the White House. Welcome. Welcome. As has been introduced, we are gathered together with really wonderful leaders. Obviously, you all have been champions, IN TERMS OF your skill and your dominance IN TERMS OF women’s soccer, but we are here today because you also have been leaders on an issue that affects most women and has affected most women in the workforce, and it’s the issue of pay equity.
“So, thank you for joining us at the White House for this important discussion, which really is going to center on your leadership — what you all have done; what you have accomplished; the challenges that you’ve faced, both personally and professionally, IN TERMS OF getting us to this point where we have now seen extraordinary success because of your commitment to the issue and your willingness to be a voice for so many others on and off the field.”
In total, Kamala used her favorite phrase ELEVEN times in that one White House event. And often, more than once in the same sentence.
Like this:
“It’s a players’ union. And so, that meant that you wouldn’t have to — even though you filed as individuals, IN TERMS OF the lawsuit, that, IN TERMS OF your advocacy and the fight for equal pay, you knew that you weren’t alone. You all were in it together.”
And this:
“And I know many of us watched it from afar, saw the images of, you know, the difference IN TERMS OF locker rooms and — and the equipment, IN TERMS OF — yeah. And it’s good to know that things are changing for the better.”
“In terms of — yeah.” BURP!
While in Louisiana, Kamala used her favorite phrase four times – including during her latest “Deep Thoughts” entry:
“So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time IN TERMS OF what we need to do to lay these wires, what we need to do to create these jobs. And there is such great significance to the passage of time when we think about a day in the life of our children and what that means to the future of our nation, depending on whether or not they have the resources they need to achieve their God-given talent.”
But hands down, the most egregious use of Kamala’s favorite phrase occurred during her joint press conference with Poland’s President Duda when, and I shit you not, Kamala used “IN TERMS OF” a whopping 19 times.
She used it five times in one answer to a reporter’s question:
“IN TERMS OF the work that the United States has done thus far, we have, as you know, given military, humanitarian, and security assistance, and that is an ongoing process.
“As I mentioned earlier, Congress — the United States Congress has now made a decision for 13-plus billion dollars of United States — of U.S. money to go to Ukraine and our European allies to assist IN TERMS OF both their security and humanitarian needs.
“We have also, just this past week, given $240 million in security assistance delivered to Ukraine, and that’s on top of the $1 billion in just the past year that we have sent to Ukraine.
“I can tell you that the issue facing the Ukrainian people and our Allies in the eastern flank is something that occupies one of our highest priorities IN TERMS OF paying attention to the needs, understanding it is a dynamic situation and it requires us to be nimble and to be swift.
“I mentioned being swift IN TERMS OF accountability and consequence. We also fully appreciate we must be swift IN TERMS OF providing assistance where we can be helpful. And we will continue to do that.”
See? It’s like friggin’ Tourette Syndrome.
After a bilateral meeting with Canada’s Justin Trudeau in Europe, Kamala used her favorite phrase three times in one incredibly long sentence during their joint presser:
“We have many things to discuss — in particular, what we can continue to do together to strengthen our assistance IN TERMS OF security assistance, humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine, what we can continue to do to coordinate and collaborate within the NATO Alliance and with our EU partners IN TERMS OF the ongoing needs and the dynamic nature of what we are presented with IN TERMS OF this crisis.”
And then, after she took a breath and started the next sentence, Kamala did it again:
“I know we stand in solidarity IN TERMS OF our outrage at this war and the aggression that Russia has taken against Ukraine, unprovoked, unjustified.”
From what I can noodle out having gone through the last three weeks of transcripts, Kamala’s speeches rarely, if ever, include her favorite phrase. Probably because somebody else wrote the words.
But when she’s speaking extemporaneously, she flings favorite phrase around like confetti.
In the 15 transcripts I reviewed, Kamala used her favorite phrase a total of 46 times.
And trust me on this. Now that I’ve brought to your attention, you will never not notice it. Her favorite phrase is going to stick out like a sore thumb.
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