The entry below is being cross posted from Marjorie Arons Barron’s own blog

Kamala Harris easily achieved her minimalist goal of responding to those wondering whether she could do an unscripted interview, without the benefit of a teleprompter, the hoopla of the national convention, backup pop stars, cascading balloons, and upbeat Beyonce music. On Thursday night, she did that unscripted interview. She was smooth, engaging, responsive thematically to questions posed by CNN interviewer Dana Bash. Every question was expected. Every answer was prepared. Check.

Subtract from the hour-long show all the video of exuberant rallies, congenial coffee shop visits, DNC highlights and CNN commercials, and repeated promotional teases of upcoming questions, you don’t have much time for an interview. And the interview itself was not hard-hitting. Dana Bash is no Tim Russert, not even Jake Tapper.

In trying to sustain the momentum of her rallies and the enthusiasm of the DNC, Harris had to continuing to speak thematically, avoid policy details, and delicately weave her statements to attract more centrists and anti-Trump Republican supporters while not alienating her party’s progressive left. She handled it deftly. In doing so, her gauzy responses were reminiscent of JFK’s rhetoric in the 1960 Presidential campaign when Kennedy’s ambiguous and fuzzy policy comments let voters of all stripes feel he was on their side. New York Mayor John Lindsay was a master of the tactic, once garnering a Village Voice headline, “He said nothing, nicely.”

Harris’s biggest challenge in becoming the 2024 “change” candidate is to effectively package her personal history, selectively embrace the noteworthy accomplishments of the Biden administration, distance herself from its problems all while advancing the idea that she is carving out a new vision. She is most persuasive at 40,000 feet, looking forward to building a new consensus, finding a common place of understanding, and “not go back” to the toxic divisiveness that has poisoned the public arena since at least Trump descended his escalator in 2016.

When questioned why she changed her position against fracking from her 2019 campaign position, she could make the case that her values (the importance of addressing the climate crisis) haven’t changed, but that seeing how much could be accomplished with renewables and other strategies meant that eliminating fracking could now be avoided. She also noted that in 2022 she was the deciding vote in the Senate against banning fracking.

Asked why proposed solutions on certain bread-and-butter issues like price gouging, creating new housing, controlling drug costs hadn’t been achieved during the Harris-Biden administration, Harris failed to drive home that there hasn’t been a filibuster-proof Senate or Democratic House. She needs repeatedly to remind people about the importance of down-ballot Congressional races.

One weak response was about what she would do on Day One. Her middle class agenda can’t be implemented without Congressional deliberation and support. Is there nothing she would do by Executive Order on Day One?

Asked about whether she had any regrets regarding what she told the American people about Biden’s capacity as the 2024 party nominee, she talked about his intelligence, commitment, and compassion, but really skated around what limitations she surely must have observed over time. Bash didn’t push her, but others will.

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz largely sat by. He added a comfortable dad image and answered a few questions on misstatements he had made in the course of his career. (Note to his wife: it wasn’t a grammatical mistake he made in talking about his carrying weapons of war. It was a misplaced metaphor.) There was little of consequence in his small segment other than reinforcing his likable persona.

Overall, you’d have to count the interview a success. Harris was the same person people have seen on the stage. She seemed presidential, if a warmer, more down-to-earth iteration of our traditional images of a President. She probably didn’t persuade many who weren’t already persuaded, but she didn’t blow it. There were no gaffes.

The next big test comes in 11 days with the ABC debate with Donald Trump. Clear your calendars. Lay on the popcorn. This will be a viewing event not to be missed. It could have much to say about the outcome of the election and the future of our country.