AP White House reporter Darlene Superville penned one of those "make Kamala relatable" propaganda pieces, with the headline "Harris turns to her favorite foods in effort to show a more private side and connect with voters."
This correspondent is the same soft touch for Democrats who co-authored a book with AP's Julie Pace gushing over the "private side" of First Lady Jill Biden, touted by the liberals at Kirkus Reviews as "A fond portrait of a woman anyone would want as a friend."
So she has some practice at puffery.
Superville defined her assignment in the first paragraph: "One of the biggest challenges for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the final stretch of the campaign is introducing herself to voters before her Republican rival, Donald Trump, has a chance to define her."
Republicans are complaining that Harris grants no interviews and is never forced to explain all her flip-flops, but the AP thinks this is the more exciting news:
It is known that Harris is a foodie and likes to cook. In fact, she had just made a pancakes-and-bacon breakfast for her niece’s 6- and 8-year-old daughters on the July morning when Biden called with the news that he was dropping out of the race.
From talking about nacho cheese Doritos as her snack of choice to washing collard greens in the bathtub, Harris is aiming to connect with voters on a more personal level. While learning that she likes to munch tortilla chips at snack time likely isn’t enough on its own to sway anyone to vote for her, the small — and sometimes amusing — details could help Harris show she can relate to people and their concerns.
The subheadlines in this puff piece include "Caramel is a favorite," "Beautiful music," "Collard greens in the tub," "Doritos as a go-to snack" and -- kid you not -- "Golden Arches."
According to McDonald’s, 1 in 8 Americans have worked at its fast-food restaurants at some point in their lives. Harris is among them.
“I had a summer job at McDonald’s,” she said at an August campaign rally in Las Vegas, trying to show an understanding of middle-class struggles.
Earth to AP: The Washington Free Beacon offered evidence that Harris didn't list any employment at McDonald's on a job application shortly after she allegedly worked there. Snopes.com ruled her claim was "Unproven."
Harris has made this claim repeatedly over the years, and multiple reputable news outlets have reported on the story. But, aside from Harris' testimony itself, there is no evidence (such as a photo, employment record or confirmation from a friend or family member) to independently verify the claim. We've reached out to Harris' campaign and McDonald's and we'll update this report when, or if, we learn more.
But AP and Darlene Superville -- like other pro-Harris platforms -- never question these claims, they just repeat them without investigating.
