MAUREEN CALLAHAN: Gormless, formless Kamala just said the quiet part out loud - and proved which campaign is the real threat to democracy

Days to spell and there's only 1 statement Kamala Harris — and her minions successful nan media — tin make: Trump is Hitler.

Or Mussolini, aliases Stalin, aliases Pol Pot — return your pick. If Trump gets elected, he's building attraction camps, ripping up nan Constitution, sending nan subject to apprehension his governmental enemies — hell, anyone who didn't ballot for him — hosting Putin and Xi successful nan Lincoln bedroom, burning nan state down and throwing Rachel Maddow successful jail.

Well, astir of america could get down that past one.

Here's what Maddow said astir Trump voters astatine a Brooklyn forum successful September: 'I judge that humans tin alteration and that redemption is possible… I americium ever hopeful.'

And nan near wonders why truthful galore find them to beryllium supercilious and condescending. If Kamala were smart, she'd do what Obama did and scope retired to, alternatively than demonize, those who disagree.

But she's not smart. This, we know.

During her disastrous municipality hall connected CNN Wednesday night, she gave only 1 clear and succinct answer.

'Do you think,' big Anderson Cooper asked, 'Donald Trump is simply a fascist?'

'Yes I do,' Kamala said. 'Yes I do.'

You could spot it successful her eyes: She thought this was her mic-drop moment. But nary 1 successful nan assemblage — composed mostly of voters, Cooper said, inclined to ballot for her anyhow — clapped aliases responded successful kind.

The run of 'joy' and 'vibes' has gone rather acheronian indeed. Trump-as-Hitler is nan left's caller talking point, uttered pinch sedate seriousness to voters still excessively stupid, ignorant, racist aliases xenophobic to get it, apparently.

Despite having a Jewish girl and Jewish grandchildren, Trump is simply a Nazi. His upcoming rally astatine Madison Square Garden connected Sunday? Nazi rally.

His stalwart, full-throated defense of Israel? Best near undiscussed.

Ex-Trump Chief-of-Staff John Kelly's four-year-old declare that nan erstwhile president admired Hitler — disinterred by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg and denied by a Trump spokesperson — is besides making nan rounds, though it begs nan question: If Kelly believed Trump was specified a Hitler acolyte, why didn't he resign correct then?

Why not sound nan siren erstwhile it really mattered? Could Kelly, who was fired by Trump, beryllium seeking revenge? Nick Ayers, erstwhile main of unit to Trump's erstwhile VP Mike Pence, wrote connected X that Kelly's claims are 'patently false'.

The media is ignoring that. The Nazi drumbeat, it seems, will spell done Election Day and, if he wins, good beyond.

Sometimes, though, nan disguise slips. Take this speech betwixt MSNBC's Jen Psaki, getting panic – successful some senses of nan connection — pinch apical Dem strategist James Carville past week.

Psaki: 'It seems for illustration you're saying we should spell backmost to scaring people, because that's what they request to hear?'

Carville: 'Yep.'

There it is: The quiet portion said retired loud.

No superior personification really believes Trump is simply a threat to populist — not slightest erstwhile you perceive it from a statement that staged an soul palace coup and put guardant a nominee who hadn't earned a azygous vote.

Bret Stephens, columnist for nan New York Times, wrote astir nan left's misguided Trump-fascist ploy 2 days ago: 'Aside from being gratuitous and self-defeating — what benignant of elector is going to beryllium won complete by being called a name? — it's besides mostly wrong.'

Stephens is 1 of nan Times' token conservatives, but someway he sewage this past America's wokest newsroom.

Even Democratic senators up for re-election successful nan plaything states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin are moving ads touting their expertise to activity pinch Donald Trump. Here's nan thing: People can't beryllium conscionable a small spot fascist aliases a small spot racist.

So make nary mistake: Leftist elites are laughing astatine nan mediocre saps who judge this stuff.

It's rather sad, really, for a awesome statement campaigner to beryllium truthful empty, truthful devoid of immoderate existent opinions, policy, aliases personality, that she tin only tally successful opposition. Harris has been campaigning since July, and she has yet to specify herself.

What is she for? Not conscionable what she believes — but what is nan constituent of Kamala Harris?

Other than pure, vaulting ambition, nan reply seems to beryllium nothing. Seeking powerfulness for nan liking of powerfulness seems a acold greater threat than thing she tin level against Trump.

Here was Harris, astatine that CNN municipality hall, responding to a young, earnest 'Habitat for Humanity' unpaid asking what she would do 'to make judge not different guiltless Palestinian dies by bombs funded by U.S. taxpayers?'

Ooooooh boy. Kamala was not prepared for that one. Her eyes closed slowly. She brought her fingers to nan span of her nose, arsenic if fighting disconnected a migraine. A pause, a small connection salad, and finally, 'a two-state solution' — truthful easy, that — and a friends reminder that Trump is simply a fascist.

Who would you alternatively person dealing pinch nan Middle East?

Even Obama's apical doctors can't cure this patient. Apparently, location is nary curen scheme that tin imbue Harris pinch authenticity, wit, aliases intelligence. She cannot beryllium moved distant from her hoariest trope, 1 that could beryllium utilized arsenic aural torture against prisoners of war: 'We are a group who person ambition. We person aspirations. We person dreams.'

Among those dreams is ne'er proceeding this vacuous delirium again.

After weeks of preparation, studying, reference and mock interviews (one would hope, anyway), here's nan champion she could do connected why nan Biden-Harris management ignored nan border crisis for years:

'Well, location was a batch that was done but there's much to do, Anderson. And, and — I'm pointing retired things that request to beryllium done, that haven't been done, but request to beryllium done.'

Aren't we expected to beryllium unburdened by what has been done?

Anyway: Imagine her handlers backstage, watching and listening to this. No wonderment location are leaks from her campy astir soul panic. Even David Axelrod, nan feline who sewage Obama elected twice, couldn't take sides this abject nonaccomplishment during CNN's post-mortem.

'Word crockery city,' he said.

To a mobility posed by a governmental subject professor named Carol, who asked Harris which argumentation she astir wanted Congress to push through.

Simple, yes? One issue, 1 hole — moreover successful a dream scenario.

Gird your loins for this one.

'Well,' Harris said, 'there's not conscionable one. I person to beryllium honorable pinch you, Carol. Um, there's a batch of activity that needs to hap but let's, let's — I deliberation that possibly portion of this, nan constituent that I — really I deliberation astir it is, we've sewage to get past this era' — present Kamala's eyes closed, arsenic if she was praying for a cogent reply — 'of authorities and partisan authorities slowing down what we request to do successful position of advancement successful our country.'

Carol looked unimpressed.

And what astir Doug Emhoff? Any decent journalist would person utilized this municipality hallway to inquire astir Kamala's husband, accused by an ex-girlfriend of violently slapping her successful nan face — successful public, extracurricular an A-list gala, truthful difficult that she spun astir — aliases nan nanny, who he allegedly impregnated during his first matrimony and paid $80,000 to spell away.

Alas, we had Anderson Cooper, who besides declined to show america whether CNN had vetted these elector questions. Cooper embarrassed himself and his failing web present — overmuch arsenic Maria Shriver, nan only different apical Dem female who knows what it's for illustration to person your hubby sound up nan nanny, told attendees of different Kamala municipality hallway connected Monday that they couldn't inquire nan campaigner immoderate questions.

'Hopefully,' Shriver told nan crowd, 'I'll beryllium capable to inquire immoderate of nan questions that mightiness beryllium successful your head.'

How's that for free and unfastened discussion? The constituent of a municipality hallway is for citizens to inquire candidates questions that interest them. Instead, they sewage Maria Shriver shutting them down.

And she called herself a journalist while doing so!

Little wonderment Anderson Cooper seemed to think, by contrast, that he was doing a decent occupation — moreover arsenic Kamala walked each complete him.

'One of nan things I specialized successful arsenic a prosecutor,' Harris said, 'was crimes against women and children.'

There's nan opening: WHAT ABOUT DOUG? What astir nan women who opportunity he treated them terribly? Does Kamala, arsenic nan near truthful stridently tells us, judge each women? Or conscionable women who Doug hasn't dated?

When will personification successful nan nationalist media turn a spine and inquire this gormless, formless campaigner astir her husband's accusers?

It won't beryllium anyone connected CNN, that's for sure. Last week, Scott Jennings, erstwhile typical adjunct to President George W. Bush, dared to bring up 'some of nan questions that are swirling astir Harris's ain husband' earlier nan network's sheet swiftly unopen him down and unopen him up.

That is thought policing. That is intelligence fascism.

If there's 1 point we tin beryllium judge Kamala Harris believes in, it's nan very point she's accusing Trump of doing and being — shutting down perceived enemies, refusing to beryllium consecutive pinch nan American people, and letting nan media tally screen for her and her husband.

So overmuch for nan authorities of joy.