Harris can’t do this because of the media’s double standards.

Harris had no intention of being bullied.

“I told you so” Harris said it straightraising and then clasping your hands together. O’Donnell paused briefly, as if waiting for Harris to continue. But Harris looked back and punctuated her brief answer with a nod of her head. She said what she said.

Then, shaking his head slightly, as if to say, “How much simpler can I put this?” Harris added: “Let’s bring back Roe v. Wade.”

Harris’s visible irritation was justified. Here she confronts someone who bragged about appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn constitutional guarantees of women’s bodily autonomy. And yet, is she the one who has to explain herself?

Frustration was what I felt as I listened to Harris make an unusual closing argument to American voters on the Ellipse in Washington – the same place where Donald Trump stood four years earlier before a crowd of supporters, knowing that some of them were armed, and inciting their. on the Capitol building.

But rather than foment insurrection and appeal to humankind’s worst instincts, as Trump did on January 6, 2021, Harris called upon the nation’s best angels. Unlike Trump’s rally in New York on Sunday, which was marked by racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ vitriol, Harris’ speech was focused on making the promise of American ideals accessible to everyone, no matter how they vote.

Instead of putting people down, she elevated them. She offered hope instead of hate.

“I promise you that I will approach my job with the joy and optimism that comes from making a difference in people’s lives, and I promise to be a President for all Americans,” Harris said in his speech, “and to always put country before party.” and myself.”

It was perfect, as was much of her campaign—a gargantuan feat for any presidential candidate, let alone one who had to ramp up the campaign just days before the convention after President Biden dropped out of the race.

But instead of enjoying this historic moment, Harris was immediately forced to defend herself again, this time over a comment she didn’t even make.

During a video call with a Latino voting organization Tuesday night, Biden criticized attacks on Latinos by Trump supporters as “garbage” This sparked outrage from the right, who compared the comment to Hillary Clinton calling Trump supporters “disgusting” during her 2016 presidential campaign.

And just like that, the news cycle shifted in a way that confirmed what CNN’s Van Jones lamented last week about double standards in the presidential race. Trump, Jones said“It will be lawlessness. (Harris) has to be perfect. That’s what’s unfair.”

Really. The questions reporters asked Harris at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday morning as she prepared to leave for a campaign stop in North Carolina did not concern the more than 75,000 people who packed the National Mall to see her. They concerned Biden’s misrepresentation, which he has already publicly clarified.

“You heard me speak last night,” Harris told reporters, trying but failing to hide her irritation. “Throughout my career, I believe that the job I do is to represent all people, whether they support me or not, and as President of the United States, I will be a President for all Americans, regardless whether you vote for me or not. No.”

When her comments were shown, CNN’s chyron exploded: Biden’s “Trash” comment is causing controversy.

I appreciate Harris’ frustration. Her opponent has repeatedly called the American people the “enemy within,” but she can’t win with the press.

There are good journalists who cover elections with a clear eye, avoiding distractions for clear reporting and analysis. However, too many in my industry can’t shake the muscle memory of covering campaigns like sporting events in search of drama instead of focusing on the big stakes. The news industrial complex is long overdue for a reckoning. Let’s hope democracy lasts long enough to see that happen.

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Kimberly Atkins Store is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @KimberlyEATkins.