Veep's creator has thoughts on Harris

From: POLITICO West Wing Playbook - Monday Oct 24,2022 09:43 pm

Oct 24, 2022

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This past summer, West Wing Playbook asked a former aide to KAMALA HARRIS about their experience working in the Vice President’s office.

They quipped that all we needed to do to understand was “turn on HBO and watch ‘Veep.’”

So, when the opportunity arose to talk to the program’s creator, Scottish satirist ARMANDO IANNUCCI , about the comparison, we jumped at it.

Promoting his a new HBO show, ‘Avenue 5,’ which started its second season earlier this month, we asked Iannuci if he saw a resemblance between Harris and the fictional SELINA MEYER?

“Obviously, there's similarity in that Kamala Harris is the first female vice president,” he said. “But it’s more about that role that she finds herself in.”

The nation expects “big things” from both Harris and Meyer, he continued, but neither can quite live up to expectations because of the limitations set by their position. “The office is there as someone who stands to one side and waits. It’s that kind of bittersweet combination of being so near to power, and yet so far from it.”

Veep was a smashing hit for HBO. But it was also deeply popular among the Washington crowd, not so much because it skewered top government officials but because it shoved aside the Oz-like curtain surrounding power and showed their insecurities and how things often work (or don’t) at the highest levels. Iannucci sees Harris’ on-and-off struggles during the administration as more a consequence of the role rather than her own capacity for it.

“You’re number two in a world, in a country, that only looks out for number ones,” he said. “It's not about her and ultimately it’s up to the president.”

It’s a role he and his team studied closely while crafting the show, during which time they talked to then-Vice President JOE BIDEN’s office, his then-chief of staff, RON KLAIN, and former Vice President AL GORE. Biden himself leaned in and participated in a 2014 skit with JULIA LOUIS DREYFUS for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

A lot has changed since then, Iannucci conceded. As for Biden himself, Iannucci said that “I wonder whether he's realizing that the old politics just doesn't play anymore…We're now in the 21st where you've got to be Instagrammable and Twitterable, that's the problem he faces really.”

He compared the hurdles Biden currently faces to a storyline on this season of “Avenue 5,” a show set 40 years in the future. In the show, a space cruise ship goes off course and gets lost in outer space for so long that people on Earth ultimately produce a television series about the ship — that the passengers end up watching.

“As the [second] season progresses, you'll find that the dramatization begins to actually influence behavior on board the real ship, because people expect heroes to conform to how they're portrayed in dramatization,” he said. “A lot of politics now is about the image but once you've manufactured the image, you're kind of beholden to it, really. Because people see the image rather than the person.”

Iannucci said he saw that dynamic in the elevation of both DONALD TRUMP and former U.K. Prime Minister BORIS JOHNSON. “I think that is what is attracting these strange types now — they're kind of carried away with the performance idea of being a leader rather than having any of the qualifications or ability.”

On Friday, as LIZ TRUSS’ resignation as prime minister gave way to a scramble for leadership, Iannucci compared the situation to the hurried last season of “Game of Thrones,” which (spoiler alert) ends with a dragon burning down much of the capital city and murdering thousands.

All of which lends the question of who’s going to be our dragon?

“Is the dragon us? Is it the electorate? Is it the culture? Is the media? Or is it Mark Zuckerberg? How many heads does it have? How large are its eggs?” Iannucci replied before concluding with a laugh: “The dragon is – the dragon is Steve Bannon."

MESSAGE US — Are you ALICIA O’BRIEN, senior counsel to the president? We want to hear from you! And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com .

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POTUS PUZZLER

This one is from Allie. Although there is a bedroom named after this president, he never actually slept there. Who is he?

(Answer at the bottom.)

The Oval

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: Did you know that Biden really excels when working the rope line? That he’s a tactile politician? That he thrives one-on-one?

No? Well then, the Associated Press has a story for you! The White House loved this piece by ZEKE MILLER. Several members of the comms and press team shared it, along with chief of staff Klain. The story quotes several top aides who rarely go on the record, and notes how "aides say the 79-year-old has perfected his selfie arm, the products of which are widely shared on social media."

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This WSJ piece by STEPHEN KALIN, SUMMER SAID and DION NISSENBAUM about the increasing tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia , following the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production. “Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the kingdom’s 37-year-old day-to-day ruler, mocks Biden in private, making fun of the 79-year-old’s gaffes and questioning his mental acuity, according to people inside the Saudi government. He has told advisers he hasn’t been impressed with Mr. Biden since his days as vice president, and much preferred former President Donald Trump."

Saudi foreign minister, Prince FAISAL bin FARHAN , denied the story. “These allegations made by anonymous sources are entirely false,” he said.

The piece also notes that though the relationship is usually managed by the president and the king, Biden delegated much of it to National Security Council’s BRETT MCGURK and the State Department’s AMOS HOCHSTEIN.

@NEERA’s TAKE: NEERA TANDEN , senior adviser and staff secretary to the president, noted the significance of RISHI SUNAK on soon becoming Britain’s new prime minister, following Liz Truss' resignation last week.

Tweet by Neera Tanden | Twitter

THE VERDICT: “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” Fox Nation’s “mock trial” about the president’s son, HUNTER , has come to a close. In the final episode of the show (which we watched so you don’t have to…) the jury decided there was probable cause for “further investigation” into a violation of the Foriegn Agents Registration Act, but not one into allegations of bribery. No word on whether Hunter’s lawyers will appeal. We’re closely monitoring PACER.

ICYMI: The president’s interview with MSNBC’s JONATHAN CAPEHART, which aired Sunday .

OOH THAT SMELL. CAN’T YOU SMELL THAT SMELL? CNN’s KATE BENNETT noted on Twitter that the smell of pot from a pro-marijuana protest “outside the White House is extremely overwhelming.”

SPEAKING OF LIGHTING ONE UP: At an event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters Monday, Biden expressed optimism about the midterms remaining in Democrats’ hands. “You know, whether we maintain control of the Senate and the House is a big deal, and so far we’re running against the tide, and we’re beating the tide,” he said. More details from KELLY GARRITY .

NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .

THE BUREAUCRATS

I AIN’T LEAVING!: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN told MSNBC’s STEPHANIE RUHLE Monday that she has no plans to leave her role after the midterms. "I plan to stay. I’m very excited about the president’s economic program. There’s a lot to implement," she said. Yellen also said she “can’t rule out the risk,” of a recession, but that she “[believes] there is a path toward bringing inflation down in the context of the strong labor market.” The interview is set to air tonight at 11p.m. EST on “The 11th Hour.”

PERSONNEL MOVES: SABRINA BOUSBAR has been detailed to the White House as associate director of strategic outreach in the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach. She most recently was an adviser in the office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS.

MEET THE WHITE HOUSE GROUNDSKEEPER: AP’s DARLENE SUPERVILLE is out with a profile on DALE HANEY , who recently marked his 50th anniversary as White House groundskeeper. Haney, who is often seen walking Biden’s dog COMMANDER, has been the subject of tributes by the Bidens over the past few weeks.

When Haney got offered the job in 1972, he didn’t plan to stay for long: “When I accepted the job I agreed to stay for two years,” Haney told the White House History Quarterly. “But the time has gone by so fast that it really doesn’t feel like 50 years.” Read the full profile here .

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Agenda Setting

ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE WARNING: National security officials are tracking threats to election security infrastructure ahead of the midterm elections and plan to issue warnings, including in an internal intelligence bulletin expected to lay out cyber threats posted by China and Russia, our ERIN BANCO and ERIC GELLER report.

FUN WITH STATS: Although the White House celebrated the record drop in the federal budget deficit, our KATE DAVIDSON notes that there’s one other major factor to consider — the cost of government debt is skyrocketing.

JOIN WOMEN RULE THURSDAY FOR A TALK WITH DEPARTING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: A historic wave of retirements is hitting Congress, including several prominent Democratic women such as Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, House Democrats’ former campaign chief. What is driving their departures? Join POLITICO on Oct. 27 for “The Exit Interview,” a virtual event that will feature a conversation with departing members where they'll explain why they decided to leave office and what challenges face their parties ahead. REGISTER HERE .

What We're Reading

Biden faces COVID dilemma as a winter wave nears (Axios’ Adriel Bettelheim and Tina Reed)

U.S. offers flu shots to migrants in border custody, reversing long-standing policy (CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez)

Liberals urge Biden to rethink Ukraine strategy (WaPo’s Yasmeen Abutaleb)

The Oppo Book

We’ve previously noted how musically inclined Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN is, from forming his own band to providing his own take on pop star OLIVIA RODRIGO’s music.

He’s so passionate about music, he’s even considered bringing a guitar to diplomatic meetings, he told Rolling Stone back in June 2021 .

“The thought has crossed my mind, except that it would really be unfair to my colleagues here,” he said, during an in-flight conversation with the reporter. “If I started playing, they really have no place to go if you’re on a plane, to get out of the way.”

At least he’s self-aware!

POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

ABRAHAM LINCOLN never actually slept in the room on the southeast area of the second floor of the White House now called, “The Lincoln Bedroom.”

According to the White House Historical Association : “After the HARRY S. TRUMAN renovation (1948-1952), the room was furnished in the Victorian style with several Lincoln-era pieces of furniture, including a rosewood bed purchased by first lady MARY TODD LINCOLN for placement in a White House guest room. Because of the bed’s large dimensions, many have assumed that Lincoln used it but there is no documented evidence that he did.”

A CALL OUT — Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents with a citation and we may feature it.

Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.

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