Why Walz? My Guess is Imposter’s Syndrome.

Why did Kamala Harris pick Tim Walz? Well, we know this: It was not for the sake of “diversity.” Not to tack toward the ideological “middle” for the general election, as is the traditional practice. Not for any discernible electoral advantage. So why? My guess is that her choice was psychological as much as anything. I say that because there are pretty odd things about these two that are hard to ignore.

Some facts: We know that Kamala Harris goes through staffers at a 95% turnover rate. We know that as California’s Attorney General, she expected to be greeted by staffers with, “Good morning, General.” We have seen that she responds very defensively to even the most gentle challenges from the press. We know she has not exposed herself to any questioning from the press since Biden endorsed her for President. When she speaks publicly, we know she is careful to speak only in zero-calorie word salads containing nothing substantive that might invite a difficult question.

As for Walz, we know he is, ideologically, as perfect a twin to Kamala Harris as any of the candidates. From the reports of the VP interviews, we know that Walz disclaimed any personal ambitions beyond VP, and pledged to Harris he would do whatever she required of him. One staffer admitted Harris went with her “gut,” with an aid characterizing Harris’s decision as akin to choosing--wait for it--a husband.

So here’s the theory: All politicians are narcissistic, but the psychological literature makes a distinction between “grandiose” narcissists and “vulnerable” narcissists, and Harris has all the markings of a vulnerable narcissist. This would explain a lot because to the vulnerable narcissist, being greeted with anything other than flattery and sycophancy is not just insulting, as it is to the grandiose type. It is panic-inducing. This is because vulnerable narcissists are highly sensitive to the terrors of imposter syndrome--the dread that one’s incompetence will suddenly be exposed for all to see. The haughtiness of the vulnerable narcissist does not reflect confidence. Just the opposite. It is a defense against deep feelings of inadequacy. To someone with imposter syndrome, any kind of challenge presents a risk that her cover will be blown--that she will be exposed as an incompetent fraud. And it's terrifying.

It looks to me like Harris picked Walz because she trusts him, more than the others, not to expose her in an unflattering way. She trusts Walz to do her bidding loyally and not to challenge her in any way that might expose her as a fraud. It's the same fear of exposure that keeps her hiding from the press. It’s the same fear of exposure that limits her public statements to comically vacuous bromides. My hunch is that Harris is actually more afraid of being exposed as a fraud than she is of losing the election. So she picked Walz--not because he increases her chances of winning the Presidency-- but because Walz makes her feel that with him, as opposed to the others, her imposter’s mask will remain safely in place.