The Stacks, Episode 390: What Happened in Those 107 Days with Kamala Harris
Host: Traci Thomas
Guest: Vice President Kamala Harris
Date: September 23, 2025
Episode Overview
In this landmark episode of The Stacks, host Traci Thomas welcomes Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss her new book, 107 Days. The conversation explores the whirlwind 107-day presidential campaign, the personal and political reflections that followed, and Harris’s candid assessments of the challenges, missteps, and lessons from that historic period. The dialogue covers campaign pressures, the flaws in political systems, candid regrets and learnings on divisive issues, Harris’s approach to writing, and her vision for civic engagement and national hope moving forward.
Tone: Warm, open, and at times deeply personal, with Harris providing rare behind-the-scenes insights and Thomas engaging as both a political observer and book lover.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Framing the Book: A Political Thriller
- Harris distinguishes 107 Days from her previous memoirs, explaining it’s “not a memoir,” but rather “a political thriller, nonfiction” about an extraordinary campaign moment ([03:16]).
- She emphasizes capturing both the behind-the-scenes dynamics and the optimism she encountered across America:
“We as Americans really do have an incredible amount of optimism and hope for the future of our country… we can’t let that die.”
(Kamala Harris, [04:02])
2. Candid Reflections and Regrets
- Harris is notably self-critical regarding decisions made during the campaign, especially her hesitation to intervene at critical moments:
“I had to ask myself, was it grace or was it reckless on my behalf… to have not raised it with him…was he really up to running?”
(Kamala Harris, [06:28]) - She clarifies the narrative: it’s not about Biden or the Vice Presidency, but about that specific 107-day gauntlet and what it revealed.
3. The Role of Instinct vs. Data in Campaigning
- Early stages were guided by instinct, not polling. Harris describes how some of the campaign’s most resonant lines—such as “We’re not going back”—emerged ([09:59]).
- Yet, the intrusion of polling later complicated strategic decisions:
“Sometimes I think it’s just important to trust your life experience, that your gut might actually be right, even when the pollsters don’t think that it’s correct.”
(Kamala Harris, [11:52])
4. Systemic Flaws & the Politics of Time
- The conversation critiques the expectation of instant legislative results and the limitations of short-term political cycles:
“We set these legislators up with an expectation that within two years they’re going to get something substantial done… We have a right to expect that our politicians are going to solve problems. I think we have to look at how the system is designed…”
(Kamala Harris, [14:49]) - Harris advocates for allowing “hypotheses” in policymaking, drawing from her mother’s scientific approach:
“We want politicians to have the plan…then they have to spend full time defending a flawed plan.”
(Kamala Harris, [16:05])
5. Strength, Ego, and the Character of Leadership
- Both discuss the American tendency to conflate strength with domination, rather than with “who you lift up” ([18:17]).
- Harris welcomes confidence in leaders, but calls for a deeper conversation on what true strength means in public life.
6. Difficult Issues: Gaza, Trans Rights & Regrets
On Gaza
- Harris admits limited and, in hindsight, flawed exercise of U.S. leverage post-October 7th:
“I regret that we did not exercise that leverage in a way that I think we could have. And I look at what’s happening now in Gaza and…I mean, my heart breaks.”
(Kamala Harris, [21:31])
On Trans Rights
- She highlights the manufactured controversy around trans athletes and the real consequences for a marginalized population:
“Part of my regret in the campaign is I should have pushed back more on what they were doing.”
(Kamala Harris, [23:37])
On Distractions from Core Issues
- Both critique the fixation on culture war distractions at the expense of affordability and material conditions ([25:11]).
7. Writing Process and Rituals
- Harris shares her practical, tactile approach:
“I have my favorite blue pen. And you know, I’m old school that way. Like, just give me a yellow pad and a pen and I’m really happy…”
(Kamala Harris, [31:33]) - She describes an early morning workout and tea as essential pre-writing rituals.
8. Collaboration with Geraldine Brooks
- Harris collaborated with renowned novelist Geraldine Brooks to infuse the narrative with the depth and pace of a thriller while retaining non-fictional integrity ([34:01]):
“I wanted to work with someone who would get it, who would understand the depth and nuance of the issues… I wanted it to read like a novel.”
(Kamala Harris, [34:08])
9. Harris’s Own Reading Tastes
- Recommends How to Say Babylon (“an incredible book about a woman’s journey”) and Master Slave Husband Wife ([35:22]).
10. Looking Ahead: Advice and Hope
- Harris acknowledges the darkness of the current moment, but insists hope and fighting spirit are core American qualities:
“We have to fight, and we have to know that the fight takes a while, but we cannot give up. We cannot let our spirits be defeated. Right. Then they're really winning.”
(Kamala Harris, [36:12]) - She is noncommittal about future runs for office, citing a desire to listen rather than campaign ([37:59]):
“I want to be able to listen to people without asking them for something. I don’t want it to be transactional.”
(Kamala Harris, [38:11])
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On political candor and regret:
“I have been probably more candid in writing and in my reflections than people thought I would be, but I just think it’s important to be honest about just what it was so that we can move forward.”
(Kamala Harris, [07:20]) -
On campaign stress:
“Running for President of the United States…it’s like being in a marathon at a sprinter’s pace while tomatoes are being thrown at you, every step you take.”
(Kamala Harris, [06:38]) -
On leadership style:
“The real measure of strength [is] who you lift up. Right. And right now…there are so many signals…suggesting that the strong person is the one who knows how to beat people down, minimize people, depreciate people, marginalize people…”
(Kamala Harris, [18:44]) -
On her writing quirks:
“People have made fun of me…because I have this one favorite pen…If that's the sign of somebody who likes to write, yes, they have a favorite kind of pen.”
(Kamala Harris, [32:13]) -
Who she’d most like to read her book:
“My mother, of course.”
(Kamala Harris, [38:43])
Important Timestamps
- 03:16 – Harris sets the tone for 107 Days: Not a memoir; a political nonfiction thriller.
- 06:28 – Harris on realizing she should have raised concerns with Biden.
- 09:59 – Discussing the importance of political instinct versus polling.
- 14:49 – Harris on systemic flaws in legislative timelines.
- 16:05 – Policymaking as “hypothesis” vs. “the plan.”
- 18:44 – Leadership strength, ego, and values.
- 21:31 – Harris’s regrets on Gaza and U.S. leverage.
- 23:37 – On failing to push back enough on anti-trans rhetoric.
- 31:33 – Harris on her writing rituals and love of the blue pen.
- 34:08 – On working with Geraldine Brooks.
- 36:12 – Closing advice: “We have to fight…Let’s not be defeated.”
- 37:59 – Harris on her (non-)plans for future public office.
- 38:43 – The one person she’d want to read her book.
Final Thoughts
This episode goes far beyond the typical political book tour, offering rare vulnerability and insight from Vice President Harris and smart, incisive questioning from Traci Thomas. Harris’s willingness to reflect critically on her own decisions, the campaign’s pivotal moments, and systemic flaws in American politics marks a standout moment in the genre of political conversation.
For listeners: If you seek a candid, nuanced account of modern campaigning and the intersections of hope, policy, and personal reflection, this episode is essential—and so, it seems, is Harris’s 107 Days.