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Kamala Harris Booed At Her Alma Mater’s Basketball Game

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Vice President Kamala Harris did not have the start to the college basketball championship tournament that she would have wanted.

Not only did her alma mater of the March Madness NCAA men’s basketball tournament this month, but when she went to the game the crowd did not receive her warmly.

She was booed at the game where the college she attended, the HBCU Howard University, was bounced by Kansas in a blowout, Newsweek reported.

As if being defeated was not enough, the Howard players were then treated to a speech from the vice president.

“You played hard. You played to the very last second. You made all us Bisons proud,” she said, The Associated Press reported. “You are smart. You are disciplined. You put everything you had into the game. You guys did not stop, and that is so inspiring. So you keep playing with chin up and shoulders back because you showed the world who Bison are.”

Harris graduated from arguably the most prominent historically black college in the nation in 1986.

“So I know you may not be feeling great right now, OK, but know who you are,” she said. “You are excellence. You are hard work. You are powerful, and you are winners.”

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But not everyone was disappointed to see the vice president.

“It’s amazing to know we have people of such power that are affiliated with us and supporting us at the same time,” Howard player Shy Odom said.

As for the boos, The Associated Press speculated that it was because the two states involved are Republican.

“When Harris was shown on the video board during the game, the boos — Kansas and Iowa are Republican-leaning states, after all — outweighed the applause,” it said.

But it was not the only place this week where Harris got a hostile reception.

She appeared on “The Late Show” with host Stephen Colbert and her tough night started before she even got in the building.

She was greeted by protesters shouting “lock her up” and chasing her motorcade, a video showed.

On the show, she struggled to explain what her actual job as vice president is.

“I know you love ‘Veep,’” she said to Colbert, referencing the show that depicts the fictional life of a fake vice president.

“I do! I love ‘Veep.’ Is it accurate?” Colbert said.

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“I know you love VEEP. There are bits of it that are actually quite accurate. Last week, so my team, we were having long days as usual a member of my team decided to do something very sweet for me. I was out of my office in the west wing having a meeting across the street and walking back toward my office and I need to tell you something. The winter is almost over, it was really cold today. We haven’t lit the fireplace So I decided when you’re in the meeting to light the fire place. But I forgot to open the flu flu and so the secret service is like ma’am, you cannot go back to your office. Because there was smoke everywhere,” she said.

“So there are those moments. But recently, an event at the White House, the first time I met (star Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and she is terrific,” the vice president said.

“One of the themes of the show is that her character, Selina Meyer, is frustrated by the sometimes vague duties of the role. It’s a high constitutional office but does not describe what you’re supposed to be doing. Does that ring true? Like, what’s the actual role on a daily basis as you have found it?” the host said.

“Well, I have the great privilege of serving with Joe Biden, who is the President of the United States… and was vice president,” the vice president said.

“Does he understand what it’s like to be vice president?” Colbert said.

“He does, he does,” the vice president said. “He really is a true partner and he understands that job. And remember, we came in during the height of the pandemic. And so much of the work was about okay, we’ve got to cover a lot of bases, and let’s figure out between us how we can do it. But he’s an extraordinary leader and I wish people could see what I see because there’s only one person who sits behind that Resolute Desk. And the decisions that a person has to make are the decisions that nobody else in the country can make. And he’s an extraordinary leader. He really is.”

“That’s an excellent answer and, uh, the question was what’s the job of the vice president,” the host said, triggering the vice president’s well-known cackle. “And your answer is part of the job, I’m guessing.”