Kamala Harris warns that Democratic Party is 'stuck in the past,' speaking inauthentically

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said the Democratic Party was "stuck in the past" on Wednesday during an interview with former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, arguing that party officials weren't speaking "authentically."

Harrison, host of the "At Our Table" podcast, asked Harris whether she felt the Democratic Party was too risk-averse in its messaging and policy.

"Yeah, I think that in some ways, we are very much stuck in the past," Harris said. "And so we're not speaking in a way that sounds authentic or relatable or just relevant. You know, we got to speak to this moment." 

"That is about, also, risk-averse. I'd say that part of my thought on that as a general matter is, we have to be able to accept that there are voices that are maybe new to the room, but have something important to say," she continued.

WASHINGTON POST SLAMS KAMALA HARRIS BOOK TOUR, SAYS DEMS DON'T 'HAVE TIME TO WASTE' ON FORMER VP

Harris added that newer voices should not be discounted because "it's not the way we talk."

"I think that there is a lot that we need to do. That is about recognizing we give a lot of lip service to listening to the people — but are we really listening?" the former Democratic presidential nominee continued.

Harrison said members of the party need to be accepting of people who don't agree on everything.

"I think these purity tests that we see within our party also are very harmful. You know, if we say that we are the big-tent party, then that means you can't dismiss everybody just because the one issue they don't agree with you on," he said. 

"I mean, if I find common ground with you on 75 or 85% of the things, well, then let's work on the 75 or 80% of things, and then we can fight like hell on the other 20% later on, but it's just, we're not one-dimensional, we are three-dimensional people," he continued. 

JON STEWART SLAMS KAMALA HARRIS OVER HER EXPLANATION OF WHY SHE SNUBBED PETE BUTTIGIEG FOR VP

Harris has been touring the country to promote her memoir, "107 Days," which recounts her historically short presidential campaign in 2024.

She told The New York Times in an interview published last week that she viewed herself as a historic figure.

"I understand the focus on ’28 and all that," Harris told the Times. "But there will be a marble bust of me in Congress. I am a historic figure like any Vice President of the United States ever was."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

"Thousands of people are coming to hear my voice — thousands and thousands," she added. "Every place we’ve gone has been sold out."