Astute Kamala Harris is a compelling choice for president compared to Donald Trump: Will Cooper

Presidential campaigns, of course, deal in caricatures and exaggerations. And neither side gets it right.

So who, exactly, is Kamala Harris?

She can be defined most clearly by who she's not.

First, she's not Barack Obama. She doesn't have the former president’s charisma or natural connection with voters. Obama filled stadiums and inspired millions with the power of his message and the flare of his speeches. He was a transformative presidential candidate.

Harris is not. She isn’t the leader of a great movement. Nor does she inspire the multitudes with her riveting oratory. Compared to Obama she's rather underwhelming.

But she is an astute politician who has succeeded at the local, state, and national levels. While her first presidential campaign was embarrassingly disorganised, if her team stays focused this time around she will be a strong candidate.

With the Democrats’ entire machine coalescing around her, this seems likely. Her favourability ratings have materially jumped since she entered the race.

Second, Harris is not Joe Biden. She doesn't have the current president’s policy background or deep federal-government experience. Biden entered the senate in 1972, when Harris was six years old. Nor does Harris have the Obama tailwind that Biden enjoyed after serving as Obama’s vice president for eight years.

But she's not a government neophyte either. She was San Francisco’s district attorney; then California’s attorney general; then a United States senator; and now the vice president. And if elected president she will likely put together a strong cabinet. She's been a mainstream Democrat for years and will surround herself with seasoned leaders from within the party.

Finally – and most importantly – Kamala Harris is not Donald Trump. She's not a shameless propagandist who traffics in personal grievance and constitutional illiteracy. Nor has she tried to reverse a presidential election. And she’s now Trump’s only alternative for the presidency. Given the domestic dysfunction and international discord likely in another Trump term, that doesn't just make her a solid presidential candidate. It makes her a compelling one.

Indeed, contemporary American politics is rarely about championing your ideal candidate or favorite policy proposal.

Far more often it's about discerning your least-worst option. And even if Harris isn't a generational political talent or great leader of women and men, she's exponentially better than the alternative.

Harris, an African American, would be the first woman president – an astounding personal achievement and momentous national step forward. But she is, at her core, a traditional Democratic politician. She's not a rock star (like Obama); she's not way too old (like Biden); and she's not a wannabe dictator (like Trump). She's smart. She's experienced. She's focused. And if she wins in November, she will give America what it needs most from its president: a reversion toward the mean.

William Cooper is the author of How America Works … And Why It Doesn’t.