It’s pretty clear that many Democrats have been waiting for years for someone to smack Trump around–and not just win a debate on points, but diminish him personally, since that’s how you truly beat a Gish Galloper. I think this is where someone with Harris’ background as a prosecutor is critical. Most politicians, to the extent they’re good at the gladhanding stuff (and Vance, for example, is not), are nice. That is, they’re able to get along with most people, and can be very personable in the moment.

But to do what Harris did, you must go after Trump personally. Not just his ideas (such as they are), but you have to be prepared to make him look bad at a very fundamental level. You need to draw out the worst in him. That’s not something most politicians instinctively do–it’s often the exact opposite of what they’ve trained themselves to do.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, are used to having to give people one of the worst days of their lives. While there are some criminal defendants for whom one might feel no mercy, many criminal defendants, including the ones who did bad, even awful, things often have some humanity, or they are wrapped up in a tragic, horrible situation. If nothing else, one realizes that had things worked out a little differently, if someone else had intervened earlier on their behalf, they might not be in court. And you still have to lower the boom.

Someone like that would have no problem baiting Trump into melting down–and Harris did so masterfully, getting the meltdown precisely when she needed it, when the debate focused on her weakest issues. Admittedly, most politicians won’t meltdown like Trump, but they won’t Gish Gallop without any care like he does either. It was the right skill set for the right moment.