I recall saying that when Kamala Harris became the Vice-President, she was pretty much a sure thing. The Biden team was looking for a black woman to take on Trump. She also happened to be a prosecutor. All the convenience of form and function in one package.
It was, as media leaks in the lead-up suggested. Harris, who was chosen as Biden’s running mate in the past, has now proven that her failed bid for president wasn’t a mistake, but a reflection of her as a political leader. She’s not qualified to run for America’s highest office and was a bad attack dog against Trump.
Whether Trump fans like it or not, 2020 was Trump’s failure – from the handling of COVID to the lack of a clear message – and he lost to a quickly-dimming lightbulb and that lightbulb’s inept running mate.
There are signs, almost four years after the election, that Joe Biden may be running his campaign primarily from a basement in 2024. Many people are wishing him to drop off the ticket. The chaotic Republican primary has left Democrats both nervous and hopeful that the Republicans will not be able to unite behind a strong candidate.
The New York Times has a lovely little article this morning about Vice President Kamala Harris who is currently on the campaign trail for Biden as his primary surrogate.
Since her time as a rising senator in California, Ms. Harris’s performance as Vice President has been criticized. She has faced difficult assignments, such as the causes of illegal immigration and the narrow road to lasting voting rights protections. As Democrats wondered if she would be a liability to the ticket, they began to worry about her future.
Ms. Harris has taken recent steps to try to quiet these concerns and regain the momentum that brought her to Joseph R. Biden Jr. as a presidential candidate and to the White House in the year 2020.
Cedric Richmond is a senior advisor for the Democratic National Committee. He said that the vice President’s decision to challenge the Republican Party – assertively and in the real world – was a key part of the campaign’s 2024 strategy.
In the article, it is noted that Harris started her campaign by going to Florida and attacking Ron DeSantis. This was not only factually incorrect but also managed to get Republican candidates to join her in her attack. She then went to Iowa to discuss abortion politics near an event where several GOP candidates spoke. She’s trying to fulfill the role she was selected to perform in 2020. She is supported by a sympathetic media (though I cannot tell for the life of me if it’s because they like or want to like her) and she’s trying her best.
Harris will be the main focus of attention in 2016. Biden is expected to take a back seat. The Times article noted that it allowed Biden to remain “above” the fray. He wants voters to forget about his divisive and far-left partisan past.
Harris may be able to appease the base, but she’s not able to unite anyone. And 2024 will likely be a very difficult election. The problem is, those who are dissatisfied with Biden’s performances are also the ones who will need to unite. Biden has done nothing that can be called “successful”. Although the numbers show that the economy is recovering, Americans continue to pay higher prices and face higher energy costs.
Harris is a good speaker on race and abortion but can she convince Americans that they are better now than when Trump was president?
