Not the Right Fit
Kamala Harris can’t seem to shine as vice president
The expectations were set high when Joe Biden named Kamala Harris as the US 49th vice president. During the national Democratic primaries, the Californian woman had found her rhythm, and was considered a rising start within the party.
When she launched her bid for the presidency in 2019, a lot of people saw in her as an alternative to Biden and Sanders. During the debates on the big stage, she managed to stand out quite effectively. Harris caused a surprise because of her abilities to communicate efficiently, and her understanding of a wide range of issues.
Everyone remembers the moment in June 2019 when she confronted Biden on race, more precisely on the issue of busing and Biden’s position in the 1970s. During that debate, Harris didn’t hesitate to bring up the fact that Joe Biden had “worked” with segregationist senators in the past. Back then, Harris was seen as fearless, not scared to say what she felt like even though it would offend the establishment of the party.
As the democrats were getting closer to finding a nominee, she was trailing big time in the polls. Harris wasn’t able to be seen as a strong contender to the others. That’s why the candidate decided to withdraw her candidacy in December 2019.
When Biden defeated Trump in 2020, Harris became the first female vice president. Sarah Palin had come close to reach that glass ceiling in 2008, when she shared the ticket with John McCain. We now know how much of a mistake that was by the Republican Party.
Vice President Harris is intelligent. She has shown her talent when she was California’s Attorney General for multiple years. I’m just not sure that politics is the right career path for her, especially not in a leadership role as the one she is in right now.
The 58-year-old politician could’ve stayed in the Senate for years to come. She took a chance when seeking the highest office in the country. That fell short. And now, her mandate as vice president doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. As a lot of commentators have said, it is hard to define her legacy to date. That doesn’t mean big things can’t be done before November 2024, but the clock is slowly ticking. Amid inflation and a cost of living crisis, it is going to be challenging for the administration to shine going forward. There are going to be fewer occasions for big announcements.
Democrats aren’t pleased with her performance in her current role. Backstage, there must be a lot of discussions to try to convince her to make way for someone else. Americans are also not impressed. According to the polling site FiveThirtyEight, around 39% of Americans approve of her performance.
A vice president is usually someone who could soon become president. The party usually expects that person to take over the reign of the party after a president decides to leave or finishes his second term. This is accurate in this case, as President Biden might not seek another mandate in 2024. At 80 years old, Biden is already the oldest president in the nation’s history. Politically, Biden can brag about having the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years. He is also the president who managed to put a stop to the war in Afghanistan. Lots has been done. However, since communications is so vital to politics, Americans are stuck on his stuttering, and his tendency to get lost in his own thoughts when he speaks in public, which isn’t getting better.
Biden may say that he wants to run again in the upcoming presidential election, but the truth is that democrats are already looking for a potential successor, hoping that the president leaves by his own will.
It has been reported this week that less than 50% of democrats want to see Biden on the ticket in less than two years. That isn’t good news for the president and his inner circle. A Biden-Trump rematch would also be a tight battle if it was meant to happen. We don’t want a scenario in which Trump still wins the popular vote, and manages to win the election. We know too well by now that anything goes against Trump. We need a stronger candidate that can stand up to him during the tumultuous and unpredictable moments.
