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Op-Ed: The Democrats' Harris problem is America's problem

[The Center Square] William Haupt II

"It's easy being vice president. You know, you really don't have to do anything."
 
 – Joe Biden

The role of America's vice president has never been a job, just a title. Our Constitution defines it as having two roles: To replace the president in case of death, resignation or inability to discharge his duties; and to preside over the Senate and cast tie-breaking votes. Most end up as the blunt of bad jokes on late night TV shows or a trivia pursuit question. And each becomes a footnote in history.

One would think since VPs are presidents to be, they’d be chosen wisely. But they are picked to deliver votes. Many are chosen because they finished second in the TV debates. But the greatest injustice for deciding on a VP is to choose one simply because of their gender or race, or ethnicity.

Last election, the left was so desperate to defeat the populist icon Donald Trump, they left no stone unturned. They closed down their economies to impede a recovery and pulled a candidate out of the old folks home when socialist Bernie Sanders stole the hearts of millennials. To seal the deal, they hand-picked a woman VP of mixed ethnicity to ensure a large turnout from all identity groups.



The left was so concerned about Biden's gaffs and inability to respond to interviewers they locked him in his basement during the campaign. And like his VP, nobody knew what they were getting.

"I had no interest in having a job where I had to produce. That's why I chose politics."

– Joe Biden

Given Biden will be 81 by the next election, you'd think the left would have made an attempt to pick a running mate who was capable of assuming the role of president in a "NY City minute!" Or at the very least, choose a candidate that was capable of winning in 2024.

Obviously, winning this election was more important to the left than winning for America's future.

By choosing Harris as a running mate, Biden received a surge in campaign donations from identity groups and progressives. Millennials jumped for joy since a Jamaican-Indian woman was on the ticket. During the campaign, the left also forgave Harris' dubious past forays in California politics.

"I firmly believe in that old adage that as goes California, so goes the country."

– Kamala Harris

Who a presidential candidate chooses as a running mate tells Americans about their judgment and decision-making. The Democrats worked overtime to ensconce Biden's long history of gaffes and "inconvenient truths." But they totally failed in vetting his running mate, Kamala Harris. As voters listen to her smirk, giggle and stumble through issues, they wish they'd known more about her past.

According to CNN, Harris' presidential campaign raised $12 million in the first few months; then it died. The more Americans learned about Harris' political record in California and about how she succeeded in left coast politics, her numbers collapsed. By July, she was at a meager 19%. And by the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, she was at 8%. That's when her campaign manager quit.

In an excoriating resignation letter obtained by the NY Times, Harris’ state operations director Kelly Mehlenbacher accused her of treating the staff appallingly poor. When she laid off dozens of aides and advisers at the Baltimore headquarters, he wrote; "That was the final straw; I just had to leave. This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat people so bad.”

By October, Harris was out of money, she fell out of the polls, and locked up her campaign office.

During Harris' presidential bid, her headquarters refused to respond to a San Francisco Chronicle article written by the former San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown. He detailed all he did to help her career when they were a "couple." Brown was married while he and Harris were involved, but he retorts that he was estranged from his wife. Harris was 29 and Brown was 60 when they first met.

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When Biden won the primary, there were calls from within his party to choose a Black woman as his running mate. Democratic strategists felt a Black woman would lock down a progressive victory and make up for Biden's shortcomings. This would also mask his unimpressive record on racial issues.

But when Harris' name popped up, there were concerns about her political and her personal past.

Those close to Biden who were aware of his deficiencies, including a number of key progressive donors, had concerns about Harris' attacks on Biden's past issues on race during a debate. They questioned her personal past, her loyalty to Biden and her qualifications. They argued that she was too ambitious and focused on herself.

I was raised to be an independent woman."

– Kamala Harris

Harris is the most unpopular VP in years. In a recent YouGov poll, her approval rating is 25 points under the average of past vice presidents in their first year. Over 50% of those surveyed expressed a recusant opinion of her. For a VP to engender such negative numbers in six months is not great.

It's been months since Harris was assigned to control Biden's border crisis, but she refuses to go to the region. When asked why she avoids going there, she delivers her dismissive laugh. She says she is focused on the “root causes,” but that is her way of avoiding the issue entirely. She knows that Joe Biden caused the problem and the only remedy is to shut down the borders ASAP.

"At some point – you know – we are going to the border. It's all about the border."

– Kamala Harris

The New York Post reported when Harris recently arrived in Guatemala to discuss the vast number of migrants fleeing to the U.S., as her aircraft landed she was deluged with signs that read, "Trump won" and "Go home." While she entered her limo, there was a banner that read, "Guatemala is pro-life.” Another banner read, “Guatemala is a Catholic nation.”

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei was not impressed with Harris' views on immigration. He told the media, "We asked the United States to send a clear message to prevent more people from leaving here." He added that Harris "is not on the same side as us" with regards to migration.



Former VP Dan Quayle said, "There's no success in failure." Since she has been in office Kamala Harris has not lived up to her media billing. She has failed to impress her own party as well as her critics. Yet she is the presumptive heir to the oval office, which is scary. Biden is on borrowed time. Knowing this, Democrats put more importance on winning an election than concern for Americans.

America needs to right the ship before it takes on more water and sinks. We don't need a "historic vice president who might be the actual president some day" Republicans best chance is to invest in the midterms and take back Congress, and pray Biden survives until the end of his term. It is hard to fathom that America's future could be in the hands of someone who can make Dan Quayle seem like a genius.

“I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can be no doubt that such men do not run.”

– Alexis de Tocqueville

 

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