With the majority of Americans believing that putative Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will not serve out his first term should he be elected, Biden’s choice of junior California Senator Kamala Harris is certainly curious.
According to Rasmussen Reports, which is among the better pollsters in the United States, 59 per cent of likely voters think it probable that Biden’s running mate will likely become president sometime over the course of the four year term.
Underlying that belief, of course, is the acknowledgment by many that Biden’s best days are behind him.
That, of course, is putting it charitably. Biden is clearly not the man he was in the ‘60s, ‘70, ‘80s, ‘90s or even the ‘00s. Watching old videos of him speaking in the Senate or talking with reporters and then comparing them with his current public appearances, it’s hard not to conclude that he has either had a stroke or is in the early stages of dementia.
Whatever Biden’s mental state, it is clear voters believe he will not be president for long should he get elected.
All of which means that Biden’s running mate assumes an importance that most running mates do not ever possess.
That makes Biden’s choice of Harris so perplexing. It’s hard to believe that the Democratic leadership is thrilled with the choice.
Harris, after all, brings little to the table. She polled poorly in the campaign to win the party’s presidential nomination, garnering a mere seven per cent support in her home state. She is simply not a great campaigner and appears petulant most of the time.
Harris is not even a great debater. Tulsi Gabbard eviscerated her during the debates and she was forced to eventually drop out.
The California senator also has a lot of political baggage. As the state’s Attorney General, she was relentless in prosecuting marijuana users only to admit to using the drug herself.
Harris also angrily accused Biden of being a rapist and it will be interesting to see how she walks that one back.
She blocked efforts at justice reform that President Donald Trump proposed that would have helped blacks.
About the only two things that Harris has going for her is that she can present herself as black and she is a woman.
There are, however, many within the Black community who do not see her as being black. Her ethnicity is Jamaican/East Indian and since she is descended from slave owners and spent her formative years in Montreal, she never experienced the kind of racism once seen in the United States.
So will the 60 per cent of voters who think Biden will step down as president really want to vote for President Kamala Harris?
Not likely. Hatred only carries you so far in politics. You need to stand for something to win.
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