Kamala Harris is a 'drag on the ticket' in Joe Biden's election bid, as her popularity sinks to rock bottom with tepid support base
Despite President Joe Biden’s abysmal polling and concerns about his age, his biggest opponent in the November election may not be Donald Trump at all.
Instead, American voters will consider whether or not they’re comfortable with Vice President Kamala Harris as leader of the US in the fairly likely scenario that Biden wouldn’t complete a full second term.
Biden seems to understand this reality himself.
The president said last year that he was “not sure” he would be running this year if Trump wasn’t.
At 81 years old, Biden would finish a second term at 86.
He is already the oldest president in American history and his health and mental faculties are not on his side.
A poll last year found 77 per cent of Americans, including 69 per cent of Democrats, believe the president is simply too old to serve another four years.
A poll from this month found that Trump is now leading Biden by six percentage points. Americans want another option, but not Harris.
Harris may also be the most unpopular vice president in American history, outside of Aaron Burr.
Even without shooting the Secretary of the Treasury, she currently has a rock-bottom 36 per cent favourability rating.
This is below Biden and well below Trump.
Her 55 per cent unfavourable rating is second in American politics behind only Mitch McConnell.
Voters may not consciously weigh her probable ascension to the White House in a second Biden term, but there is a broader understanding of her incompetence and Biden’s frailty.
Trump and even many Democrats will harp on the simple likelihood that a vote for Biden is also a tacit vote for Harris as commander-in-chief.
Harris is also a politician without a significant political following. Biden’s choice was likely influenced more by his consideration of four Black women as his running mate than any track record of political success.
Apart from implying that Biden was racist during a debate, the cackling VP polled in the single digits before dropping out prior to the Iowa caucus.
So if her 2020 campaign was a disaster and she is a drag on the ticket, what would the nation vote for in a possible President Harris?
For starters, we look at the ongoing border disaster and dispute between the state of Texas and the Biden administration.
In March 2021, Biden named Harris his border “czar,” to tackle the crisis.
Almost immediately the number of attempted crossings by illegal aliens spiked.
The Biden Administration has released 6.2 million illegal migrants into the United States in just three years.
For reference, that’s the equivalent of importing a new US city four times the size of Philadelphia.
December 2023 marked the highest monthly total in US history, at more than 300,000.
To say that Harris' three years of trying to handle the border crisis is a failure would be too kind.
Harris is also…not a presidential speaker.
She makes Biden’s meandering statements look like those of Churchill.
The VP frequently starts speaking while apparently not knowing where the statements are going.
She often sounds like a person who has made her career out of “closeness” to her former boss, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and being judged more for her skin tone than competence.
The lack of a constituency for Harris would be the end of any general election hopes if she somehow made it to the top of the ballot.
She has not developed a devoted following from major segments of the black and female cohorts of Democratic Party voters.
Even her support among affluent white women during the 2020 campaign was tepid at best.
Put these factors together and you have a less likable, less respected, less experienced version of Hillary Clinton.
Some voters may not like Donald Trump, but just as they voted against the possibility of Hillary in the White House, many will likely do the same to Harris - whether Biden’s on the top of the ticket or not.
Where does that lead Biden?
Should he decide the replace Harris he would be branded as sexist and racist.
Changing to a more politically skilled running mate would likely shut out parts of the demographics Biden needs to win a second term.
Black and affluent female voters may not particularly like Harris, but would react to the media meltdown of such a decision (especially if his running mate was a straight white male).
Biden is nearing a no-win situation.
If he stays in, he may lose with or without Harris.
Replacing Harris with an actual competent person would cause many Democrats to stay home or vote for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Should Biden really believe his own rhetoric of the negative consequences of Trump pulling a Grover Cleveland, he and his advisors may soon come to understand a difficult pill to swallow: the only way for Democrats to defeat Trump would be for Biden to drop out himself.
Instead, American voters will consider whether or not they’re comfortable with Vice President Kamala Harris as leader of the US in the fairly likely scenario that Biden wouldn’t complete a full second term.
Biden seems to understand this reality himself.
The president said last year that he was “not sure” he would be running this year if Trump wasn’t.
At 81 years old, Biden would finish a second term at 86.
He is already the oldest president in American history and his health and mental faculties are not on his side.
A poll last year found 77 per cent of Americans, including 69 per cent of Democrats, believe the president is simply too old to serve another four years.
A poll from this month found that Trump is now leading Biden by six percentage points. Americans want another option, but not Harris.
Harris may also be the most unpopular vice president in American history, outside of Aaron Burr.
Even without shooting the Secretary of the Treasury, she currently has a rock-bottom 36 per cent favourability rating.
This is below Biden and well below Trump.
Her 55 per cent unfavourable rating is second in American politics behind only Mitch McConnell.
Voters may not consciously weigh her probable ascension to the White House in a second Biden term, but there is a broader understanding of her incompetence and Biden’s frailty.
Trump and even many Democrats will harp on the simple likelihood that a vote for Biden is also a tacit vote for Harris as commander-in-chief.
Harris is also a politician without a significant political following. Biden’s choice was likely influenced more by his consideration of four Black women as his running mate than any track record of political success.
Apart from implying that Biden was racist during a debate, the cackling VP polled in the single digits before dropping out prior to the Iowa caucus.
So if her 2020 campaign was a disaster and she is a drag on the ticket, what would the nation vote for in a possible President Harris?
For starters, we look at the ongoing border disaster and dispute between the state of Texas and the Biden administration.
In March 2021, Biden named Harris his border “czar,” to tackle the crisis.
Almost immediately the number of attempted crossings by illegal aliens spiked.
The Biden Administration has released 6.2 million illegal migrants into the United States in just three years.
For reference, that’s the equivalent of importing a new US city four times the size of Philadelphia.
December 2023 marked the highest monthly total in US history, at more than 300,000.
To say that Harris' three years of trying to handle the border crisis is a failure would be too kind.
Harris is also…not a presidential speaker.
She makes Biden’s meandering statements look like those of Churchill.
The VP frequently starts speaking while apparently not knowing where the statements are going.
She often sounds like a person who has made her career out of “closeness” to her former boss, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, and being judged more for her skin tone than competence.
The lack of a constituency for Harris would be the end of any general election hopes if she somehow made it to the top of the ballot.
She has not developed a devoted following from major segments of the black and female cohorts of Democratic Party voters.
Even her support among affluent white women during the 2020 campaign was tepid at best.
Put these factors together and you have a less likable, less respected, less experienced version of Hillary Clinton.
Some voters may not like Donald Trump, but just as they voted against the possibility of Hillary in the White House, many will likely do the same to Harris - whether Biden’s on the top of the ticket or not.
Where does that lead Biden?
Should he decide the replace Harris he would be branded as sexist and racist.
Changing to a more politically skilled running mate would likely shut out parts of the demographics Biden needs to win a second term.
Black and affluent female voters may not particularly like Harris, but would react to the media meltdown of such a decision (especially if his running mate was a straight white male).
Biden is nearing a no-win situation.
If he stays in, he may lose with or without Harris.
Replacing Harris with an actual competent person would cause many Democrats to stay home or vote for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Should Biden really believe his own rhetoric of the negative consequences of Trump pulling a Grover Cleveland, he and his advisors may soon come to understand a difficult pill to swallow: the only way for Democrats to defeat Trump would be for Biden to drop out himself.
70-79, M
