“I would say, the best opening so far would be Kamala Harris”, Donald Trump declared, in January of 2019 after the senator launched her bid for The White House at a rally in Oakland before a crowd of more than 20,000 people.
“She had a better crowd, better enthusiasm”, the president assessed.
For the first six months of the Democratic primaries, Harris managed to stay within shouting distance of the top tier.
Indeed, she nearly pole-vaulted into the lead after blindsiding Joe Biden during a testy debate exchange on race relations. Some called it an ambush. Whatever it was, it was a deft maneuver, and her campaign was ready. A picture of a young Kamala featuring a new tag line (“That little girl was me”) appeared on her official Twitter account within minutes of what some believed might be her defining moment.
It wasn’t to be, though. Harris’s campaign quickly faltered. Within six months, her poll numbers had collapsed. By the time she threw in the towel in December amid reports of disaffection among some staff members, she was running barely ahead of candidates who never had a chance.
She would not be “the nominee”, as I suggested in June of 2019.
But, Harris may well end up being vice president. After months of speculation, Biden chose the woman who embarrassed him on the debate stage to be his running mate. She is the first African American woman and first Asian-American to make a major party presidential ticket.
Biden called Harris “fearless” in a tweet. She is, the former vice president said, “one of the country’s finest public servants”.
“Joe Biden can unify the American people because he’s spent his life fighting for us”, Harris said, in a tweet of her own. “I’m honored to join him as our party’s nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief”.
Throughout her own campaign for The White House, Harris took an aggressive approach to addressing the current occupant of the Oval Office, often promising to “prosecute the case” against Trump. She meant the catchphrase figuratively, but given her background, it had literal overtones, something that likely wasn’t lost on a man who has variously leaned on the privileges conferred by the presidency to avoid legal proceedings.
Following Biden’s announcement, the Trump campaign issued an outlandishly scathing statement that was unrecognizable as an official pronouncement emanating from associates of a sitting US president.
“Clearly, Phony Kamala will abandon her own morals, as well as try to bury her record as a prosecutor, in order to appease the anti-police extremists controlling the Democrat Party”, remarks attributed to senior adviser Katrina Pierson read.
Frankly, the rest of Pierson’s short screed is so abrasive that quoting it seems somehow inadvisable. The statement appears to allude to Biden’s death, for example, and features a photoshopped image of Ilhan Omar, an apparent attempt to strike a nerve.
I suppose nobody should be surprised at the overall tone and Trump has made no secret of his strategy to perpetuate the notion that Biden has been captured by “radicals”.
It’s still unclear whether that message will resonate beyond the president’s most ardent followers, who would have voted for him anyway. As discussed at length in “There Can Be No Change“, the notion that Biden is anything other than a Beltway wall fixture — the embodiment of the establishment and an avowed centrist — is far-fetched. For her part, Harris is hardly an ideological sister of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In any event, the stage is now set. And nobody envies Mike Pence, who, assuming the schedule hasn’t changed, will have the misfortune of having to debate Harris on October 7. To say Biden is an easier debate opponent would be the understatement of the year.
She has always seemed like the logical choice
– Left of Biden, but not by too much
– Hard to paint her as a radical (former prosecutor, not yoked to M4A or other Bernie/Warren platform)
– Conventional resume for a VP (big state Senator)
– Tested in electoral politics at a high level (not like Rice, Abrams, etc)
– Capable debater, lasted longer than many in the Dem primary race
– Her attacks on Biden during the Dem debates create a sort of cred (not a Pence type lapdog)
Look for a couple days of news cycle, then back to regular programming (economy, virus, economy, virus)
She will evisstate Pence…Sorry sap that he is…..
Eviserate
Eviscerate
and good for Maya Rudolph @ SNL.
“That little corn pop was me.”
Let’s not forget: An historic choice. Good for Biden; good for America.
JYL, I may have connections into the Trump party that go beyond whatever insights you might possess. Within fifteen minutes of the announcement, I had three emails from that group: one tying KH to George Soros, and the other two disgustingly salacious. By the beginning of November, I’ll have received hundreds of these. I’m sure they go out to huge distribution lists. Nor will they stop with a Democratic victory, should the gods prove so beneficent.
Which is to say, I’m not sure how you define regular programming, but you ought to be prepared for nonstop attacks of the most base sort. MAGA, baby.
@ScottFrew Just proves that the Republican Party has become the home of moral reprobates. Can’t wait to see it consigned to the dustbin of history in this election. Clean sweep, baby.
“Regular programming” will be a continuation of eight years of Obama “birther” hound-dogging and worse, and the (successful) tearing down of Hillary Clinton in 2016. But that’s what we have to face. Ultimately, demographics and the trend of opinion are not in favor of the Trump camp. They will troll, but they may be out of power for a long, long time–depending on whether the Democrats squander their opportunities or capitalize on them.
OMG. Nothing else matters than this…Trump has to, HAS TO, give his nomination acceptance speech at Gettysburg. It would surely be one of the most astonishing moments in American political history.
I wonder if “Vegas” is now quoting higher odds that Trump replaces Pence…
Tulsi for republican ticket VP would be a bold move.
Folks, just FYI (and with all due respect to readers), conversations about Tulsi Gabbard are prone to going off the rails in a hurry. Let’s not go there. If you’re not aware of the reasons why she is controversial, you can Google it. But if this thread goes in the direction of a Tulsi discussion, I will close the comments. It’s not a constructive conversation. More importantly, it’s irrelevant.
I wonder if Nikki Haley’s phone has rung yet…..