If not Kamala, then Who?

Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s pick for vice president.

Has he lost his mind? Wait, maybe don’t answer that. Still, the Biden campaign’s decision is utterly bewildering.

As Politico carefully reported on Tuesday, “Biden called Harris ‘a worthy opponent and a worthy running mate,’ referring to the pair’s rivalry during the earlier stages of the Democratic primary.”

Perhaps the former vice president goes by a different definition of “worthy” than the ones in Merriam-Webster: “having worth or value; honorable, meritorious; having sufficient worth or importance.”

He remembers who Kamala Harris is, right? Again, don’t answer that.

Harris’s VP potential has been talked up since she skyrocketed out of the primary last December — a full two months before Iowa. Here’s what one political writer wrote back then:

“Who will Kamala’s supporters now move to support? A bigger question is who cares? It’s true that Kamala Harris had more support in her home state of California than others — but her last poll there had her at half Biden’s support and under a third of Warren’s or Sanders’s. Plus, are we to believe that California Democrats won’t rally behind whoever the nominee is? The African American credentials she so frequently brandished couldn’t convince most black voters to plump for her over old white men like Bernie and Biden. If you picked her as VP, who would she be bringing with her?

‘”In fact, the failures of her campaign should serve as red flags for anyone advising a Democratic candidate on who to choose as a running mate. The way she oscillated between policy positions on topics healthcare during 2019 means she wouldn’t bring credibility on those issues to a ticket. The baggage of her prosecutorial career that she couldn’t shirk? That’s not going anywhere.

“Harris leaned heavily on identitarianism, yet couldn’t make inroads with the identity groups she belongs to. It goes to show that the two leading contenders presently — white men in their late seventies — are politically incorrect and don’t think voters should make up their minds based on identity politics. Many assumed on paper that Harris would be a real contender because she’s a woman of color and a senator. It turns out not many primary voters are picking their candidate of choice on that basis — they want someone they can trust, who seems authentic. As VP, would Kamala tick either box? Or would she be diluting the nominee’s prospects?”

Eight months is a thousand years in politics — but what exactly has changed since the assessment to move the needle in Harris’s favor? If anything, the anti-police, pro-criminal justice reform sentiment among Sanders and Warren supporters makes Officer Kamala a less appealing option.

After South Carolina, all the other moderate Democrats vacated the race because it seemed like Uncle Joe had the black vote locked down. But thanks to Charlamagne Tha God and Kanye West, among other things, Biden’s support among the black community looks less assured in July than it did in late February.

Biden’s VP pick is arguably the most consequential one ever — and countless pundits have blathered on about how laser-focused his team would be on “not upsetting the ticket.” You’d be hard-pressed not to see Kamala Harris as the 77-year-old’s latest blunder. At least we can stop using “veepstakes” taken from the national vocabulary for another three years.

But who could Biden pick if not Harris? There are many others that purportedly still in the race. And Joe has stated several times he wants to choose an African-American female as his running mate. (Doesn’t that sound a bit racist to you? I mean, choosing someone based on skin color IS racist by Uncle Joe’s definition!) That being said, the other African American women that seem to be in the race do not bring very much to the table as far as voter support — unless you’re confident in the current national polls that indicate Joe has the presidency already wrapped up. And I don’t think many are.

So what should Joe do? What CAN Joe do?

Summary

VP Biden has painted himself into a corner! He’s facing something of a conundrum. If he chooses one from the remaining black women on his “list,” that choice will undoubtedly alienate a bunch of middle-of-the-road southern Democrats and some moderate Republicans. “Aw, that’s nothing more than pure racism!” Yep, you might be right. But facts are just facts. In politics, every candidate with half a brain wakes up every morning and sticks a licked finger in the air to determine which way the winds of politics are blowing each day. The morning after Joe selects his running mate — ANY running mate and not just one who is African American — he will have hacked-off millions of would-be Joe voters no matter who he chooses at this point. Why? He painted himself into that corner by assuring voters he would pick a “woman of color.”

That certainly limits his options.

But, you know what? Joe has pretty much messed up quite a few things in his almost “Invisible Man” campaign. For months he never came out of the basement. And when he finally began to roll out his campaign agenda, much of it would have been easier to simply pass around Donald Trump’s accomplishments from the last four years with a banner at the top of each page that says, “Me To!” and sign his name. Nothing he’s discussing that is sensical is original to Joe! Most of it is at least a piece of President Trump’s agenda and accomplishments.

“What are you saying, Dan?”

Honestly, at this point, I feel strongly that Joe is toast. To those who scream daily, “Watch who he picks to run with him. They’re going to after the Democrat Convention and formal announcement of the Democrat ticket; they’re going to quietly announce that Joe has stepped to the side because of failing health.”

That might be true. Few see any way for Biden to make it four full years, let alone eight. And Democrats are scrambling every day to perfect a plan for the REAL replacement for Biden that can possibly beat Mr. Trump. Think about it: can you see any scenario in which Democrat Party leadership would allow Biden to enter three debates? Policy ideas and promises make NO difference to voters picking between the two. On-stage presentation and response to each candidate’s opponent’s handling of debate content and performance will determine who will be our next president.

Uncle Joe is NOT the person I’d want to put up on a stage — three DIFFERENT stages — to paint the perfect picture of what Democrats will make America be under a Biden presidency.

But think about this: in that scenario, we will all be able to see exactly what four more years with Donald Trump as president will allow him to accomplish for us, even with Adam Schiff and Company chasing him all four years with articles of impeachment!

I wonder how many days after November 3rd will it take for the “We Defeated COVID-19” announcement to sound?