Republicans have identified what they believe to be a weak link in Joe Biden’s sclerotic reelection campaign: Vice President Kamala Harris.
Her favorability rating is low. Her disapproval ranking is high. Moreover, she’s got a terrible track record on the policy front.
She was chosen by the Biden Campaign in 2020 on the notion that Harris, as a younger politico than Biden, would be ready on day one to replace Joe Biden when (and if) he died before his term ended.
Over the previous three years, however, Harris’ repeated policy failures coupled with her bizarre public outbursts, have led many—even on the Democratic Party—to question her competency.
That was the one strength that was supposed to transcend all other elements of her strengths and weaknesses.
And Harris as vice-president has blown it.
Democrats Will Rally Behind Kamala Harris
Democrats, of course, will rally around their lady-in-waiting.
Yet, Republicans must make the case that she’s not ready to lead. And, yes, the 2024 Presidential Election will be one of the rare occasions where the vice-presidential nominee matters.
Democrats are already waxing ambivalent about Harris’ failures.
Sure, they say, she’s got bad ratings. But those ratings are no worse than were Joe Biden’s when he was Barack Obama’s number two. Again, though, no one was seriously concerned that Obama would be taken out of commission at any moment in the same way that they are understandably concerned President Biden might be out as commander-in-chief.
The man will be 82 as the 2024 General Election gets underway. The average lifespan for men in the United States is 77 years of age.
The DNC is making the case that whatever failures Harris has experienced as vice president (she has been given a sizable portfolio by her boss, Joe Biden, and she has categorically failed to resolve any of those issues or even slightly mitigate them) are irrelevant.
This argument links back to the Democrats’ first argument, which is that no one really cares about the vice president. But should Republicans smartly highlight her numerous failures as vice president, it might just cleave enough voters away from the Biden-Harris ticket to give the GOP an edge.
Plus, whatever losses the Democrats suffer because the GOP’s competency arguments against Harris end up working, Democratic Party insiders reassure themselves that the fact that Harris a woman of color will make up for that difference.
Maybe.
Certainly, Vice-President Harris has become the poster child for no-limits abortifacients for all Americans, no questions asked. That will work in her favor. It’s why Harris has dropped talk about the border, about Ukraine, about space (the vice-president is in charge of the National Space Council), and has spent the bulk of her time in public hectoring Republicans about the beauty of limitless abortion.
Let’s look at the numbers, though, shall we?
Abortion is Not Necessarily a Decisive Victory for Democrats
Sixty-one percent of Americans polled want abortion to remain legal. This is the broad stroke that Democrats are rightly focusing on as a political strategy in what will be a contentious 2024 Presidential Election.
This fixation on abortion rights has pushed the Democrats over the edge in 2018, 2020, and 2022 when Republicans should have otherwise won (at least in 2018 and 2022 they should have wiped the floor with the Democrats). So, it makes sense for Harris to be made the face of the Biden Administration’s abortion program.
But dig deeper into those numbers.
Most Americans, in fact, do support reasonable limits on abortion. This is a stark contrast to what Vice-President Harris and the Democrats have been saying. While Harris might help secure college-educated, single women in the cities, a smart Republican line about protecting the lives of the mothers who might be harmed from unfettered abortions might just blunt the blow from Harris’ one line of attack that could damage the GOP.
Kamala Harris in the Spotlight
Kamala Harris remains the weak link in the Biden Campaign for reelection.
Republicans are correct in seeking ways to exploit that obvious weakness. The reason that the Democrats are getting so vocal about downplaying Harris’ negatives is because they know that she is the one thing that could damage their chances at remaining in power.
Further, it explains why there are series of articles coming out praising First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. She is the real power behind the throne, and she appeals to many of the same voters that Harris does—but she is more popular than Vice-President Harris.
The bottom line here is that Republicans have to press their attacks against Harris; they must focus solely on her abject failures at the policy level to diminish her in the eyes of enough voters so as to break apart the coalition of minority voters that supported her in 2020.
MORE: Kamala Harris Is a Disaster
MORE: Joe Biden – Headed For Impeachment?
A 19FortyFive Senior Editor, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
