Kamala Harris Tries to Break Out of Her Slump: In a business that builds you up and then tears you down, Vice President Kamala Harris is in “tear down” mode, and her supporters are struggling to pick up the pieces.
Even the New York Times, a faithful Biden-Harris ally, has written an article questioning her political skills and staying power a few months back.
This is a “critical time” for the vice president, and she is not rising to the task, the article explains. What happens next?
Kamala Harris: Where Do We Start?
So, what’s the problem?
There are problems – emphasis on the plural.
Let’s start with her communications skills. Unintelligible word salads and a cackling laugh often accompany her public appearances.
There is a weird phrasing repetition and a sense of surprise when confronted with complex thoughts.
She is terrible on the stump and lacks improvisation skills, but she refuses to stay on script.
Even the simplest speeches are a challenge. She also wants to make her talks more “significant and direct” the Times says. But her staff just wishes her to stay afloat and not drown in wordy platitudes.
Other VPs Have Outclassed Her
She also has no substantial policy role in the administration. Vice President Mike Pence was known for his steadfast Conservative Christianity and his magic touch with evangelicals. He flew the flag high for religious liberty and pro-life voters. Vice President Dick Cheney, for better or for worse, was a clear leader during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Harris is not even close to these two in influence and gravitas.
Please Let Me Quit
Next she has difficulty retaining staff.
People quit to “spend more time with family” which is code for “let me out of here fast.” Who are her speechwriters? They must have a terrible time getting Harris to make sense with her public statements.
No staffer seems to know what to do.
She Looks Good on Paper
Kamala Harris has much potential but is she living up to her resume and back story?
She is a historic person – the first African-American and Indian-American woman to serve as vice president. She has a glowing resume – district attorney of San Francisco, attorney general of California, and U.S. Senator.
She ran for president in a crowded primary and lost badly, but this campaign gave her prior experience in the national spotlight. Harris even held her own in a high-pressure debate against Pence.
Not Rising to the Challenge
It is a shock that Harris has been so bad.
Even her biggest fans know that it will be difficult to rehabilitate her image. The New York Times article referenced above said it best, “…She has not risen to the challenge of proving herself as a future leader of the party much less the country. Even some Democrats whom her adviser referred to for supportive quotes confided privately that they lost hope in her.”
When the liberal media gives you a beat down like that, it is difficult to come back.
The White House Is Trying to Make It Work
President Biden has given her chance after chance to improve. He is now trying to give her a voice against racism and police brutality in addition to abortion rights. He also has chosen in her again to be part of the 2024 ticket for the White House. Many were against that move.
This makes sense. Maybe that is a winning formula for Harris.
This is a more serious and unceremonial role, but something that she could grow into.
The American People Are Unimpressed
Kamala Harris has time to figure this out and improve. She is supposed to be the one who gives Biden a vigorous spark during campaign season.
Republicans are already biting at the president’s heals. They smell weakness in Harris and will continue to make her a target for criticism.
The American people are also not impressed. Harris’ approval ratings according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight are at 37.8 percent with 51.3 percent disapproving. It will be difficult to improve on this figure.
The vice president knows she is at a crossroads. The New York Times article is one of many indictments against her tenure. There is time to turn things around, but she needs to stop making mistakes. You can hide in the Senate – there are 99 other lawmakers. This allows one to blend in and shy away from the constant spotlight.
Now she is a heartbeat away from the presidency and is struggling in a job that was supposed to be much easier.
Kamala Harris needs some base hits to get out of this slump and her enemies are happy to see her struggle at the plate.
Author Expertise and Experience: Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
BENNIE Cole
February 11, 2023 at 7:42 pm
You nothing about Black Women!!! Kamala is a strong Black woman far stronger than you or President Biden. You are trying to grade her on a white man’s scale. Will not work. Your comments about her are distasteful and repulsive! your comments dipict how iliterate you are about Black women and their strenghts! You should research your articles before displaying them in the name of facts or truths! BLACK WOMEN ARE UNIQUE! Kamala can put you to shame!
David
February 12, 2023 at 3:09 pm
Not the best VP in history but certainly better than the wooden stooge who stood by trump when he was telling lie after lie and thinking back to Agnew who was taking bribes and got indicted before he resigned. Yes, she is better than a lot of VPs.
Teodora Kazhdilene
February 13, 2023 at 12:05 am
She is good, very good, and you have no right to talk as if you represent all American people. Who are you? – just one individual trying to sell his own opinion. IOW – nothing!
Paul McIntyre
February 13, 2023 at 1:46 am
I think Joe Biden should quickly find another running mate for 2024. I really think K. Harris is in over her head and she doesn’t have the experience to right-the-ship. One of her biggest problems is her laugh – so inappropriate. I can’t stand it. I recommend Joe Biden contact Liz Cheney, of the late GOP, and the antithesis of the MAGA-GOP. She’s has put the US Constitution above party associations and politics and together with President Biden, could form an inclusive model that could bridge the political divide in congress.
Andrew P
February 13, 2023 at 3:13 pm
All this bashing of KH. Maybe her speeches are blah because she can’t be seen as stepping on Biden’s toes. She has to fill up time saying nothing, so she does. She isn’t President, he is. Maybe her speeches are about the wrong issues. We won’t find out anything about the real Kamala Harris unless Biden dies or resigns and she becomes President. In her last stint in an executive position (California AG), she showed herself to be venal and ruthless. I suspect she would be the same as President, and she would go dark places and do things that she simply isn’t allowed to even talk about as VP.
Ann
February 13, 2023 at 7:50 pm
Everyone knows Biden picked her to be his running mate just so he could claim to be the first POTUS to have a “woman of color” as his VP. He also thought she would bring him votes. This is what happens when a candidate is chosen based only on membership in a particular gender, racial, ethnic, or religious group, etc. rather than skill and ability. Combine that with an 80 year-old president, and you’ve got a VP who’s in over her head and has no idea what’s going on. I vote for the person I believe to be the best candidate for the job. In this case, I don’t think that’s Kamala Harris. She may be a ruthless attorney (if she can stop giggling), but she’s not a national leader….And I rate everyone using the SAME criteria. No one group is more “unique” than any other. If all candidates meet the requirements to run for office, then they should each expect equal scrutiny. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.
Christopher
February 13, 2023 at 8:26 pm
Hey Bennie, no matter how much you simp for Harriss you won’t get anything out of her.
Rosa L
February 14, 2023 at 12:26 pm
Ms. Harris is out of her league. She was & is in the land of her dreams that does not require her to adjust, grow & mature beyond her comfortable middle class childhood. Her giggles & laughter are sign of immaturity & insecurity. It seems that she could not get out of her dreamlike stage of being a real Vice-President which require lots of learning, listening & developing empathy for regular, struggling Americans who had & have suffered loss of employment & income, death, covic-19 (other variants), sky-high inflation & etc. She is not feeling one with struggling Americans. When I watched her, I don’t feel she was relating to us or one of us. There is nothing there. I said to myself, another snobbed & out-of-touch human being. Looks & acts like a priviledged white woman. LOL
SMK
February 14, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Harris is NOT African at all. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian, so how do you label her African?
Wayne A Dennis
February 15, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Wow! yet another white man, bashing a strong black woman that happens to be the Vice President of the United States, can’t say I didn’t expect it at some point but here it is disguised as a commentary or News which ever works, fact is that Vice President Harris is a very good vice President that is doing exactly what Biden wants her to do. Focus on the Job a PRESIDENT so that if needed she can be ready to be President at any point so why tie her down with traditional VP roles when she has the unique opportunity to see it all from the President himself? notice that she is at most meetings with him unlike some Vice Presidents before and she is given few outside tasks but to watch and learn what Biden is doing. I think its Great! God Bless Biden and God Bless Harris for watching his back!
Ann Renee Hansard
February 15, 2023 at 11:09 pm
The biggest problem facing Kamala Harris, is that no one will let her be Kamala Harris. When we expect someone to act in ways that are incongruent with who they are, we’ll be disappointed. Kamala Harris is an engaging speaker when allowed to be herself. Her smile and laughter are part of her charm. Her ability to speak spontaneously is remarkable. Joe Biden knew all of this. If her staff doesn’t like it, they can go. It’s not her job to please them. They were hired to help her be the best version of herself. Comparing her to other veeps, doesn’t do anyone any good. And for those who say she’s invisible, find out what she’s been up to. The press is certainly not doing it. If her speeches don’t thrill, focus on the things she does. Discover how she relates to real people, or how she digs into new and complicated territory. Do we really politicians to simply stand behind podiums, or do we want them to engage with people, sharing in their difficulties, hopes, and dreams. Let Kamala be Kamala.
J T Lance
February 16, 2023 at 5:37 pm
KH – The epitome of the Affirmative Action hire.
Samantha Mattix
February 16, 2023 at 7:00 pm
You’ve finally learned what everyone in California already knew: there’s no there there. If anyone had bothered to listen to the California voters and newspapers, they would have realized her entire career has been built on being “the first half-African, half-Indian American woman to.” Her immediate response in every position she has ever been elected to is to run for the next office up the rung. There’s only one left now, let’s hope the American public isn’t stupid enough to fall for that. Or worse, the American President stupid enough to nominate her to the Supreme Court.
Mac
February 17, 2023 at 1:45 pm
Grading Harris by a white man’s scale is the way it is. Harris may be something on paper and has a great history in the capacities that she has served, but she’s hurting as VP. The first step to solve the border issue is to close it, and get control of who gets in. Harris should have recommended that to Biden within weeks of her being assigned to take care of it. I listened to her answer a question, and by the time she got through, I’d forgotten the question. She never answered it. Bill Mayer was right, she’s not a good politician.
mac
February 17, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Harris is good on paper, but she’s not ready for the national stage. Being in the spotlight as a first, is good only if she’s up to it. I’m a Dem, VET, and Black. Pro-choice, pro-gun, Pro-close the borders. Not a happy camper with Biden/Harris agenda.
O Smith
February 17, 2023 at 3:41 pm
I don’t know much about Harris, and after reading this factless, empty-headed hit piece, I still don’t know much about Harris. Eastwood’s blather:
“There is a weird phrasing repetition and a sense of surprise when confronted with complex thoughts.
She is terrible on the stump and lacks improvisation skills, but she refuses to stay on script.”
Really informative, insightful, impactful info, eh?
Obviously 1945 is trying to tribalize and develop loyalty in the slice of their readership that already dislikes Harris. It’s right out of the FNN playbook. I can now trust 1945 to not cover any story that its editors believe will not please that slice of its readers. Credibility zero. Politically neutral? A joke.
Bennie's a joker
February 22, 2023 at 9:17 pm
Bennie, you are such a sorry person who should not be so embarrassed to be Black. Show your pride since you can’t change what you are. Kamala is terrible in person, the reason resumes are for a future call, not for a hire.
james lafountain
March 12, 2023 at 8:16 am
i think we should keep our thoughts on the bidens and not on the vice president, the bidens are what caused the government to go broke we the people hired the presidents to work for us not against us don,t we all agree as usa voters all presidents
Richard C Combes
March 18, 2023 at 3:42 pm
Another garbage article. No actual discussion of policy, just, Kamala is so bad. So sad that people read this.
jake byte
March 20, 2023 at 9:54 pm
So delusional
Edward Kleinguetl
March 23, 2023 at 8:31 pm
Cackler-in-Chief
Sea Lamb
March 27, 2023 at 3:55 am
only blacks and loyal Democrats will vote for Joe and Kamala and it won’t be enough. about 30% of voters are Democrat and slightly less than that are republicuns. that leaves about 40% who are independent. they’re the ones who determine elections. they won’t vote for the ancient guy at death’s door with the stupid, inept and unqualified veep. she’s an albatross around Joe’s neck and will lose the election for us. it’s all Joe’s fault though, he had a field of great candidates to choose from but he picked her, probably because she was friends with his son Beau. Kamala’s the worst mistake Joe Biden has ever made.
Elvis
March 28, 2023 at 11:56 am
is not a black woman issue. Its really comical how you say she is unique. She is the VP. and not at some cocktail party. She is not equipped to be VP. and a lot of other jobs. She more than likely had those other jobs because she is half black woman.
Her real experience came from being a call girl for the politicians of Calif.
ELIZABETH BRUMBAUGH
April 11, 2023 at 7:01 am
This is not about “getting a black woman as vp”, there are hundreds of black women who would have been a better choice than Kamala. There were and are hundreds of white women who would have been a better choice. Biden was set on “black women” for any position that came available. Every position that arose he insisted he would choose a “black woman” Well look at the one he chose. He is sure to lose the election #1 because he made the biggest mistake by choosing her. #2 because he is too old to think straight #3 because he has had so much trouble with speaking clearly and letting us know what is happening in our country. He has too much baggage with Harris and his son with all his problems. Step down and let another democrat run so we can defeat Trump and the mob. If Trump gets elected again no one is the country is safe. He is a thug and gangster along with his idiot sons. Please don’t run again Mr. Biden. You have proven you can’t do the job and we need someone who can win in 2024.
Daniel H Durrange
May 11, 2023 at 10:41 pm
my opinion is we should dump both parties and find candidates that have common sense an want to compromise in a way to serve our entire population and fairly address the immigration issue.
i do not think the general public should support the people coming
Business that want the labor should provide propersupport
Kamala is a terrible VP
May 27, 2023 at 1:03 am
Kamala Harris is just another example in the history books of a woman gaining power and prestige by spreading her legs