During the First World War, a common view inside the German government was that they were “shackled to a corpse” by being so closely allied with Austria-Hungary. The situation was so bad that many in the corridors of power in Berlin considered how Germany could annex all of the Austrian Empire, and that would have likely occurred had they won the war.
Today, there are likely some in the corridors of power in Washington who may lament that President Joe Biden is also shackled to a political ‘corpse’ of sorts with Vice President Kamala Harris. She is certainly ‘dead weight’ for the ticket if and when Biden announces his intention to seek re-election.
There is a fear that if Biden isn’t able to finish out a second term (including if he should die in office) that Kamala Harris is absolutely the wrong person to become president.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: They’re Tethered Together
Though the media may not be as blunt in its metaphors as this reporter, even Reuters recently suggested they’re at least “Tethered together.”
At issue is that Biden can’t replace Kamala Harris.
Of course, no sitting president has opted to select a new running mate since Gerald Ford ditched Vice President Nelson Rockefeller for Senator Bob Dole in 1976. Ford, who had ascended to the Oval Office after President Richard Nixon resigned, was forced to select a candidate that would appeal to the more conservative base of the Republican Party. Ford later admitted he regretted the decision to dump Rockefeller, but it was a moot point as he was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the general election.
In the case of Harris, she checks a number of boxes that makes it even harder for Biden to make a switch. A recent editorial in the Boston Globe may have suggested that replacing Harris shouldn’t be so unthinkable, but can it really be done?
“I think this is actually one of the fundamental strategic challenges for (Biden) … how to navigate this,” one Democrat with close ties to the White House, told Reuters. “It’s almost impossible for them to make a change.”
Harris is both the first female, Black, and Asian-American U.S. vice president.
“You cannot replace your first Black woman vice president and think that Black people and women are going to just vote for you,” the former White House official added. “He needs her.”
In other words, Biden could pick Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey, a black man, but that could appear “anti-woman,” just as selecting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer could appear to be “anti-black.” Even ditching Harris and picking Oprah Winfrey or Michelle Obama could still suggest to some that Biden doesn’t have confidence in a black woman and needs to try again with another.
Changing his VP would also put into question Biden’s past judgment.
If he can be wrong about Harris, was he right in appointing Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court – especially when he made clear his appointee would be a woman of color?
Moreover, the Indian-American community may not be a crucial voting bloc. Still, Biden could need every vote he can get if he faces a rematch with Donald Trump, who could opt to select former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley – daughter of Indian immigrants – and tout her as a bridge to the future.
It’s also not just the votes on election day, but Indian donors could be turned off and opt not to support Biden with their checkbooks.
Breaking Up is Hard to Do For Other Reasons
Part of the problem, too, is that today the presidential candidate largely selects the running mate. This wasn’t always the case – but it explains why the last elected vice president to be dropped from the ticket was Henry A. Wallace in 1944.
As The Conversation reported, Wallace’s bid for a second term as vice president was defeated at the 1944 Democratic convention after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt refused to endorse him.
Democrats opted for Harry H. Truman instead, and he went on to be president when FDR died just weeks into his fourth term.
How It Could be Done – Netflix Has the Answer
There is a way that Kamala Harris could be replaced – and the Netflix original series House of Cards offered the solution. In season one of the series, the fictional Vice President Jim Matthews resigned and left the West Wing to run for his former position as governor of Pennsylvania.
In our real life, California Senator Dianne Feinstein could opt to step down before her term ends in 2025, and Governor Gavin Newsom could appoint Harris – who previously served as a senator in the Golden State – to fill the opening, while Harris announces she will seek reelection in 2024. Harris could deliver a powerful speech (hopefully without the giggling) about how she feels she can best serve the state and the country from the Senate.
Then Biden would be free to choose a new running mate.
Of course, such a power play could only be pulled off by a puppet master such as Frank Underwood. Biden and Harris would almost certainly manage to screw it up, and they probably know as much. Thus, the country is stuck with Vice President Harris and likely could be for another five years.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
From 19FortyFive
Joe Biden Is Starting To Scare Everyone
