President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race amid concern from fellow Democrats that he stood no likelihood of beating Donald Trump this go-round. “I consider it’s in one of the best curiosity of my celebration and the nation for me to face down,” Biden posted to X, earlier than shortly after throwing his “full assist and endorsement” behind Vice President Kamala Harris turning into the celebration’s new nominee.
“Democrats — it is time to come collectively and beat Trump,” Biden added. “Let’s do that.”
However can Harris “do that”?
It is arduous to conclude that Harris would fare worse than Biden, whose cognitive difficulties have been so obvious his personal celebration got here to view him as a severe electoral legal responsibility.
But if one remembers Harris’ personal ill-fated run on the Democratic nomination in 2020, and her time in politics earlier than then, the mathematics on this equation turns into considerably fuzzier—Harris was a very unhealthy candidate. And previous to that, she perpetuated some really unhealthy insurance policies.
Kamala Harris the horrible campaigner and Kamala Harris the cop could be straightforward to overlook when you’re solely contemplating what Harris has executed currently. Her tenure as vp has been virtually completely unremarkable. Probably the most distinguishing function has been a collection of weird however benign phrase salads. And political reminiscence is brief.
So Harris is not one of the best orator? Absolutely that is surmountable. In addition to, the dearth of distinguishing actions throughout her vice presidency might even be to her benefit. She’s mainly a clean slate, at the least when you do not look again too far.
However what when you do look again?
The very first thing you may see is Harris’ shambolic 2020 marketing campaign for president. She would not commit to coverage positions. She could not defend her previous actions. There have been ongoing tales about her poor therapy of her workers. She entered the race as a top-tier candidate, with glowing press and a few big-time backers, and dropped out two months earlier than the Iowa caucuses, polling at simply 3 % nationally. She wasn’t even polling as a top-tier candidate in her residence state of California.
It was inconceivable in that marketing campaign to establish what Harris stood for. This wasn’t only a case of nationwide campaigning jitters. One main thread in Harris’ profession—together with throughout her days as district lawyer of San Francisco and lawyer normal of California—has been flip-flopping on points to swimsuit the viewers or the political second.
This may occasionally have labored as a short-term technique. But it surely left a long-term impression of her as rudderless and ruthless—a phony. It will likely be extremely straightforward for Republicans to painting her as somebody who stands for nothing, or as no matter it’s they assume you may hate most, like a consultant of “California socialism.” (By no means thoughts that the GOP’s personal candidate is not precisely a stalwart of consistency.)
The picture of Harris as slippery—all ambition, no ideology—might contribute to her unpopularity amongst American voters. It is virtually definitely extra of a legal responsibility than the once-common critique that Harris was an overzealous cop and drug warrior.
Harris’ tough-on-crime previous makes her unpopular amongst leftists and extra radical wings of the Democratic Get together, in addition to amongst civil libertarians and legal justice reformers. There is not any doubt that this may come again to hang-out her once more ought to she develop into the Democratic nominee.
However this previous might have been particularly hurtful in 2020, when the protests impressed by George Floyd’s loss of life have been nonetheless raging and legal justice reform momentum was nonetheless vibrant. (Keep in mind “defund the police”?) And it doubtless mattered extra in a Democratic major than it might in a normal election, for the reason that varieties to seek out fault with Harris’ prosecutorial file are unlikely to seek out Trump and Republicans a extra welcome different.
If something, a few of the lip-service Harris paid to progressive justice beliefs—each in 2020 and in California—could also be utilized by Republicans to assist flip safety-minded independents in opposition to her.
Which means Harris’ turnabouts on justice points—not her precise file—might wind up harming her most. It leaves her weak to assaults from each the left and the correct on this entrance—to allegations that she’s been each too aggressive and too lenient on crime, even when solely certainly one of these (the aggressiveness) has been borne out past simply phrases.
I will not faux to know whether or not Harris could be a greater or worse selection for Democrats than another potential candidates. I do not know whether or not she might beat Trump, although I’ve my doubts.
What I do know is that if Harris turns into the celebration’s nominee, the push to anoint her a saint—within the press, on social media, amongst celebrities—goes to kick into overdrive shortly, each due to her id and out of desperation to keep away from Trump getting elected once more.
However as a lot as I wish to see a feminine president sooner moderately than later, and as a lot as I don’t wish to see one other Trump presidency, I can not faux Harris would not have severe and worrying flaws. As a lot as she’s been a reasonably benign determine throughout her vice presidential days, there’s nothing to cease her worst tendencies from flaring up once more if she turns into president.
These tendencies embody a penchant for saying one factor throughout campaigns after which doing the alternative; of utilizing the state to crack down on issues—like truancy and drug use—that many would agree could possibly be higher solved via nonpunitive approaches; and of utilizing ethical panics round intercourse in self-serving methods (even whereas publicly ignoring sexual misconduct amongst California cops). They embody appearing cavalierly towards the Structure, defending soiled prosecutors, and discovering new methods for the federal government to poke into individuals’s lives.
Keep in mind: Not solely did Harris assist put the mother and father of truant children in jail, however she wrote in her 2019 guide The Truths We Maintain that “instituting a statewide plan on truancy was a part of the explanation I might run for the workplace within the first place.” That is who Kamala Harris is (although she claims the jailing was unintended).
Those that critique Harris for being one thing of a politically bold cipher aren’t incorrect. However this picture is incomplete. There are some issues Harris has stood for constantly, and none of them are good.
I will go away you with one thing I wrote about Harris again in 2019:
Throughout her 28-year tenure as a county prosecutor, district lawyer (D.A.), and state lawyer normal (A.G.),…within the public eye, she spoke of racial justice and liberal values, bolstering her cred as one of many Democratic Get together’s rising stars. However behind closed doorways, she repeatedly fought for extra aggressive prosecution not simply of violent criminals however of people that dedicated misdemeanors and “high quality of life” crimes.
Each lawyer normal fights for state energy and police prerogatives. It is a part of the job. However again and again, Harris went past the decision of obligation, preventing for harsher sentences, bigger bail necessities, longer jail phrases, extra prosecution of petty crimes, higher legal justice involvement in low-income and minority communities, much less due course of for individuals within the system, much less transparency, and fewer accountability for unhealthy cops.
Within the early days of her [2020] presidential marketing campaign, Harris has sought to outline herself as a liberal reformer who has saved up with the instances. However a evaluate of her profession exhibits a definite penchant for energy looking for and an intolerant disposition wherein no offense is small or innocent sufficient to warrant lenience from the state. Now she desires to deliver that method to the very best workplace within the land.
Whoever Harris pretends to be this time, she can’t be—to make use of one standard Harris phrase)—”unburdened by what has been.”
