Democrats have a Kamala Harris problem

At some point, someone substantial within the Democratic Party is going to have to find the courage to say the quiet part about Vice President Kamala Harris out loud: We want her on the 2024 ticket with Joe Biden. There are fewer and fewer Democrats, or most especially, as presidential candidates should Biden drop out of the race.

Cue the furious denials from the White House, the Democratic National Committee, various pro-Democrat organizations, websites, and experts. Except…I think they all know it to be true or they’ve all heard the same whispers.

I’ve talked to several Democratic Party officials, and not a single one wants Harris to win. This comment became a hot topic just about a year ago. one sheet The Washington Post headlined “Some Democrats are worried about Harris’ political prospects,” especially if Biden chooses not to run and she becomes the Democratic nominee in 2024. He outlined why strategists and party leaders are understandably concerned about Harris’ electability. That concern has steadily grown since then, as the vice president continues to be ridiculed for various “word salad” answers to serious issues.

This comes on top of the growing awareness of President Biden’s “cognitive issues.” Those concerns resurfaced last week after Biden claimed to have spoken to deceased former world leaders, including former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and former French President Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996.

These “word salads” and “perception issues” are causing real panic among some Democrats that neither Biden nor Harris are up to the task. While these concerns have been regularly expressed regarding Biden, they have been voiced less so regarding Harris, especially since various organizations and experts have indicated that Harris’s successor could be accepted as a serious option. This is notable by influential Democratic politicians who may suggest that.

why? A combination of American history and particularly political correctness and sensitivity to voter reaction.

Kamala Harris is not only the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States, but also the first person of color. As I have written in this column in the past, she must be extremely proud of her accomplishments. She has claimed a vitally important aspect of American history that no one can ever take away from her or from our country.

But does that history make her untouchable? In short: Yes.

At least, that’s the consensus opinion of Democratic operatives I spoke to last year. They believe it would be a fatal mistake to try to remove Harris as vice president, since she is the first woman and person of color to serve as vice president. The argument – and in my opinion correct – is that black and other minority communities, as well as a significant proportion of female voters, would be angry at such a move.

In the future, as the two major parties legitimately field more candidates who represent our country’s great diversity, it will become more acceptable to judge candidates purely on their merits. Dew. But for now, with Harris carrying the weight of American history in her corner, discussions of “achievements” matter little.

Knowing this, and potentially panicking, what should Democrats do? There’s really only one answer. It’s about convincing Harris that it’s in the best interests of the party and the country that she should withdraw from the race.

Can it be done? Well, there is precedent for this move. Back in October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned and President Richard Nixon replaced him with House Republican leader Gerald Ford.

Can Vice President Harris be persuaded to resign? Although doubtful, it is likely that such discussions are taking place behind the scenes.

This kind of political musical chairs also provides a very interesting scenario for Democrats to try to save the White House in November. As I wrote in this space in November 2022 in an article titled “Here’s the game plan: Biden replaces Harris with Newsom, then resigns,” both Biden and Harris could theoretically be There is a possibility of withdrawal.

The idea is that if the party can persuade Harris to resign, Biden could nominate California Gov. Gavin Newsom or another prominent Democrat as vice president. After a certain amount of time, Biden will step down for health reasons. Newsom or another Democrat will then become acting president and name a vice president to replace him.

Is it possible for that to happen? Almost certainly not.

But there is no doubt that a growing number of Democrats are losing faith in the current Biden-Harris ticket for 2024.

But for anything to happen along these lines, Democrats first need to solve the Kamala Harris problem.

Political and communications consultant Douglas McKinnon served as a writer in the White Houses of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and served as special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration. served as