Kamala Harris cements her place in Biden's inner circle during a consequential week

[DonViejo]

By Kevin Liptak and Jasmine Wright, CNN

Updated 9:08 AM ET, Sun April 25, 2021

'We all want justice': Kamala Harris weighs in on Chauvin trial

Washington (CNN)Vice President Kamala Harris was huddled with other White House officials in President Joe Biden's private dining room last week when the room let out a "collective exhale." A Minnesota jury had found Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd.

As the large flat-screen television mounted on the north wall flashed three "guilty" counts, the room was overcome with a "sweeping sense of relief," an aide said. Harris joined Biden and the first lady moments later in the Oval Office, where Floyd's family was patched in by speakerphone.

"She wants to say something," Biden told the group, gathered in a hallway at the courthouse in Minneapolis, before ceding the line to his vice president.

"I'm just so thankful to the entire family. Your courage, your commitment, your strength has been a strength. This is a day for justice in America," Harris told the group. "In George's name and memory, we are going to make sure his legacy is intact and that history will look back at this moment and know that it is an inflection moment."

more
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/25/politics/kamala-harris-cnntv/index.html

[StarfishSaver]

1. Umm. A Vice President doesn't have to "cement her place" in the President's "inner circle"

By definition, the Vice President IS at the very CENTER of the inner circle. She earned her place by running with him, helping him win, and being sworn into the second highest office in the land. She doesn't have to prove herself worthy of having a "place" next to the President. And it shouldn't be viewed as some kind of wonder if modern government that the President treats her as such.

That is some first-class gaslighting there - not unfamiliar to Black women everywhere who, after fighting our way into various rooms filled with people with a fraction of our qualifications to be there, have to put up with the "how did SHE get in here?" element.

[ZZenith]

2. They don't.

More bullshit from CNN.

[Kaleva]

3. The VP being directly involved is a relatively new concept.

[StarfishSaver]

4. No, it's not a relatively new concept

It's been SOP for at least the last 45 years.

It would be a story if she WEREN'T directly involved.

What's new to people is seeing a Black woman in that position.

[Kaleva]

5. 45 years is relatively new when compared to our entire history.

[StarfishSaver]

6. Oh, please

White men have been close allies of presidents for a half century and the press didn't ooh and aah and claim they had somehow "cemented their place in the inner circle." It is ASSUMED that the Vice President is part of the President's inner circle and doesn't have to prove their right to be there and only in those rare instances when the VP is uncharacteristically out of pocket is there any discussion about it.

I know you seem to have difficulty seeing bias whatever form it may take and have a tendency to always try to explain it away. But please stop making excuses for an obviously gender/racially-biased take on the role the first Black female vice president is playing.

[Kaleva]

10. I recall the news about how Gore worked closely with Clinton. Like that was something new.

"Al Gore has been one of the most active Vice Presidents in American history, a central player in an Administration that continues to get high approval ratings. "

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/21/opinion/reinventing-al-gore.html

"Al Gore: One of the Most Powerful Vice Presidents"

https://beverlylist.com/algore/political-career-vice-presidency.htm

I don't recall such talk about VP Dan Quayle or even of Mondale, Rockefeller, Ford and Agnew. And I think Pence's role while he was VP was much reduced when compared to Gore, Cheney, and Biden.

Thus, it is still my opinion that the idea that the VP having a major role in an administration is a relatively new one.

[StarfishSaver]

12. You're proving my point

The story was about Al Gore being an active and central player in the Administration. It wasn't about how he "cemented his place" there. It was assumed he was supposed to be there and the stories simply talked about how effective he was.

Rockefeller, Ford and Agnew were more than 45 years ago. Mondale and Carter recreated the role of Vice President. If you didn't see any talk about his effectiveness, you clearly haven't been paying attention. Quayle was the exception.

The point is that this article treats Kamala Harris as if she wasn't an important player in the Biden Administration until last week when she "cemented" her "place in the inner circle." as if Vice Presidents aren't already in the president's inner circle. I defy you to find any stories by major outlets since Mondale that treated it as remarkable that the Vice President was in the "inner circle" of an administration.

[Kaleva]

14. Then do something about it if you don't like it.

Posting on social media does little. It's akin to sending thought and prayers or is a way to get attention. Go on a hunger strike or get arrested while engaging in peaceful disobedience. Follow the examples of MLK, John Lewis, Malcom X, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and others.

One can tell how much a person really feels about an issue or situation by what they do in response to it. The more important or threating the issue is, the more vigorous the response and the more the person is willing to risk in dealing with it. A situation or issue that is considered mundane will illicit little action.

[StarfishSaver]

16. Wow. I'd never thought of that

Thank you SO much for giving me guidance on how I should engage in activism. That's mighty something of you.

[llashram]

17. what??

is VP Harris not in the

'inner circle"? Not "directly involved" in the healing and administration of this country? What do you base your premise on? Why must a POC have to prove themselves to certain segments with no let-up in scrutiny? President Obama, a decent human being. Yet the threats and racism always made him have to prove himself to certain segments of our culture who made him climb the proverbial two mountains himself even more than that POS trump and his grifter family ever had to.

And at 73 years of age and having watched the CIC for many a year, President Obama and VP Harris are top-notch. But a misogynistic, racist, sexist thief like trump gets a pass for almost 4 years. Even here, even with concrete proof that trump was not a man to be trusted with the administration of America, many here with their "awww give him a chance" bullshit was on display.

I trust VP Harris. Don't you?

[Kaleva]

22. where did i say I don't trust her?

I supported her in the primary. I hosted her group here at DU. I donated to her primary campaign monthly. I was ecstatic when Biden picked her to be his running mate.

[JI7]

8. Yeah, these type of articles annoy me. We knew before the vp pick

was announced what kind of role this vp would be becsuse Biden told us what he was looking for.

She earned this BEFORE she was picked and it's one of the reasons she was picked.

This type of article is dismissive and ignores everything she did from early on.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. No, not "by definition"; as you say below, Mondale changed its status

but that wasn't "by definition". And "cementing" a place does imply you're already there, just that you're not going to be moved out. And VPs after Mondale have been moved out, eg:

THE 1990 CAMPAIGN; After 2 Years Backstage, Quayle Woos the Public

Dan Quayle has emerged from weeks of near invisibility during the Persian Gulf crisis to try to assert himself on the Federal budget and to bolster his political fortunes by collecting chits on the Republican fund-raising circuit.
...
But on the hustings, to the frustration of his bright and aggressive staff, the old questions about his qualifications, influence and political future still haunt the Vice President.

During a visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday, Mr. Quayle found himself in the middle of a small political storm after Gov. Tommy G. Thompson confessed that he would like to be on a national ticket with George Bush ''someday.'' In Oklahoma City, Mr. Quayle snapped an angry denial at a reporter who asked him about ''speculation that Bush might dump you from the ticket in 1992.''
...
Sixty-six percent of those polled, including a majority of Republicans, said they would be worried about whether he was qualified to be President if something happened to Mr. Bush.

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/14/us/the-1990-campaign-after-2-years-backstage-quayle-woos-the-public.html

[llashram]

18. yeah

okay. VP Harris still is head and shoulders above quayle, pence. And to use quayle as some kind of litmus test to prove that VP Harris is somehow unqualified, as yet, to administer our country if needed is insulting to my sensibilities.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Just as well that no one is trying "to prove that VP Harris is somehow unqualified", then

either on DU or at CNN.

[karynnj]

15. The VP's role is what the President wants other than breaking ties in the Senate

and being next in the line of succession.

Looking back at history since the 1950s, the role ranges from VPs picked more for political reasons who are given only minor responsibilities, think Richard Nixon or Dan Quayle, to VPs like Mondale, Gore, and Biden who were given major tasks they headed AND the role of being a key sounding board that the President can go to to get an honest opinion of a decision that the President is about to make. (There is also Dick Cheney who some think used GWB essentially as a figure head while he made the decisions.)

She "earned" her position by being who she is with the experiences she has. Biden selected her for VP because HE saw how good she is. He spoke then of wanting a VP who could do what he did for Obama. Given the bubble that a President is in, it is hard to underestimate the value of having someone who will give you their unvarnished, honest opinion and who has the ability to lead on some of the most difficult issues that come up. You could look at this article as spelling out how essential she has made herself.

Biden has had an incredible not quite 100 days. Some of that goes to who he is, but it also goes to the very excellent choices he has made in his administration. The first of those decisions was to name Harris as VP. Looking at the cabinet and top aides, the team that Biden, WITH HARRIS' advise, has picked has incredible depth of experience side by side with many younger extremely talented people who bring fresh ideas. It seems Biden has intentionally picked a diverse team - in ideas, age and demographics. As such, there should be less "groupthink" with everyone pushing the same or similar proposals than had he picked a team packed with "old hands". This makes the VP more important as the person who also hears everything with the President and contributes her advice both at the end before Biden acts and helping define the pros and cons. (Based on her Senate questions at hearings, she is brilliant and insightful.)

I think this article gives Harris a huge amount of praise. I really do not she it in any way questioning her legitimacy in being in that position. Rather it is full of examples where she has proven to be a great choice.

[SKKY]

7. Didn't she "cement her place" when he picked her as his running mate???

And I also find it odd she was only able to cement her place in his inner circle after a public event of great importance with respect to race and policing issues.

[StarfishSaver]

9. Funny how that works, isn't it?

She didn't "cement her place" on the COVID response or Afghanistan or Cabinet nominations or climate change. But she proved herself on the Black stuff because that's her wheelhouse.

How familiar this all is. And people here are defending it.

[Tommymac]

11. These headlines kill me. And the picture is HORRIBLE!!!!

It looks like VP Kamala is eating a lemon.

Fuck You CNN. VP Kamala cemented her place on Nov 3 last year, if not earlier.

Damn I HATE the MSM.

[sarchasm]

19. Good Lord. Let's all bask in the awesomeness of Madam VP ...

Judiciary committee questioning of AG Barr ...

This whole line of questioning was brilliant.

[Botany]

20. Stupid headline.

The K-Bomb always had a place in "Biden's inner circle." Joe picked her to be our
next President and that IN PRIVATE she will disagree with him too.