The real issue is not Biden's age -- it's VP Kamala Harris.

[ancianita]

"...Eight vice presidents have taken over for leaders who have died in office, and reading between the lines of the actuarial tables, Vice-President Kamala Harris has even odds to become the ninth...
This demographic divergence is the beginning and end of the consternation around Harris’s possible succession to the presidency, because she meets or exceeds every other qualification on their collective resumes. Among the most famous successes, she has more government and elected experience than Teddy Roosevelt, more education and accomplishment than Harry Truman, and broader popular support than Lyndon Johnson. And she had to do it all as a Black and South Asian-American woman... She’s just the least likely to be recognized for it...

... we ... had this discussion with the nomination of Sen. John McCain. As an elder statesman with a unique and non-transferrable political cache, a history of cancer survival, and a then-unprecedented advanced age, McCain’s choice for his successor in the event of a health emergency was heavily scrutinized, even before he made a decision. His pick would be a window into his judgment: How he would approach the problems of the country ... who he—and by extension, we—would trust to carry them out with all the care and faith due to the American people.

And he picked Sarah Palin.

To even begin to go into how wildly unprepared and unqualified she was for the role would be an insult to both Biden and Harris, so I won’t make a comparison. Instead, I will point out that many of the same worries and constraints that weighed down McCain’s candidacy were as true of Biden in 2020—made even more urgent by the COVID-19 pandemic and placed under a harsher spotlight by an unhinged opposition. Biden made his decision as a responsibility to the country and the party, recognizing that the best result for the latter would be to pick someone who could capably and faithfully serve the former. He was a vice president himself, after all...

That is the worry that is consuming our political discourse under the guise of (im)polite concern over how old President Joe Biden is. There is no telling what it would mean for the country to experience that kind of shift, to lose a president and accept a new one under the most tragic and terrible conditions. People want to know that there will be continuity, that there will be success, that we can place our trust in the successor as much as the person who preceded them. Because of how unprecedented she is, Kamala Harris doesn’t immediately provide that comfort for the people who are watching. But seeing her as vice president, I’ve realized that she doesn’t have to.

The quality of a vice president isn’t just about their résumé or their achievements; it’s about the person that picked them, and their understanding of the costs. I don’t need to believe that Vice-President Kamala Harris will be the right successor to President Joe Biden; he does—and that’s enough."



Full essay at
https://www.damemagazine.com/2023/10/12/the-media-has-a-real-thing-against-vp-kamala-harris/

I'd forgotten I'd read this a while ago when it showed up on FB today. Put this way, it now seems so much more plausible and obvious. I wonder if others have thought this.

[brooklynite]

1. The problem is that the average voter (even the average Democrat) doesn't feel that way...

Last edited Wed Feb 14, 2024, 03:43 PM - Edit history (1)

Kamala Harris was not a popular Presidential choice (she was in single digits during most of her campaign) and she hasn't established a high public profile in her assignments as VP. Its not that she's Black or a woman; its that she's still an unknown quantity to many people.

[bamagal62]

7. And, one of the reasons that

She’s an unknown quantity to people is that Joe Biden does not put her out there. Or, if he does, the media doesn’t cover it. I distinctly remember that we saw Obama and Joe together ALL the time. Obama put Joe Biden out there and showed us they were a team working together. I don’t see any of that with Kamala. I wonder why? Voters need to get to know her better.

[Attilatheblond]

13. Uh, she spends a lot of her time in the Senate, breaking tie votes

And she has been working on many facets of administration work. Biden does not have her sidelined, but rather has her working hard so she knows what to do and how to do it. If it seems we don't see her enough, that's media and/or the media each of us relies on for information.

[brooklynite]

44. Not since Jan 3, 2023.

[bamagal62]

63. That's what I was wondering.

Is this because the media ignores her?

[TheProle]

14. I'm not sure it's that voters didn't get to know her

And, one of the reasons that she’s an unknown quantity to people is that Joe Biden does not put her out there

This, to me, has been a tactic that speaks to the same deficiencies that ended her run before the election year even started.

That said, she's getting very active on the campaign trail, so his confidence has increased; that, or it's seen as a calculated risk.

[ancianita]

22. One reason could also be the negative media machine.

Here are a few examples of their bullpen warmup issues:

-- Exasperation and Dysfunction: Inside Kamala Harris’ Frustrating Start as Vice President” (CNN, November 2021).
-- “A Kamala Harris Staff Exodus Reignites Questions About Her Leadership Style—And Her Future Ambitions” (The Washington Post, December 2021).
-- “New Book Says Biden Called Harris a ‘Work in Progress’ ” (Politico, December 2022).
-- “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting” (The New York Times, February 2023).

...In June 2023, an NBC News poll put Harris’s approval rating at 32 percent. While Biden’s own approval numbers, in the low 40s, are hardly inspiring, the percentage of those who disapprove of Harris’s performance is higher than for any other vice president in the history of the poll.

[TheProle]

23. I don't think the staff exodous

was a media creation.

[ancianita]

33. And how long ago was that? Do you not think she could have grown into high office?

[druidity33]

88. The "staff exodus"

was 4 people over the course of almost a year. How many people are on the staff of the VP? I'd venture more than 20. It's also a highish turnover job. Long hours and burnout are real. So are family crises and healthcare issues. So yeah, the "staff exodus" was primarily a media creation. The WaPo article was typical scaremongering.

[TheProle]

89. Incorrect

More than 13 high-profile aides have left the vice president’s office, including her director of speechwriting, Meghan Groob, just last week.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/3572304-revolving-door-creates-questions-and-complications-for-kamala-harris/

[druidity33]

98. When that article was written...

4 people had left. It has been over 2 years since then. Got a comparison for other VPs who have served 3+ years and how many "high profile aides" had moved on to other things during their tenure?

And really? The Hill? Like i said, media construction...

[TheProle]

99. LOL

Thanks for the levity. Attacking the source is usually the last refuge of fact deniers.

The number of staff who have left Harris are documented facts and it wouldn't matter if it were reported on a Bazooka Joe wrapper.

[jaxexpat]

48. This free press could be the death of democracy yet. It's hard being a parent. There's no instruction manual.

The lament of the founding mothers is seldom sung. We must intuit its importance and even its existence. I doubt Abigail Adams was the only intelligent woman behind (and beside) the founders. Though, even from a POV based on ignorance, I doubt those intelligent and well-spoken women were spouses/mothers of Georgian, Virginian or Carolinian representatives to the continental congress. It's no coincidence Massachusetts is, today, ranked # 1 for so many positives based on so many various metrics.

Man.....what a digression, and I'm not done. I think it's legitimate to presume, via observation, a multi-generational connection with economic dependence on slave holding to extreme paternalism to the current abortion banning/woman controlling aspect of the American clown dilemma. Pssst.....it's mostly the white redneck losers in the old south and their post-civil war transplanted brethren in the mountain west who are the "base" for our current problems. Pretty much the country music belt, really. It's not me. Honest. It's the demographics and the fact these inbreds are looking for any excuse to hate Kamala Harris.



There's no reason to denigrate or doubt Kamala's potential. There are already plenty who will vote against her and very existence based solely on the turning of the worms in their heads.

[Silent Type]

19. Biden did tap her to solve the so-called border crisis. Not sure that was a fair assignment.

[Lochloosa]

39. That is not as unusual as a lot of people think.

Most people had no idea who Gerald Ford was when he took the oath. They knew he was the Vice-President, but couldn't have projected what his policies would be.

The VP works in the background for most administrations. The most notable one that didn't was Cheney, but that may have been different if there had not been 9/11.

The VP works for some big egos and most don't want competition within thier administrations. Obama was an exception. He was fearless and wasn't worried about Joe. Hence, he allowed him free reign to be himself.

[NoRethugFriends]

43. it's because she's black and a woman

Who are you kidding?

[JohnSJ]

54. Thank-you.

[Polybius]

85. Let's pretend his VP was Gavin

Do you seriously think the other side wouldn't bring up Biden's age?

[NoRethugFriends]

87. they would

But it wouldn't scare people like Kamala Harris's name does

[sheshe2]

67. Was it her "cackle"?

ICYMI: "She Has Been Everywhere"
https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=18685440

Perhaps you should pay more attention, she is not unknown.

[betsuni]

70. Seriously, women laughing is a real trigger.

[zanana1]

91. It's because she's a woman. Period.

[brooklynite]

92. Democrats are uncomfortable with a woman as President?

News to me.

[zanana1]

93. I think so.

[brooklynite]

94. Remember Hillary Clinton?

Won the nomination? Got more votes than Trump?

[zanana1]

95. She should have been the clear winner.

She ran against a deranged clown and still lost.

[SocialDemocrat61]

97. 1 woman nominated for President

in over 200 years? Not much of an argument.

[StarryNite]

2. I heard a right wing nutter radio host use that as his excuse.

Who but a misogynist would vote for a POS who has been convicted of sexual assault on a woman? So naturally they wouldn't want a woman to be president.

[Tribetime]

18. My brother who's a die hard democrat said the same thing

And he's campaign for biden obama clinton all of them and has a degree in political science

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Will VP Harris be debating Tuck, Stefanik, or J.D. Vance? /nt

[Think. Again.]

4. That could be fun.

[ancianita]

12. I'll go with SarahD below. For all we know trump could pick his biggest donor.

[SarahD]

5. It is "interesting" to say the least.

We choose a reasonably well qualified woman and we get all sorts of innuendo that is just trying to cover up misogyny. They choose a VP candidate who quit her governor job halfway through and quash all criticism as being sexist. The GOP knows fear about our VP becoming president is already here, and they have plans to whip it into a frenzy for the general election. I think Trump will not reveal his running mate intentions because his choice is unlikely to compare favorably with Kamala Harris.

[Attilatheblond]

15. Possibly, Trump won't reveal his running mate because he is still auctioning off the position?

[Deep State Witch]

6. They Use Her As Their Boogieman

A WOC from (gasp!) San Franciscoooooo.... Oh, noes! She's a librul who's going to take away your gunz!

Nikki Haley, who likes to hide the fact that she's also Indian-American, has really been leaning into this.

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Meanwhile, Trump's loyalties sprouted from Russian dictators and European fascists

And MSM ignores it.

[dutch777]

8. The assessment is on point but I fear too many won't readily vote for a person of color or a woman for President

I jokingly wrote right after Biden was elected and there was plenty of drama about his VP pick at that time, that I would really like to see him under some minor medical or other excuse relinquish control to the VP for some period of time. I also said, she should then do similar and hand the reigns to then Speaker of the House Pelosi. Mostly I wanted to see how many Repug head's would explode over all their worst fears coming true with people who are more than capable to be President but they choose to vilify on no grounds of merit. It scares me to death now that Johnson in that number 3 slot!

[getagrip_already]

9. Harris is wildly popular when she speaks at universities

And other venues where the younger and minority voters have access.

People wait for hours to get in and the venues are packed.

She has no problem with the base. I'm sure there are certain constituencies that have their pet candidates and would love people to think otherwise, but I'm not seeing it.

There certainly isn't the anti-hillary hatred (yet) aimed at her. But the right worked on that poison for 30 years.

My secret scenario is Joe wins in 24, and retires in 27 just after his 2 year mark giving her almost 2 full years as potus, and the opportunity to serve a full 10. Unless of course he is still full of piss and vinegar and giving Republicans hell while helping the american people just brings joy to his heart.

[ancianita]

20. The press depends on you to not know Harris's accomplishments. They've lived and breathed Trump, who

sucks all the oxygen out of any room or platform.

If anyone wanted to know who she'd be as president, a few facts will appear buried by negative headlines about her.

-- When Biden underwent a colonoscopy in November 2021, Harris served as acting president, becoming the first woman (and first South Asian American) to officially wield presidential authority.

-- She had spent the better part of her career as a “smart on crime” prosecutor who won her first election—district attorney of San Francisco, in 2003—by positioning herself as a pragmatic reformer. As California’s attorney general, she targeted transnational gangs and cartels and won billions in extra relief from big banks at the center of the foreclosure crisis.

-- She had been California's junior senator for just over two years when she launched a bid for the presidency, in 2019, buoyed by the brief but bright flashes of stardom she’d earned from her tough, courtroom-style questioning of Trump-administration officials, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions (“I’m not able to be rushed this fast; it makes me nervous,” Sessions complained to her at one point), and of the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Anyone can Google her prosecutorial record or read her Wikipedia entry.

[ScratchCat]

21. You echo my concerns as well

My "fear" when she was chosen as VP was that Biden might not be able to make a second term and she was not popular enough to win as our candidate.

You can be certain that the next GOP conspiracy theory will be along the lines that the Democrat plan is for Biden to resign shortly after winning the election, therefore you shouldn't vote for Biden because you are voting for Harris. Heck, Ted Cruz already swears we will swap Biden for Michelle Obama at some point here, so I don't doubt they will be running this talking point about a Biden/Harris switcheroo after he is elected.

[elocs]

46. Biden believes that only he can beat Trump because he did it in 2020.

So if Biden wins, why should he stay on for another 4 years? What more can he accomplish? It's not unreasonable to believe that once he beats Trump and is inaugurated he would resign to allow Harris to become president.

[crickets]

56. I strongly disagree. I think you may be misjudging him.

Being inaugurated as president involves taking an oath:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Joe Biden is not the type of man to take that oath on behalf of all Americans, including the millions who voted him into office, and then casually hand the job to someone else. Not at all.

What more can he accomplish? Just wait and watch him. Underestimating Joe has proven, again and again, to be a big mistake. He gets the job done.

[chouchou]

16. I will not judge some person until I see them in action.

She's not the President now, so I have to put my faith in Joe Biden>. Joe Biden picked her. He's not an idiot.
Plus> Never under estimate people, in any way. A lot of people are the proverbial "Still waters run deep"
Americans tend to judge people by their words and bravado. THAT can get you people like Donald Trump.
No Thanks.

[patphil]

17. Kamala Harris has grown into the job as VP. I was concerned when Biden picked her, but not anymore.

She's not flashy.
Like Joe, she's a competent professional who does her job without a lot of drama.
I don't have any concerns about her ability to take over if something happens to President Biden in his second term.
She'd do a great job.

[twodogsbarking]

24. I don't think she has been given enough time to shine. Not sure why but it should change.

[sheshe2]

59. Disagree.

She has Shone. People are just not paying attention.

ICYMI: "She Has Been Everywhere"

WASHINGTON – During her whirlwind Summer of Action, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to 17 states as she touted the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris Administration and led the continued fight for fundamental freedoms. While logging thousands of miles on the road and holding dozens of engagements on the ground, the Vice President continued her leadership on key issues that directly impact the American people – from protecting reproductive rights and addressing gun violence, to advancing economic opportunity, delivering climate action, and fighting for the freedom to learn and teach America's full history.

snip//

From Florida and Massachusetts to Illinois and Indiana, she spoke directly with Black Americans, Latinos, women, young people and students, and faith leaders. Vice President Harris keynoted the Rainbow PUSH Coalition's Convention, the Delta Sigma Theta National Conference, the UnidosUS Conference, the NAACP National Convention, the AME Women's Missionary Society Quadrennial Convention, the ESSENCE Festival, and Everytown's Gun Sense University.

The Vice President's Summer of Action also included a flurry of events in which she touted how the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for people throughout the country. She was in Arizona and the Gila River Indian Community to talk about infrastructure investments, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to discuss successful efforts to boost manufacturing and create good-paying jobs, and Maryland, Washington, and Colorado to uplift historic work to address the climate crisis. Additionally, Vice President Harris fought to improve maternal health while in Iowa, Texas, and North Carolina, and met with small business owners in California and Washington, DC to highlight new investments.

Vice President Harris not only took her message to the road but also to the airwaves. She reached diverse audiences on a variety of digital platforms, spoke with local media outlets, and sat down for a series of national interviews. This includes speaking with ABC News, MSNBC, Univision, NPR, Indian Country Today, and large print outlets.

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/icymi-she-has-been-everywhere

[twodogsbarking]

64. Yep.

[betsuni]

69. She's doing exactly what people say they want: go around the country and listen and talk with them.

But cynical whining about Democrats ignoring everybody is more fun than paying attention and knowing what the hell you're talking about, I guess.

Harris has a lot of charisma, calm strength and intelligence, she shines. I love seeing how excited young women are about her, which is rare because not reported.

[sheshe2]

71. Yes she is! Just look at this.

Link to tweet

Victor Shi
@Victorshi2020
WOW. Watch the moment Vice President Kamala Harris walked onto stage for her first college kickoff tour. No boos. No one sticking the middle finger. Gen Z gave a standing ovation with uproarious applause and cheers. Kamala Harris IS Gen Z’s MVP.

[betsuni]

72. Again, exactly what people say they want, a Democrat popular with young people!

[sheshe2]

73. Just not 'that' Democrat.

[PCIntern]

25. ...and she's married to an observant Jewish man.

If you don’t think that that makes them nuts, you haven’t been paying attention.

[byronius]

26. She was my pick from the beginning.

But I live in California, and followed her early career.

Like Biden, she’s a serious civil servant, a hard working woman with a long history of common sense.

I was amazed that Biden chose her. She’s the future.

[ancianita]

30. Agree. She is the future. Biden chose well.

The Democratic Senate knows her well.
The Cabinet knows her.
Gen Z love her.
Women love her.
100 countries of the world know and respect her.
Being a former state AG, she would choose the best AG for the DOJ.
There would be three former presidents who would advise her.

[maxsolomon]

27. It's her affect. I said this during her 2016 campaign, when I supported her.

I've never put my finger on precisely what is off-putting, but it's there. It's not race or gender; it's mannerisms.

Diffidence? Maybe not the precise word.

It's like interviews I've watched of Bowie and Jagger. On record, or on stage, they're compelling and confident. When they talk, they're not - they aren't particularly engaging or insightful and come off somewhat guarded.

[unblock]

28. Not "even odds". His life expectancy is another 14 years, with a 75% chance of living at least 8 more years

It's a realistic possibility, and and vpotus may become potus, so sure, it matters. But odds are, Joe will be solid for another 4 years and then some.


I posted about this earlier:

https://democraticunderground.com/100218680097

[ancianita]

31. I hear you loud and clear. But to resign would not mean his resigning from their mutual work.

Start 14:15 to hear Biden speak of her early on.

[PortTack]

34. ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

[pinkstarburst]

29. Let's be honest: it's both

Voters in 2016 had the opportunity to elect the most qualified candidate ever to run. Instead they chose the least qualified candidate ever to run because this country is deeply misogynistic. Kamala Harris faces that same misogynism plus racism PLUS the fact that she was never a popular candidate even when running against other democrats in the primary in 2020 and dropped out early. Her popularity has never improved since that time. She is smart and qualified, but she does not have charisma.

The other factor is that voters are unexcited about the prospect of a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024. They want two new candidates. They do not want the choices to be two 80+ year old men. And I think the idea of "well, if anything happens, you get KH even though you're not happy about that either" just sort of compounds that feeling of not getting any say or choice this time around.

[marble falls]

32. "But ... but ... but ... that would admit: I'd rather be called an ageist than confess to being racist and misogynist!"

[ancianita]

37. Yes, it would, both streams of the polluted corporate river of perception/fear management.

Thanks for the smile.

[SouthernDem4ever]

35. I have no doubt in Kamala Harris's ability to lead this nation

and stay true to our democracy. Something I CAN'T say about any repuglican right now.

[ancianita]

38. Agree. Or any VP running mate they'd choose.

[tavernier]

36. My friends don't like her because they say

her main emphasis is on race. They are usually pretty intelligent people and usually I respect their opinions, but we have been conflicted on this ever since Joe chose her. I had heard that she had an exceptional mind especially in matters of law, and was a brilliant debater. When I mentioned that, they said that the only thing they ever heard from her in public appearances was the emphasis on color. To be honest, I don’t really remember seeing much of her, so I can’t really defend her. Perhaps she needs to be pushed harder in the foreground so that people can see and hear and get to know her better.

[ancianita]

41. Interesting. Guess they stopped noticing her. Here's what my friends have noticed.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/24/politics/kamala-harris-abortion-rights/index.html

More than a dozen Democrats who spoke to CNN – some under anonymity to speak candidly – describe a White House that is coming around to see the merits of Harris’ work on abortion, guns and democracy, after two years of direct appeals from Harris allies to Biden aides to take a more hands-on approach in shoring up Harris’ public standing.

The West Wing has now been intentional about showing Harris’ ability to lead, frequently sharing her work on official outreach channels that once mostly promoted Biden. The vice president also held a prominent role in Biden’s April reelection announcement video, where she appeared 13 times, a clear signal officials said, of Harris’ importance to the reelection effort.

“There’s been a change in understanding that how Kamala does is really important for Biden’s legacy,” a second person in communication with the West Wing told CNN. “I think a lot of the folks who have had some misgivings about Kamala have come to terms with that fact.”

Ron Klain, former Biden chief of staff and an early Harris advocate inside the West Wing, disagreed that the level of support from the White House for the vice president has changed.

“I always believed that when the public got enough chance to see her, her coverage would get better,” Klain told CNN in an interview, touting the ways the White House has tried to support Harris and her platform. “And so, I think the support for us always been there in the White House. I think finally, the coverage is reflecting what a great job she’s been doing since day one.”

[tavernier]

45. To be fair, I'm theonly oolitical fanatic (as my kids say)

My friends pretty much only watch the evening news… not FOX… and like most folks out there, don’t otherwise follow daily politics. If the VP is out there doing events and speaking out about her work, unless it’s covered by the evening news, they won’t know about it.

[ancianita]

47. I hear you. Don't they get news on the Internet? I'm kinda surprised that tv's their only media source.

There's lots of info about her, and enough to show that she'll carry on with Biden's domestic and foreign policy.

Do they know there's no daylight between her and Joe on the Israel-Hamas war? And that she's already been on the campaign trail?
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-12-21/kamala-harris-2024-campaign-stops-nevada-south-carolina

[tavernier]

68. Nope. Amazed as we political wackos might be,

no, the normal world doesn’t give a shit until perhaps a month before election time. That’s not entirely true because we have to seep in information, crawl under the rug and above the clouds and sprinkle it into the cereal. Problem is Fox News is really good at doing that.

I think what you don’t understand is that America has to become more educated or we are screwed!

[jalan48]

40. I agree. I'm sure Trump will play up the VP choice given Biden's age.

He'll play the race card via the VP choices.

[captain queeg]

49. Aye. I think you got it.

[Wounded Bear]

50. Ageism, racism, sexism. All wrapped up in a bow for the rubes...nt

[doc03]

51. That is definaty part of the reason Biden may lose some support. I voted for John McCain

in the primary but when he picked Caribou Barbie he lost me. I am not comparing her to Palin at all. But
I have seen very little of her myself in the media and she has been a target by the MAGAs from the start.
But face the facts Biden is 80 years old and just because of that he my not finish his term. On the bright
side I have faith Trump will find someone even worse that Palin though.

[dlk]

52. Republicans are horrified at a woman of color who doesn't know her place

Even worse, in their small minds, she could potentially become the most powerful person in the world. I agree, much of this irrational fear is driving the endless media attacks on President Biden’s age. He’s the proxy.

[Hekate]

53. There's a bad joke about this issue: "The problem with Biden's age is she's Black"

I hope all of you can now see what the real problem is, captured in two words. She (is a woman) and is Black (a POC).

Just like Hillary — an extremely competent and experienced politician, but golly gee she is a woman.

It’s not Kamala. It’s the misogyny and racism.

[sheshe2]

60. You nailed it, Hekate.

[justareader]

55. First 2 years of Biden's administration, there was a 50/50 senate, Kamala was the tie-breaker.

She is the GOAT (greatest of all time) of tie-breakers. Had to remain close to DC to ensure that appointments requiring senate approval were approved.

[sheshe2]

58. I agree with you on VP Harris, she is the GOAT.

Welcome to DU.

[KS Toronado]

86. Well justareader read this.......

[TomSlick]

100. I like your user name.

My wife has been on DU for years. She reads DU every day but rarely posts. I've never liked the term "lurker."

Welcome to DU. Your user name notwithstanding, please join the conversation.

[mcar]

57. VP Harris has done an excellent job

and has been held to a higher standard than all of her white male predecessors. MSM has been out to get her from the start.

Harris was, in large part, responsible for turning the midterms from a Red tsunami to a pink trickle. She speaks forcefully about women's health rights.

I cannot believe what I am reading in this thread about our great VP.

[sheshe2]

61. I wish I could say I can't believe what I am reading, sadly I do.

[mcar]

74. Yeah, I guess I was being facetious

I was here through the horrors of 2016, when people left this site after the primary because they weren't allowed to call HRC the c word.

[sheshe2]

62. Thank you, ancianita.

[ancianita]

80. Thank you back, sheshe!

We gotta have our fact-based armor and the swords of truth in readiness for the haterade headlines that will try to undermine her when she runs for president in her own right.

[sheshe2]

81. I hear you.

She is a good woman and has what it takes to be a strong leader.

[kentuck]

66. Bingo!

That's the bottom line.

[ecstatic]

75. I don't know. It's not the case for democratic leaning naysayers, and there are plenty

that I regularly interact with.

I can't speak for what the right is thinking, but on the left, it really is about ageism / superficial concerns.

[cilla4progress]

76. True

dat.

[yellowdogintexas]

77. my first thought when "age" started coming up more and more: It's Code

for the Black Women Vice President.

Only this and nothing more

[LymphocyteLover]

78. 100%

[Mike Nelson]

79. I'm surprised at...

... how the media has portrayed Kamala Harris. I'm in California and had been following, and voting for, her... a great, no nonsense worker... tough, professional, competent... the "Conservative media" has created a Kamala Harris that is the opposite of reality.

[betsuni]

82. K&R

[Frasier Balzov]

83. Kamala Harris can win Democrats.

Obliging Democrats.

She isn't going to be much help bringing Independents along for Joe.

We're in for a pound through primary season.

Hopefully, the deficiencies are finally acknowledged and resolved at the convention in August.

[ancianita]

96. My theory about Independents

is that they're really women hiding their political party choice in red states. She and Joe will win that Independent vote demographic.

[msfiddlestix]

84. Yeppers. always has been the "problem".

[Kid Charlemagne]

90. The issue is his age. She fails as a mitigating factor

Up front, I think she would be a perfectly competent president. I actually backed her initially in 2020, because I was under the mistaken impression that she was a decent retail politician. She is not a good retail politician and unfortunately, that's a problem, because it's how he largely choose presidents. I don't think people care if she is a poor manager or not. I think that's just a convenient excuse to dislike her.

If Biden could make Shapiro or Whitmer VP today, it would not eliminate the age issue, but it would alleviate concerns somewhat.

(Fun fact. The second Pennsylvania was called for Biden in 2020. I turned to my wife and said, "Oh thank God." Then thirty seconds later, I said, "He's so goddamn old." I said it with a smile, but it was true. And I haven't spent the past four years thinking, "Look at that young sprite.&quot

[._.]

101. I trust Joe

This was his decision, and his batting average is remarkable. She is very qualified for the Presidency if it comes to that.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

102. TFG and MAGA world have not recovered from President Obama serving for two terms

These racist assholes really cannot deal with non-white woman becoming POTUS. Hopefully most of these assholes will have died off by 2028