Why are people so down on Kamilla Harris?

[Norbert]

I don't understand it.

I talked to a coworker this week. He is somewhat of a moderate and thinks cheeto is dangerous. Talking about Biden and the debate and he thinks he looked bad but also said he has five months to make up for the debate and said in that time there is no telling how many stupid things TCF will say. I was pretty much on board with him until he said, 'should anything happen to Biden we would be stuck with Harris running the show. I don't know about that." I didn't ask why. He did say he would vote for Biden no matter what.

What is the deal with people being so down on her?

[Ocelot II]

1. She's a woman. We had a Black president, but misogyny is as persistent as racism

and people will come up for a reason not to vote for a woman without saying that's the reason. Like with Hillary.

[EndlessWire]

9. I agree with that.

She's fully capable of running the country. But, since the country is busy turning women into cattle, they can't stand the thought of a woman who might tell them what to do.

But, her job is to back up the President, and that's something she will do. The probability is that Joe will complete a second term, and Kamala will then run in 2028 with a very interesting VP candidate.

[jimfields33]

34. Nope. Everyone would walk on broken glass to vote

for Michelle Obama. She’d win easily.

[PeaceWave]

36. Bingo. I know I would. She doesn't want it though.

[jimfields33]

38. Very unfortunate. But I respect her for wanting her life

the way she wants it.

[betsuni]

49. No they wouldn't. She'd get the same full-on negative conspiracy theory propaganda treatment

as any Democrat running. Start with high approval, end with low. No exceptions.

[Rebl2]

99. Republicans

said horrible things about her when she was First Lady. Democrats would vote for her, not sure about some independents. I would vote for her, but know she doesn’t want that life again.

[Ocelot II]

71. Great, except she's not running. And you can be sure that not everyone

would vote for her if she really were.

[Buckeyeblue]

95. If Michelle Obama ran we would see hatred like we've never seen before

I suspect that's why she doesn't want to run. She doesn't want to have to deal with it. I don't blame her. I quit Facebook in 2012 because of the vile hated directed at Barack Obama. The haters have had 12 years and Trump to perfect their techniques.

[PeaceWave]

101. The more hatred the GOP throws, the more scared of losing they are...

[PeaceWave]

14. Or, there might be a more accurate (and less loaded) answer...

Kamala was my state's Attorney General. And, she did a fantastic job. As a prosecutor, she's rock solid. I personally wanted Biden to tab her for U.S. AG. I think she would have prosecuted the case against Trump for more effectively and far more aggressively than has Garland. As VP, I would have tabbed Gretchen Whitmer - especially since Michigan was so vital to Biden's success in 2020. Personally, I don't care who fills what role from VP on down the various cabinet positions - just so long as the skill set they bring makes the most sense for that role. Pete Buttigieg, with his McKinsey & Company background in logistics, made sense as either Secretary of Transportation or Secretary of Energy.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

58. There are people on the "left" as well

"Kamala is a cop" was a popular refrain on the former bird site from supporters of a certain candidate.

[betsuni]

66. Yes, there was a long list of conspiracy theory hit pieces all ready to go posted on that site, originally from Reddit.

Kamala the Cop making everybody in California go to prison because racist or something, gossip about her personal life -- all easily debunked but that didn't stop them from flooding the internet with it.

[Phoenix61]

2. "Her" pretty much explains it. Throw in African-American and you have it all.

For some, the only thing worse than a black man running the country is a black woman.

[PeaceWave]

32. Not for many, considering Michelle Obama routinely out-polls everyone.

[betsuni]

60. She polls high because she's not running. That instantly changes.

Elizabeth Warren, for example. Progressive hero until she ran for president, then not so much.

"For a time during the 2016 primary, ... supporters were fond of saying, 'I'd love a woman for president, just not this one. If Elizabeth Warren were running, she'd have my vote in a minute.' But when Elizabeth Warren was actually running for the Massachusetts senate, she had to deal with charges of being 'harsh' and 'unlikeable.' Other women were were 'turned off' by Warren's 'know-it-all style' and she was charged, like Clinton, with 'inauthenticity.' ... And now Warren is actually running for president, facing the same kinds of complaints, and pundits are are chewing over whether she's going to have Hillary Clinton's 'likability' problem." -- Susan Bordo

[hlthe2b]

3. 1. Misogyny; 2. Racism; 3. MSM has spent past 4 years all but ignoring her so that her contributions/qualifications and

expertise has gone unnoticed/unappreciated by the public. Her tackling the abortion and women's health issues has helped but she has gotten short shrift even by thhe more liberal media.

[yourout]

57. And being from California hurts in the swing states.

[Deuxcents]

4. Some people are ignorant.

[NowsTheTime]

70. It's still hard to believe how many people are ignorant, voting against their own interests for example.

[bigtree]

5. they're trolling the party and catapulting Trump's viscious and un-American attacks on her

...so, they're trash (button ).

SPELL HER NAME RIGHT, PLEASE.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS

[rainy]

6. Because they kept her quiet, out of the press for 3& years

But the way you become awe struck by her is when you listen to her speak and discuss topics. She is powerful and brilliant!!! Loved listening to her on the senate floor. Americans overall haven’t seen her like that.

[Frasier Balzov]

19. She really does know how to speak to the average person.

And makes each person feel like they're the cleverest one in the room.

[Ocelot II]

92. Nobody *kept* her quiet and out of the press. The problem with being VP is

that it's always a low-profile job. The VP has no Constitutional duties at all except to act as president of the Senate and break ties when necessary, and to be the backup if the President can't serve. Otherwise they have no designated job, so they usually handle projects and promote initiatives for the administration - some of which don't have much of a public face. Harris has been doing things that aren't splashy and don't get much press because they aren't splashy. I can't think of any VP who ever got much regular news. They come out of the shadows when it's campaign time. So I think we will see a lot more of her in the next few months. And yes, she is impressive.

[mahina]

7. Kamala?

[GenThePerservering]

8. "Kamilla"

That's not even a typo.

[BannonsLiver]

10. Are you talking about Dems or gop dipshits?

I’ve been surprised to see some of the reactions here to her being a likely candidate if Biden had succumbed to the media nonsense and decided not to run, including people who were fiercely supportive of her in the 2020 primary. It’s like some people have taken the media speculation out on her, and to a lesser extent, Newsom. Very bizarre stuff. But it’s DU after all. Unhinged is in.

[Marcus IM]

11. Who is Kamilla Harris? n/t

[valleyrogue]

12. A lot of us like her, but no woman can get elected to the presidency

as long as there is an Electoral College. Sexism is the oldest, most ingrained type of prejudice and oppression out there. There are literally millions of people, especially men, and not all of them Christian Nationalists, who will never vote for a woman president. The EC makes it that much more difficult, as Hillary Clinton could tell us.

[Frasier Balzov]

21. That bias could be overcome by incumbency.

Incumbency is presumed to draw many votes.

[delisen]

41. I think Clinton proved that false

Clinton won the popular vote and lost the battleground states by very few votes. The election could easily have gone the other way.

[ForgedCrank]

13. I can

only answer from my own perspective.
While I believe she is completely capable and an acceptable VP, she often doesn't present well. And while I don't really care about that myself, it makes her poll extremely low. She was highly unpopular during the original primaries compared to other candidates.
Yes, I do realize that is because she was running against other, more popular candidates simultaneously, but she took a lot of damage during that time, mostly because of the media. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's what it is. It's a real shame too. I think she's pretty sharp.
And no, I'm not bashing on her at all. I'm commenting on this from a purely strategic viewpoint. She was wrecked by a flood of selectively edited videos (which continues to this very day). It sucks, but it has been effective in the eyes of many potential voters. Politics can suck, and good people get damaged or even ruined when they step into that arena. It's not fair, but that's what we are stuck working with: habitually ignorant voters.

[oldsoftie]

25. Yes. nt

[XarmyGal]

47. I don't watch

Kamala that much. I think she's a very accomplished smart woman. My ONLY issue with her is that everytime I do see her on TV, she's always grinning. That turns me off. I think she should have that "stern, no smile, 'don't play' with me look", especially when she's dealing with the folks she has to deal with...the "R's"... But, you know what they say about opinions?

[CottonBear]

62. Why are you posting about our VP if you "don't watch" our VP ?

Vote for Biden-Harris 2024

[XarmyGal]

64. My opinion

I will vote Biden/Harris

[Iggo]

15. Hmm.

I’ve seen you around, so I’m pretty sure this is not what you’re doing.

But this is what they do. Come into a group and ask “why do we suck?” and the group then happily compiles a list while the interloper walks away grinning.

Again. Ive seen you around and I know that’s not what you’re doing. But this is how they do it.

[Model35mech]

16. I think her finish in the 2020 Presidential Primary is what the no-sayers

are mostly looking at.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File emocratic_Party_presidential_primaries_results_by_county,_2020.svg

IMO, if Biden chooses to drop out, it would be a mistake for the Party not just for 2024, but for the Party moving into the 2030s, to go to someone other than her.

[Cha]

17. Her Name is Kamala NOT "Kamilla"

[beaglelover]

18. Mysoginistic people don't like strong articulate smart women.

I love Kamala and believe she would make an excellent president. But she turns a lot of people, including Democrats, off for some reason. She did not do well at all in the 2020 primaries if you recall. Should something happen to Biden, I believe we're in very strong capable hands with Harris.

[Deek1935]

20. Some have "issues" over race and gender. Others don't think a "California Liberal" can win. Etc. Etc. Etc.

[bigtree]

22. Norbert forgot what the edit button on posts is for

...but, hey, don't let me get in the way of y'all listing criticisms of our presumptive Vice Presidential nominee for Norbert's hit and run post which disrespects our VP in the title.

[oldsoftie]

23. Like it or not she has always had low approval ratings.

her presidential campaign never went anywhere. You can blame it on racism or misogyny all you want but Democrats have nominated Obama & Hillary.
Right now I think the WH needs to get her out in front of people a LOT more & give more interviews. Make her the focal point of some major issues; other than reproductive rights because THAT is already a major vote getter. Get her talking new mfg jobs & the CHIPs bill. Point out all the huge infrastructure projects underway due to the infrastructure bill. Talk about getting a bill passed to stop sourcing critical items from China. PLENTY of big items that have been done & plenty of big items that SHOULD be done to talk about. Take the worry away from the fence sitters. Again, like it or not, it IS an issue for them. SHOW them that she's perfectly capable of taking over if she had to.
MORE exposure.

[Bettie]

24. Because some people always say

"I'm open to a woman as president, but not THAT woman"....and they are all "that woman".

All the female candidates in 2020 were, at some point, "that woman". A man can be terribly flawed, but a woman has to be perfect and even then, it isn't good enough.

We won't even get into the narratives the press loves to spin.

[jimfields33]

35. at one point, condoleessa rice was mentioned

Not many votes for her on our side. One party will eventually get the first female president and it will be sooner rather than later.

[Bettie]

39. Well, the no on Conde Rice for me

was not because she's a woman, but because she is a Republican.

One of them would have to be pretty freaking spectacularly unlike the rest of them to get a vote from me!

[TygrBright]

26. Pssssst.... no Y chromosome. Plus... the melanin. n/t

[applegrove]

27. Kamala. Kamala is her name.

[MineralMan]

28. Because the white patriarchy.

Simple.

[Deep State Witch]

29. Misogynoir

Hatred of Black Women.

[MineralMan]

30. Because you can't even spell her name?

[Bettie]

40. I hadn't noticed that

my brain does autocorrect unless I am actively editing....my DH pointed it out to me recently.

[elleng]

31. Asian + African American Woman,

predictable.

[Baltimike]

33. Because Putin's puppets want to divide and conquer. nt

[MOMFUDSKI]

37. She is a woman. She is black. Where have

you been? The racist misogyny-loving cretins think they have power now. We will beat them at the ballot box.

[Marcus IM]

42. Still no correction?? What gives? n/t

[orange jar]

44. Looks like a hit-and-run thread.

[mainer]

43. I don't get it either. I think she's terrific.

It’s as if a meme started “no one likes Kamala” and people started mindlessly repeating it. Why don’t they like her? No one can articulate an answer.

I’ve liked her from the start and I think she’d make an amazing President.

[yorkster]

80. Strong, smart and tough when needed.

We are lucky to have her.

[Diraven]

45. On Fox News they say

It was apparently her job to stop the "border crisis" and she hasn't. As if that's the #1 issue in the election.

[MichMan]

53. The border is one of the top 3 issues in nearly every poll

Along with inflation and the general economy

[skip fox]

46. two years ago she seemed a light-weight.

But in the last two years she's come into her own.

Maybe your friend simply needs to see more of her now?

[elocs]

48. Harris was kept in the weeds for 3 years, given jobs with little to no chance of succeeding,

and then rolled out in the last year of the term with an, "oh, look what we've got" attitude.

[orange jar]

50. Hey, so are you ever going to edit this and correct the name of our VP?

…

[RandySF]

51. She's a Black wonan.

That’s all many people need to know.

[Skittles]

52. can you at least spell her name correctly?

thank you

[mercuryblues]

54. You should have asked YOUR COWORKER that question.

No? He's the one that said it.

Perhaps your post is the perfect example as to why. You can't be bothered to spell Kamala correctly. Nor correct the spelling when informed of your error.

She's a woman, why should she get the respect she deserves and have her name spelled right? That attitude spreads.

[enid602]

55. Kamala

I’d love to see Kamala take on any of trump’s current VP picks in a debate. She’d cream them without them even knowing it. Her post debate interview with Anderson Cooper was classic. She clocked him good.

[Marigold]

56. That's an easy one...

She's a woman, and she's black. Icing on the cake.

[TheFarseer]

59. She polls worse than Biden vs. Trump

She hasn’t been very visible in the administration. I think those are a couple of reasons.

[viva la]

61. Some leftists hate that she was a tough prosecutor.

But the color/gender combo obviously has an effect. A guy I know says HE has no problem with that, but that so many voters will, and so that has to be taken into account.
Vicarious racism/sexism?

[betsuni]

68. I well remember the attacks about her being a prosecutor, for doing her job. A big moral sin somehow.

Idiots!

[FBaggins]

63. Three overlapping reasons

Her polling isn’t spectacular (for some of the reasons above)

They think someone else has a better chance at beating Trump (and for many this is the one and only criterion)

She isn’t “next in line” in their mind. They expected Biden to be reelected and we would have a wide open primary in ‘28. She would obviously be one of the top options - but there are several democrats with legit claims. If the president drops out - that jumps forward four years in their minds. They like her just fine but are committed to one of the governors or Bernie or some senator

Having said that - I can’t think of a non-disastrous way for the party to snub her if it comes to that

[NoMoreRepugs]

65. It is incredibly difficult to pass the Democratic Purity test, especially for President.

[OnDoutside]

67. Mostly because of her own ill-fated presidential run

Kamala started so well ...I think her announcement speech had 21,000 people at it, and that was the highpoint.

[uponit7771]

69. She's female and black.... They'll tell you something else though

[brooklynite]

76. Democratic Primary voters are racist and sexist?

Nb: in the early phase of the campaign I met with her and her campaign manager. She just didn’t stand out in the candidate field.

Sometimes an unpopular candidate is just an unpopular candidate.

[uponit7771]

82. No, not anyone, out of 81 million, in.the slightest...

[brooklynite]

83. Question: Did Kamala Harris have single digit polling in 2019 and drop out of the Primary because of racism and sexism?

[whathehell]

85. Unconscious bias..

It's a thing.

[brooklynite]

87. So we're also unconsciously homophobic for not nominating Pete Buttigieg?

Anti-semitic for not nominating Bernie Sanders?

There were 22 candidates for the Democratic nomination. 21 of them had to lose.

[whathehell]

94. Um, no.

No one is claiming we are ALL unconsciously biased ALL the time, or to the same degree, nor that some biases don't run more deeply than others. You, however, seem intent on dismissing the entire concept of it.

[brooklynite]

96. I am dismissing it in the aggregate of the 2020 Democrat Primary voters...

...in which case, if voters weren't inspired by the Harris then, there's no reason to assume they're inspired by her now.

[whathehell]

97. Then you've changed the subject.

We weren't talking about her chances as a possible candidate, we were speaking of the possible reasons for those chances, i.e.unconscious bias.

[brooklynite]

98. The subject is exactly the same.

Democratic voters had a wide range of choices in 2020. They turned down Whites, Blacks, Men, Women, Christians, Jews, Progressives, Moderates, Conservatives, Senators, Governors, House Members etc. If you have evidence of unconscious bias, please share it.

[whathehell]

107. Lol...It is certainly not, and I think you know it.

Two other posters here do seem to be in agreement with me.
As for "evidence" of unconscious bias, that, by it's nature, of course, is all but impossible to provide.
That said, you might want to check out some of the numerous studies that confirm it as a human condition, rather than one of a partisan political position.

https://diversity.ldeo.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/Best%20Practices%20Bias%20Search%20Committees%20Mar2018%20.pdf

[Ocelot II]

72. By the way, it's spelled KAMALA, emphasis on the first syllable.

Please respect her by spelling her name correctly.

[Fla Dem]

73. Amy Klobuchar, was my pick over VP Harris when they were running for President

I was disappointed when Pres Biden picked Kamala Harris to be his VP, again favoring Sen Klobuchar.

But I must say VP Harris has truly impressed me and I am behind her 100% if she runs for President in 2028.

[mcar]

74. Kamala

[brooklynite]

75. Because she wasn't popular in the Primary and hasn't stood out as a VP...

She is effectively an unknown potential candidate.

[Think. Again.]

77. I just want to add that I haven't heard anything negative about her...

...your post makes it seem like being down on VP Harris is a thing, I question whether thats true or propaganda.

[Progressive dog]

78. Predjudice still exists

in the USA. Many MAGA flew confederate battle flags alongside the Trump ones. Trump didn't invent these people but he empowered them.

[Voltaire2]

79. She's not my first choice.

But I’m fine with her being the choice. Mostly I thought her 2020 primary campaign was not exactly spectacular, and that is basically the extent of my experience of her as a candidate.

The VP job is notoriously a parking spot in the bottom of a multilevel underground parking garage. You go there and quietly wait for either the end of your term or some horrendous misfortune. ‘Exposure’ is not part of the job.

[Democracy2020]

81. She will not win at the top of the ticket

I expect a lot of people will view this statement in all sorts of ways. It doesn’t change reality. We may not like it, but it’s fact. The best option is to name Barack Obama as Bidens VP.

[Utley]

84. used to say the same things about Biden when he was VP

that Joe was Obama's "insurance" so he wasn't forced out. I see nothing wrong with Kamala at all, except I don't see her or hear about her so much.

[pinkstarburst]

86. I think Harris is smart and competent

Last edited Fri Jul 5, 2024, 10:51 AM - Edit history (1)

I think there are multiple factors at play, and the answer may not be the same for any two voters.

1) Racism

2) Misogyny - Hillary Clinton was one of the most qualified candidates we ever had. She did not win in 2016, running against a man with no qualifications to be president. How do we expect Harris would win when she has to overcome the same misogyny plus racism?

3) Harris performed poorly in the 2020 primaries. She was named VP, yes. But based on her own performance, she didn't gain much traction, and hasn't managed to build much of a profile or gain popularity since. There is the worry she would not win at the top of the ticket. There may also be the feeling that some voters are unhappy with not having a democratic primary in 2024, and feeling their choice for 2028 is also being taken away. I personally would not vote for Harris in the primary because while I think she is a good candidate and in my top three, I do not think she is the best candidate. There are others I think are better. This is not due to racism or misogyny. If she is ultimately the 2028 democratic nominee, I will vote for her. But I also don't want my vote taken away, nor do I think it's fair that she should be the presumptive 2028 (or 2024) nominee just because one person picked her as his VP.

[niyad]

89. Misogyny and racism.

[IL Dem]

90. I think it behooves us as Democrats to spell her name correctly.

Kamala!

[IA8IT]

91. Down on her because "Kamala Knows Plane Steps"

[Ocelot II]

93. Dammit, it's KAMALA. Please fix this.

[republianmushroom]

100. Because she is a woman and dark skinned, we are a very racist and sexist nation.

[CousinIT]

102. She doesn't have a penis to keep her brain in, for one..

...a fellow Dem I talk to says she just doesn't "inspire" people enough. Says she's smart and would be able to run the country but can't win.

For me, that's code for "she doesn't have a penis to keep her brain in".

I mean she's not a speaker of the level of Obama, but neither is Biden.

And frankly, if people want to be excited and inspired more than they want a competent President to run the damn country -- one who wants to preserve Democracy - then their priorities are fucked up anyway.

But that's just me.

[JCMach1]

103. She also pissed off a lot of people on the left when she was AG of CA

Specifically, talk with people from CA.

Some of that vibe came out in her presidential to run.

[hadEnuf]

104. People are so down on Harris because the right-wing media has already started villainizing her.

Democrat has been made into a dirty word.

[doc03]

105. She is a women and not a WASP. nt

[shrike3]

106. I see a lot of pushback on Kamala from non-political types and it's very unfortunate.

May be the framing after she and Joe won.