Democrats say Vice President Kamala Harris is not “adept as a communicator,” is underwhelming and nearly invisible in a brutal assessment of her political future as President Joe Biden moves closer to a decision on a 2024 run.
The Washington Post on Monday shared the thoughts of more than a dozen Democratic leaders, with some speaking on condition of anonymity so they could speak more openly about their concerns.
Democrats told the paper they feared Harris doesn’t have what it takes to win the White House, following what sounded minor from prominent Senator Elizabeth Warren – who was noncommittal that Harris even stayed on Biden’s ticket .
When asked if Harris should run again, Warren replied, “I really want to focus on what I think Biden is doing on his team,” before later releasing a statement saying she “fully supports her.” “.[s] the joint re-election of the President and Vice President, and never intended to imply otherwise.’
Democrats say Vice President Kamala Harris is not “adept as a communicator,” is underwhelming and nearly invisible in a brutal assessment of her political future as President Joe Biden moves closer to a decision on a 2024 run
Democrats told the paper they feared Harris (left) doesn’t have what it takes to win the White House, following what sounded minor from prominent Sen. Elizabeth Warren – who was non-binding that Harris even at Biden stayed (right) ticket.
“People are willing to pounce on anything — any misstep, any slip, anything she says — and so she’s not likely to win on the odds,” said Jacquelyn Bettadapur, former Cobb County, Georgia Democrat Chairwoman of the Newspaper about Harris.
But Bettadapur added that many Democrats “don’t know enough about what she’s doing,” adding, “It doesn’t help that she doesn’t do it.” [that] skilful as a communicator.’
Harris’ best-known assignment was one that has been misunderstood: Biden assigned her to run with the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, where the bulk of southern border workers are on the run.
That led Harris to be branded a “border zzarin,” even though the White House said she’s tasked with addressing the root causes of migration, not the border crisis.
It also showcased her less-than-stellar communication skills, as NBC’s Lester Holt pressed her as to why she hadn’t been to the border, and received the reply, “And I haven’t been to Europe either.”
More recently, Harris has traveled the country campaigning for abortion access, but these events are often understated.
“I think the main thing is, I wish she was out there and more visible,” said JA Moore, a South Carolina state legislator who endorsed Harris on her 2020 run. “They want to see that representation, they want to see their face more and see their connection to what the government is doing,” she said of Democratic groups.
But it’s also Harris’ race and gender that makes Democrats nervous about backing her fully, party leaders suggested.
“I think a lot of Democrats have changed from a sentiment of 2008, or even the sentiment of 2012 and 2016, which was about voting for aspirations,” said Brady Quirk-Garvan, former Democratic Party leader Charleston County, across from The Post.
“Democrats right now — I don’t hear much chatter about aspirations. I hear what guarantees victory, what is a certainty, what feels safe,” Quirk-Garvan continued.
Many Democrats were shocked by the results of the 2016 election, when their historic candidate, former first lady, US Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was routed by a reality TV star who had never held political office – now former President Donald Trump.
Despite a choice of female, black, gay and Jewish candidates, the 2020 Democrats chose Biden, whose most distinctive attribute is that he is the country’s second Catholic president.
“There’s one segment that just won’t vote for a woman for president, and there’s another segment that just won’t vote for an African-American man. If you have two of those checkboxes, you still have a higher threshold,” Erick Allen, chairman of the Cobb County Democrats, told the paper. “Hillary only had one of those checks, and she could be slurred and beaten until she couldn’t recover.”
“There are some people in our party who say, ‘We already have hurdles. Let’s not create any more,” Allen added.