You and I know that Kamala Harris was a diversity hire, a choice Joe Biden made to fulfill his promise of choosing a woman to be his Vice President.
Harris was that and more: she would become the Black Vice President as well as the first Vice President of Asian descent. Combine that with her time as a prosecutor, which allies at the time hinted would be how they would go after Trump, and she was the right choice.
Biden, according to reports, was also partial to her because, like him, she had “paid her dues” working her way through the political ladder, including time in the U.S. Senate.
But, that’s not an opinion that is widely shared by the left. Some of them may think it, mind you, but they sure as hell don’t say it out loud. Among other things, Harris is extremely volatile and doesn’t respond to criticism well. Her office is reportedly chaotic, and her temperament isn’t exactly helpful.
Imagine my surprise, then, when the Washington Post editors allowed this column to be published on Friday.
At the start of Biden’s term, I was pulling for Harris to do well. She had pizzazz and a reputation for being a tough prosecutor. She had moxie and swagger, and she leaned centrist. There was reason for hope: Criticism from California progressives that she wasn’t adequately attuned to racial-justice issues and sided too often with prosecutors likely proved helpful when she was vetted for the VP spot.
Her performance as second in command has been disappointing, to say the least. Americans have taken note. Though Democrats unsurprisingly like her more than Republicans do, a recent analysis by FiveThirtyEight set her average overall approval rating at just 37.2 percent, among the lowest recorded for a vice president.
The whole column, titled “For the Country’s Sake, Vice President Harris Should Step Aside,” is just a brutal explainer as to why Harris is such a drag on Biden’s administration and re-election efforts. To actually see the sentence “She was picked because she was Black and female, a combo tantamount to job security,” from someone on the left is stunning, even if it’s the most accurate statement regarding Harris’ job.