From beacon of hope to burden

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Joe Biden (80) has two problems: his age – and a woman. At 80 years old, he is the oldest American president. If reelected, he would be 82 when sworn in for a second term. And 86 years old at the end of his tenure. Nothing for the Democrats to advertise.

His supporter should be even heavier: Vice President and heir to the throne Kamala Harris (58). Biden featured the Californian prominently in his three-minute campaign video. Talking to the president in the Oval Office, walking through the White House and hugging First Lady Jill Biden (71). Astonishing to observers – Harris is actually a fringe figure in the US government.

Harris appears a total of thirteen times in the video. No wonder she gets the second lead: if Biden is too old and frail, his vice must take over. It is all the more important to get Harris out of the political periphery and into the spotlight. She badly needs it.

Vice President remains elusive to voters

“Where’s Kamala Harris?” has been the headline in several international newspapers since she became vice president. In preparation for the tight 2024 election campaign, Biden now seems to want to make it clear: “Here’s Kamala Harris!”

For many voters, the vice president is and remains elusive. This is also reflected in their approval ratings: at the beginning of April, only 40 percent of US citizens were in favor of them, 51.9 percent against them. And 8.1 percent didn’t know how to relate to the second most powerful person in the country. This makes Harris by far the least popular of the last five vice presidents.

And that, although in 2020 Harris was still regarded as a beacon of hope. Relatively young, the first woman and the first black to play the role of political number two. Only if Harris was noticed, then only negatively. At the end of 2021, she struggled to avoid negative headlines: allegations of harassment, one firing after another at her office, bad relations in American politics.

From hope to disappointment

Experts such as New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman (69) puzzle over the reasons for her poor performance: as the first (black) woman in office, does she struggle with sexism and racism? Is the vice president’s job too thankless? Or is she just overwhelmed?

The fact is: Biden must accept the accusation that he was complicit in Harris’ dismantling. He gave her unsolvable tasks. The first is addressing the root causes of illegal immigration from Central American countries to the United States. In addition, it must implement a reform of the national electoral law. Topics that the vice cannot make anyone happy with.

“Dream Team” is a Democratic indictment

Harris’s difficult political and popular status could become a major problem. Because even if Biden and Harris have to compete with ex-President Donald Trump (78) in 2024, the starting point is different now. This time around, Biden’s partner will have much greater significance — only this time she’s completely missing out on the upfront praise.

Source: Blick