Basically, the folks that dis Kamala don't really know anything about her, or else they would actually talk about their issues.
Harris fits the mold of the modern VP and has been active on a number of fronts in policymaking and advocacy, though the president has assigned her some particularly thorny and hot-button issues. She tackled the immigration challenge convincingly by working on addressing long-term problems in Mexico and Guatemala through a “root causes” approach, focusing on improving economic and social conditions in Central America to make it more attractive to stay in one’s home country rather than emigrating. Unfortunately for Harris, the recent influx of migrants has come more from Caribbean-facing states, including Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. One might fault Harris for not being able to predict immigration patterns, but she was able to find funding for her initial plan before it was scuttled. This shows a willingness to propose concrete policy solutions, a vanishingly rare trait in politics these days.
Make NATO European Again
Uncertainty over America’s role in NATO after the looming U.S. election is the wake-up call Europe needs to take more responsibility for its defense. Britain and France must lead Europe on that path.
Gesine Weber and Alexandra de Hoop SchefferJuly 12, 2024
USA, European, British, and French flags in blue sky
She has also proved herself a capable representative of the United States overseas. At the Munich Security Conference in February, she reassured European allies of U.S. support for Ukraine, even as Congress was in a pitched battle over the aid package.
She has also been active on the domestic policy front as well. Harris did a lot of work on voting rights reform, only to see it fall apart when key members of her own party defected to a watered-down bill. It is hard to fault her for this kind of party breakdown; after all, as VP, she isn’t the head of the party.
Harris has also been vocal about abortion, driving home that it was Trump, through his Supreme Court appointees, who has rolled back women’s reproductive rights. The Democratic Party has leaned into the abortion issue, which became a rallying cry for voters in Virginia and Ohio in 2023.
Harris’ kryptonite seems to be her polling so far. She has been criticized as an ineffective campaigner who had trouble with messaging and difficulty with her staff. For the last couple of years, she has consistently had negative approval ratings, with nearly 50% disapproval in polls aggregated as of July 10.
But here’s the thing: Kamala may have fumbled her campaign in 2019, but she has led other very successful campaigns for district attorney, attorney general and U.S. Senate. Recent polling shows Harris beating Trump by one point in a general election if she were to replace Biden on the ticket.
There is a lot to recommend Harris if people would pay attention to what she does, not how she laughs or if she gaffes. She’s run successful political campaigns, tackled tough issues and supported tentpole Democratic party positions.
Skeptics keep asking if she is ready for a prime-time presidential campaign. A better question might be: Is Biden ready to give her the chance?
David Richards is an associate professor and chair of the Political Science program and International Relations & Security Studies program at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia.