By Dave Andrusko
Given the lightening-like coronation of Vice President Kamala Harris, it only stood to reason that the burst of optimism that greeted the news that she would be the Democrats’ presidential nominee would be tempered by words of caution.
Not that the Abortion Industry had any qualms. “Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California is thrilled that Planned Parenthood Action Fund has officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States,” was typical.
EMILY’s List, the big-bucks political action committee which supports only female Democrats who are abortion absolutists, joined in: “EMILYs List is proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, an extraordinary and accomplished leader, as the next president of the United States. She is the most qualified and most prepared candidate to meet this unprecedented moment and lead the country.”
Lost in the shuffle was the reluctance on the part of some power brokers to hand the nomination to Harris without her being tested. For example, the New York Times, the unofficial house organ for pro-abortion Democrats, cautioned:
Nonetheless, party delegates should have a voice in a decision of this consequence. There are other qualified Democrats who could take on Mr. Trump and win, and picking a candidate without a real contest is how the party got into a position of anointing a standard-bearer that large majorities of Democrats and independents had profound concerns about. While the hour is late, there is still time to put leading candidates through a process of public scrutiny before the party’s nominating convention begins on Aug. 19, to inform the choice of a nominee and to build public support
Interestingly, the Times asked “eight Opinion columnists and contributors to assess the field of potential contenders” which the newspaper limited to ten. Of course, some had already voiced support, but the criticisms were very interesting coming from a paper that loves abortion. Indeed, their lack of enthusiasm was stunning.
Ross Barkan offered a succinct assessment of Harris’s weaknesses and strengths:
Harris has a feeble electoral track record — she struggled badly in 2020 and barely, before then, won her first attorney general race in California — but she’ll benefit from a likely unified Democratic establishment, and she can forcefully press the case against Trump on abortion rights. It won’t hurt that she’d be the nation’s first female president and only the second nonwhite politician to occupy the Oval Office.
Josh Barro
Harris is the clear favorite to win the nomination and would allow the easiest transition to a new candidate. She has no demonstrated appeal to swing voters, and she cannot run away from the Biden-Harris record on inflation and immigration. Her best arguments are that she’s not old and she’s not Trump. And those might be enough to win.
Ross Douthat
A mediocre politician from a deep-blue state with low national approval ratings, she may find a way to win, but she would be nobody’s top choice were she not the top choice of the president. Relief at Biden’s exit will generate a lot of professed enthusiasm, but it will be fake.
Pamela Paul
Even Biden fans see Harris as one of the weakest elements of his administration. A country desperate for change would bristle at the feeling that once again, real democratic choice is being sidelined in favor of the most deserving insider. And Harris is a fundamentally weak candidate. She fizzled out early in her first presidential run and floundered in the vice president.
We’ll have more to say about Harris today but let me just add this from Political Polls [Politics_Polls]. Among voters age 18-34, has a 19 point lead Trump 58%, Harris 39%!