Harris is underperforming in a job that does not require much
The vice presidency is not a position with a job description – other than to preside over the Senate and vote in the event of a tie. Beyond that, it is whatever the President decides to assign to the Vice President.
The sole purpose of a Vice President is to standby and wait for the President to die in office – or at least get critically ill or declared incompetent in accordance with the 25th Amendment. Vice presidents often take the reigns of government when the boss has to go under for an operation – even marginal procedures. Vice President Harris was the first woman to hold the powers of the presidency – albeit briefly — while President Biden was having his butt inspected in a routine colonoscopy.
Even vice presidents succeeding the President was not clear until President William Henry Harrison died, and Vice President John Tyler declared himself to be the successor. There was no universal agreement on his claim and the issue had to be settled by the Supreme Court. Since then, it is an automatic ascension.
Many vice presidents had little to do. Benjamin Franklin humorously proposed that the Vice President be addressed as “His Superfluous Majesty.” Vice President John Nance Garner said the office was not worth “a bucket of warm spit.”
Vice President Thomas Hendricks and President Grover Cleveland had a very public contempt for each other. Hendricks tried to have Cleveland removed from the Democrat ticket. And Vice President Lyndon Johnson was not highly regarded by the John Kennedy clan. President Lincoln’s Vice President Andrew Johnson was a southern Democrat – which created major problems when Lincoln was assassinated.
Many presidents proclaim that their Vice President will be an important member of the team. Sometimes yes, sometimes no – mostly no.
As a woman and the first woman of whatever color she is, Harris is unique. It has made her more controversial than most. And the reported tension between the Oval Office and the Office of the Vice President has made the situation even more controversial.
There are a lot of complaints and reports about her work habits – or lack thereof. Her critics say she is either incompetent or too “woke” in her statements and actions. Her supporters claim that she is the victim of racism and misogyny – and that Biden has either shoved her aside or has given her all the unsolvable problems to handle.
But Harris has more than a far-right or far left problem. She has always come up short on the likeability scale – as seen in her short-lived presidential campaign. Whether it is issues of personality or not, the bottom-line fact is that she has the worst favorability rating among the general public than virtually all her predecessors Her favorable rating – which has never exceeded 50 percent is currently in the low 40s or high 30s. She had her highest favorable rating on Inauguration Day – and it has been in constant decline ever since.
According to MSNBC, Harris has had the following issues put into her portfolio – immigration, voting rights, the filibuster, climate change, increasing union membership, internet, supply chain shortages, France and Asia. Whew! That is not my list. That is what the folks at MSNBC report.
It makes me wonder even more what Biden has on his “to do” list. And if any of that list is accurate, Harris is really falling down on the job in virtually every category – especially when it comes to immigration. However, it does fit with the theory that Biden is giving Harris all the most difficult issues – the ones he cannot solve, and to which he pays very little discernible interest.
MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart believes that Harris should fight back with the victimization argument. The criticism is all about her being black and a woman. That excuse may play well with the Democrat’s far left base, but not with most Americans. The polling proves that. The latest Rasmussen Poll shows that Harris has fallen to 39 percent favorable – with a 57 unfavorable rating.
I am betting that IF Biden runs again, Harris will not be on the ticket. And if he does not, she will not be the Democrat nominee for either the presidency or the vice presidency. She will hobble to political oblivion in about three years unless Biden cannot fulfill his terms. And even then, she still will not be on the Democrat ticket in 2024 in either spot. Just my opinion.
So, there ‘tis.
I find it very peculiar that the PBP has recently devoted two articles to Harris, who is in a position that doesn’t really require a much.
It’s almost like a concerted effort to smear her. As Joe said the other day, this commentary seems to indicate that PBP is concerned about the future that she may have.
She’s a dumb bitch
Ben … you jump to some wrong conclusions. First … Harris is not above being criticized. She is a public figure who expresses HER opinions and influences policy to some extent. Nothing I wrote is a smear. I did not launch an ad hominin attack, but gave a critical review of her performance and her situation. And you think that should be cancelled. Finally, you are dead wrong on your assumed motivation. I have indicated in a couple commentaries that I think she has zero chance of becoming President unless Biden fails to complete his first term. And even then, I wrote that she would not be able to win even the nomination much less an election to take the office on her own. Even in this commentary that you apparently read — maybe not too carefully — I said that Harris will “hobble to political oblivion” unless Bide cannot finish his term. Hardly the writing of a person “concerned about the future that she may have.”
Larry,
Your boy Joe made the argument the other day that attacks indicate concern. I took that to its logical next step. You’ll forgive me for applying BPB’s arguments to its contributors.
You are forgiven for confusing the writers. A assumed you were referring to my commentary.
All that she needs to know how to do is swallow
Lazy tramp should be cleaning toilets
With her tongue
And given the job you believe she deserves based on her accomplishments, where does that leave John J’s career path? Somewhere far below toilet cleaning if we use his metrics….
Larry,
Congratulations. You seem to win the award for “closest to sanity,” “closest to being a Real Republican.” Really, who cares about the VP… You said it. As to Harris, yeah, Democrats like her more than Hillary if that gives you a clue as to our agreement. A great prosecutor is no more trained for the Presidency than a multiple-bankrupted-often-bailed-out businessman. Most think she’s a bit mean, a bit icy, and if I have to hear about her mother one more time, I will ask Joe to tell us about his Father again….”Joey, he said……” argh.
That said, who cares. You are right, if she has to take the reigns, perhaps we will be surprised like WFT fans were surprised with our Cinderella replacement quarterback. Then again, we may suffer the same fate as WFT fans did with our Cinderella replacement quarterback when an actual tough challenge presented itself. As a candidate, I agree, little chance on her own, just like the last time. Next time, Booker will be loaded for bear and being Black won’t be your only asset.
Although I was amazed, you, of all people said: “As a woman and the first woman of whatever color she is” WTF was up with that Larry? Just can’t see what that added to your tome, certainly not humor. One thing you must realize: race is only important to the racist. I don’t think you are, but you certainly got closer than I am sure you would like on this one.
Oh well, mostly agree, but really don’t care. Pence is more exciting, at least he called Quayle for advice, now that’s a funny one. Except he apparently got the right advice. And now his career is done too. Probably can’t even get a job at the Carlyle Group.
What accomplishments?
Dear Larry, Moe, and Curly, you guys did it again! You made me laugh! Keep up the good work. Now with regard to VP Harris, her performance has been dismal as evidenced by the fact that she rarely is on the news doing anything meaningful – which may not be her fault depending on what Mr. Biden has tasked her to do. It could be poor press because I cannot think of a single accomplishment she has made. I do know in Latin America she was not well received – but that is in part not because of her personally, but because she promoted the Democratic LGBTQ platform which staunchly Catholic countries are against, especially the T (See Deuteronomy 22: 5-8 where God says men dressing as women are an abomination and her pro-abortion stance which Central Americans Catholics do not like See Exodus 21: 18-25.) Many of us (I am not Catholic but am Christian) believe this. Now as an independent or unaffiliated voter, I do not care for VP Harris. She has a unique snarky delivery to just about everything she says, including when she is making a joke. I think this comes from being a prosecutor where such deliveries can work well – but it does not work well on the world stage. I hope Mr. Biden makes it through his term so we do not have to have her as POTUS. I would venture to say we independents which are about 46% of the electorate, have an unfavorable (mild to harsh) opinion of her and would never want to see her as POTUS. If she were to run for POTUS, our voting block would say, “Really, you can’t come up with anyone better?” And without our voting block, she does not have a chance of ever winning, and while I loath both parties, I cannot imagine the DEMS as being stupid enough to run her. So she would fade back into her background just as Larry predicted, and find many comrades and gainful employment in CA.
Larry, Harris can be no worse than other VP’s I your life time Eisenhower had Nixon. A VP who eventually became president and his character failed the test. He got caught with the smoking gun.
Nixon truly had bad Karma choosing Spiro T Agnew as his first running mate. Agnew, after claiming his innocence of crimes mobsters are familiar with, eventual caved admitting his culpability. He resigned in disgrace. A few years later Nixon the boss followed leaving office by resignation under the Watergate cloud. Jerry Ford as Nixon’s VP was to squeaky clean and forgiving for Republicans’ conservative taste. His sin unforgivable by Republican standards caused his loss running for President in his own right. Pardoning Nixon was the conservative version of a bridge to far.
Ford is an admired hometown hero where I grew up. The county where he grew up and represented honestly and long honored his public service by naming its International Airport after him while was still living. Ford is possibly one of the best and undervalued VP’s. I have not held his Republican conservative badge against him, he distinguished himself as honorable, trustworthy and straightforward as a politician can be.
Republicans and Democrats as well would benefit greatly if they took on a fraction of his character. He was a model of decency good for all seasons.
In our 70’s time had not runout for learning lessons needed to change for the better. If it is a legacy left is important crest one drenched in positivity and affirmation of others.
So, family is encouraging us to set living this time in life as worthy.
See in your doing that it’s adding to accumulated wisdom and not subtracting consideration of others contributions.
Through our efforts lifting others’ knowledge to deeper understanding behind our own are we lifted off in heart alone.
Assuming valued are those ethics uncommon today and morals the founders incorporated into our Constitution.