Maybe it’s been unfair to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris as “ineffective” or “tone deaf” on the issues people care most about. Perhaps the real issue lies somewhere in the heart of the West Wing where simmering tensions between the President and Vice President have boiled into a stalemate where neither side is satisfied with the first 10 months of the Biden-Harris administration.
On President Biden’s side, Harris seems to be a distraction from the issues of the day. They’ve given her some jobs, like dealing with the border, where she failed spectacularly by basically paying little more than lip service to a major crisis. On the other hand, Harris’ people believe she’s being underutilized and brushed aside by a White House that cannot seem to get a grasp on solving any issue as the country spirals downward.
Several media outlets have articles out this morning, maybe coincidently, but maybe not, about the rift growing between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and the obvious signs that things aren’t meshing well between the two teams:
Worn out by what they see as entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus, key West Wing aides have largely thrown up their hands at Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff — deciding there simply isn’t time to deal with them right now, especially at a moment when President Joe Biden faces quickly multiplying legislative and political concerns.
The exasperation runs both ways. Interviews with nearly three dozen former and current Harris aides, administration officials, Democratic operatives, donors and outside advisers — who spoke extensively to CNN — reveal a complex reality inside the White House. Many in the vice president’s circle fume that she’s not being adequately prepared or positioned, and instead is being sidelined. The vice president herself has told several confidants she feels constrained in what she’s able to do politically. And those around her remain wary of even hinting at future political ambitions, with Biden’s team highly attuned to signs of disloyalty, particularly from the vice president.
She’s a heartbeat away from the presidency now. She could be just a year away from launching a presidential campaign of her own, given doubts throughout the political world that Biden will actually go through with a reelection bid in 2024, something he’s pledged to do publicly and privately. Or she’ll be a critical validator in three years for a President trying to get the country to reelect him to serve until he’s 86.
In her defense, Harris is in a strange situation. Ideally, she’d be part of an administration that was intent on governing for eight years and acting in ways that would be more likely to make that happen. On the contrary, it’s unclear whether Joe Biden will be able to serve beyond one term, so is Harris set up to be his successor in 2024 and run on his failing record, or is she supposed to be the dutiful foot solder helping Biden win a second term?
There are many strikes against Harris, we’ve covered them here, and her retail politic skills are about as sharp as a rusty shovel. She has problems connecting with voters, of pretty much any background. Her ability to deliver a good speech is a little below average, and her ability to respond to criticism seems well below par for a seasoned politician such as herself.
Perhaps this is why Biden’s aides around him seem to be at their wits ending figuring out what to do with her. For that reason, some observers are wondering how it got this bad between the two camps:
She’s perceived to be in such a weak position that top Democrats in and outside of Washington have begun to speculate privately, asking each other why the White House has allowed her to become so hobbled in the public consciousness, at least as they see it.
“She’s very honored and very proud to be vice president of the United States. Her job as the No. 2 is to be helpful and supportive to the President and to take on work that he asks her to take on,” said Eleni Kounalakis, the lieutenant governor of California and a longtime friend. Kounalakis spoke with the vice president last Monday morning before Harris departed for a diplomatic mission to France.
There’s no question she has turned from the intended political asset, as a more progressive woman of color to balance out Biden’s forty-year career in the “old white guy” political class, into a political liability due to mismanagement within the Biden White House. Not all of that is her fault, however, so she can’t be laid with all the blame.
As a contrasting example, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence worked well together. They were, for all intents and purposes, a well-balanced ticket. Pence had years of congressional and government experience, Trump had years of CEO and business experience. The two meshed well with different backgrounds. Trump had big ideas, and Pence knew which government levers to pull to make them happen.
Heck, even President Obama and then-Vice President Biden worked well together. Biden was the “establishment” figure and Obama was the new fresh blood. It would seem a Biden-Harris administration could attempt to recreate that chemistry. For whatever reason, perhaps the poor quality of Biden’s leadership skills coupled with Harris’ low-quality political skills, the machine isn’t working right.
As the CNN article notes, however, Biden and Harris are different people, and they don’t work the same when placed in similar roles:
Biden aimed to model his relationship with Harris on his own vice presidency and directed aides early in his presidency to employ her in a similar fashion. He arranged weekly lunches, just as he’d held with Obama, and invited Harris to join him for his morning classified intelligence briefing. Harris, meanwhile, threw herself into proving her commitment to the President and the administration, using his relationship with Obama as her guide.
Even then, some White House aides questioned whether Biden’s experience as vice president would easily translate to someone with far different qualifications and skills — and to a much different moment.
The reporting about the Biden-Harris administration of dysfunction must have reached some fairly high levels within the White House since the Sunday night tweeting was revealing:
For anyone who needs to hear it. @VP is not only a vital partner to @POTUS but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country—from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) November 15, 2021
“For anyone who needs to hear it.” What does that mean, exactly? Is Psaki tweeting at the Vice President’s staff? Is she just tweeting publicly to try and put some fires out behind the scenes? It was an odd tweet that shouldn’t have to be put into words but, obviously, there is more going on than we even know.
For whatever reason, the Biden-Harris administration isn’t. Instead, the Biden administration seems to act independently of anything that Harris does and there doesn’t seem to be much of a coherent message. Even dropping the border crisis in Harris’ lap may have been a way to test her or a way to divert her into no-mans-land where there is no good way to come out ahead politically.
Another question that some are asking is whether the Biden campaign is working to dump Harris before the 2024 cycle rolls around. Some have suggested Harris could be placed on the Supreme Court as a way to upgrade her position without the appearance of ditching her for political reasons. While that seems far-fetched, it all depends on how badly her image and brand continue to suffer while they whither next to Biden’s weekly failures. Maybe she views a SCOTUS nomination as a more reliable future career than running for president?
