Alternate headline: Joe Biden’s impeachment insurance policy is paying dividends
Jokes aside, vice presidents are typically non-controversial because they don’t attract the same level of scrutiny or criticism as their boss. In most cases, assuming the role of Veep is a setup to run for president in 8 years. Except for Dick Cheney, who had no intention of running for president, vice presidents typically use their time to showcase their skills, support the administration, and lay the groundwork for a future political career.
In the case of Vice President Kamala Harris, things have gone off the rails. Set aside the fact that she’s unlikeable and unrelatable, she’s somehow managed to hit a historical low in approval rating according to NBC News:
Data Download: The number of the day is … 32%
That’s the share of registered voters in a new NBC News poll who say they have a positive view of Vice President Kamala Harris. That’s compared with 49% who have a negative view of her, including 39% who have a “very negative” view.
Harris’ net-negative rating (-17) is the lowest for any vice president in the poll’s history.
In Oct. 2019, then-Vice President Mike Pence had a 34% positive, 38% negative rating (-4).
In Dec. 2010, Joe Biden’s rating was 34% positive, 33% negative (+1).
In May 2003, Dick Cheney was at 47% positive, 24% negative (+23).
And in March of 1995, Al Gore’s rating in the poll was 42% positive, 27% negative (+15).
Harris is lower than Darth Vader a.k.a Dick Cheney? Is she doing this on purpose?
Really, what does one have to do to be this disliked at your job? Is this a reflection of the Biden administration as a whole or the obvious shortcomings of Harris as an individual and politician?
As a politician, Harris left the 2020 Democratic primary with two percent support and bailed out before a single vote was cast in Iowa or New Hampshire. Her time spent as a U.S. Senator from California, an easy state for anyone with a “D” next to their name, simply never translated to national politics.
According to reports, the White House is in panic mode over Harris’ unpopularity and is working on image makeover number 487 for the Vice President:
Top White House officials are rushing to the aid of Vice President Kamala Harris to try to shore up her underwhelming poll numbers heading into 2024.
Harris’ numbers are even worse than President Biden’s (approval in the high 30%s versus low 40%s). Officials believe that could make her a drag on the ticket as Biden begins a reelection campaign that likely will boil down to a few tight states.
There’s zero chance Biden will replace her on the ticket — doing so would be an admission that he botched the most important decision he made as a candidate. So the White House and campaign team are working to give Harris a boost — which her allies feel is long overdue.
Harris’ allies point out she has faced sexism and racism, and argue that the White House has not helped her enough. But detractors say her approval ratings are self-inflicted, and include some missteps in high-profile interviews.
Of course! It’s sexism and racism, that’s why Harris can’t get anything done or sound halfway competent.
It’s been one misstep after another and there is nothing the White House can do to fix a bad product. You can re-brand it, re-label it, and re-market in a dozen different ways but you can’t replace the blatant flaws in Harris’ delivery, interview skills, or inability to build a connection with voters. On top of that, add in her staff turnover and it becomes clear she’s not only bad at what she does, but she’s difficult to work with.
In short, Kamala Harris is a dud. She’s been a dud since she rolled out her doomed presidential campaign in 2019.
Hitting a historically low approval rating seems appropriate for Harris as a cap to her political career hitched to the failing and corrupt Biden crime family.
