WhatsappOddly enough, Kamala Harris may be one of the best choices – on a tactical level – of Vice President in recent history. It seemed like a practical choice that would endear Joe Biden to a younger generation and to female voters. It seems to have worked. But, beyond that, it has also scared the masses of the idea of losing Joe Biden and having Kamala Harris become the Chief Executive of the United States of America.
Inept Vice Presidents are not a new idea in the United States of America. Dan Quayle, who was actually not a lightweight at all, was ridiculed incessantly due to very minor mistakes he made. But, before him, there was Spiro Agnew, who turned into one of the least successful and short-lived Vice Presidents in recent history.
Usually, Vice Presidential candidates are chosen in order to shore up the image of the Presidential candidate with a constituency that is uncomfortable with the Presidential candidate. JFK chose LBJ in order to boost his credentials with the southern voters. Ronald Reagan chose George H. Bush in order to moderate his image of being a right wing ideologue like Goldwater. Bill Clinton chose Al Gore in order to double down on the younger image he had in contrast to the older George H. Bush.
But in truth, the right criteria should be whether or not the Vice President has the ability to take over in case the President is incapacitated. When John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential candidate, it was a long shot choice that many thought was based on his unpopularity with women. There was very little reason to assume that she was fit to be President, and the polling indicated that. Saturday Night Live had a field day with her candidacy. McCain lost by a wide margin. Kamala Harris is not very different than Sarah Palin. There have been women candidates before that were better suited for the job, such as Elizabeth Dole and Geraldine Ferraro.
The time will come for a female President who is fit for the job. But Kamala Harris should not be the answer.
