This article from The Hill sure paints a bleak picture for Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency. Summarized, it tells a tale of a Democratic Party gripped by anxiety and division, desperately patching a sinking ship as it takes on water from every direction. Harris’s campaign, cobbled together after President Biden announced he wouldn’t run, lacked the grassroots support typical of a strong primary challenger, and was instead the product of backroom dealings with DNC heavyweights like Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.
The first major misstep? Harris choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz, with a record ranging from cringeworthy (his botched shotgun photo-op) to problematic (a DUI and sketchy claims about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen), anchored Harris to baggage she didn’t need. Walz’s debate performance against Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, was likened to watching a squirrel try to outmaneuver an oncoming semi. Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well.
Then came the political seismic shock: RFK Jr. suspended his independent campaign and endorsed Trump. Picture Harris trying to rally her base while Kennedy, the anti-establishment darling with a cross-party cult following, publicly backs her GOP opponent. The timing of his endorsement, mere hours after her convention, turned her celebratory bounce into a crash landing. Kennedy’s endorsement wasn’t just a needle; it was a wrecking ball, especially with the so-called “mom vote” — those suburban, health-conscious voters who trust Kennedy more than most mainstream figures.
The implications are stark: this blunder-strewn campaign will likely haunt the Democrats beyond 2024. Look for Gov. Josh Shapiro, the one who got away as Harris’s potential VP pick, to leverage this catastrophe for his own 2028 bid. Meanwhile, the Democratic strategists’ collective butt-covering highlights a party haunted by a process that demanded loyalty but forsook strategy.
My thought: Politics isn’t just about picking teams; it’s a blood sport of perception and timing. Harris, thrust forward by backroom deals and burdened by a VP who makes clowns look organized, had neither on her side. Democrats will soon have to reckon with how they got outmaneuvered by Trump and a rogue ex-Kennedy, all while watching their dream ticket blow up faster than a cheap Fourth of July firework.
