Unmissable at the time of the inauguration of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris is now almost missing. Confined to subjects little highlighted, it remains in the shadow of the American president. A strategy that goes both in its direction and that of the White House according to Olivier Piton, author of “Kamala Harris, the pioneer of America”, biography published on September 2.
While Democrats have been promising a Biden-Harris administration a lot, the Vice President (VP) is relatively low-key. Why ?
Joe Biden had said that, but it was campaign talk. There was a key moment in the election campaign when it came to rallying around his candidacy the diverse progressive America that Kamala Harris could represent. The reality is significantly different for several reasons. The first is that she is not part of the Biden clan, and moreover she was not part of a clan, whereas American politics are largely in a feudal system. Today, the Obama-Biden team is running the country.
Additionally, Joe Biden’s age, 78, poses a number of questions about the Democratic presidential bid for 2024. Even though he has said he will be a candidate, there is relatively little doubt. And the Democratic Party has not decided. There is total war within the party between the centrist wing of Joe Biden, and the younger and more dynamic radical wing. Kamala Harris is located in the junction between these two currents, it is moreover its strength. But in fact, the centrist current does not have absolute confidence in giving it the future keys to the party. Finally, Kamala Harris is a newcomer. When she runs for the 2020 presidential election, she only has two years in the Senate. There are questions about her real ability to be, perhaps tomorrow, the candidate for the Democratic Party.
She is used to the courts and the Senate, she could be good at defending Biden’s policy, it would have been useful on Afghanistan in particular …
There is a double strategy. There is also Kamala Harris’ strategy in this story. She is the victim of an intriguing trial, she is suspected of eyeing, which is quite normal since she is very ambitious, for the next post, which is that of president. So for now, she chooses not to lend a flank to her critics by appearing to be on the front line. Rather, it is on an extremely moderate register.
When you read her tweets, they are quite smooth, she supports the police, firefighters, teachers. There is no roughness of any kind. Joe Biden is a pragmatist, just because he hasn’t used it for the first six months doesn’t mean he won’t do it when the time comes if he finds an interest in it. This could be on a social subject or at the level of justice, which would correspond to the profile of Kamala Harris.
Will we see her sooner with the midterms and the end of the mandate?
Traditionally, the vice-president has a real importance at the time of the midterms, the midterm elections. He deputizes for the president in supporting a number of candidates. The president reserves those who are important in the important states where it comes to winning and bringing all his strength, but the vice president is actively involved in the midterms campaign too. Maybe we will send it to support women, women of diversity… On the other hand, if it was not put forward for the midterms. There would really be a problem there, but I don’t believe it at all.
If Biden launches in 2024, would she stay with him according to you?
It is very rare that the ticket is not reformed in the event of a re-election. It is really necessary that the vice-president made a serious fault or that his image was rather deteriorated. This is not at all the case for Kamala Harris, who retains all his strengths that have not yet been used to the full. She’s in reserve, she avoids traps, she doesn’t indulge, so if Joe Biden decides to go back there is very little chance that he will choose another candidacy, especially since he should explain why .
“Kamala Harris, America’s Pioneer”, by Olivier Piton (Ed. Plon) 20 euros.