Drop Kamala Harris

I like Joe Biden. I think he’s been a fine president. And I wish he wouldn’t run again.

The problem can be summed up in one word: age. Biden has had stubbornly low approval ratings for most of his term, despite tremendous legislative successes in a split Congress, despite a resilient economy and despite slowly but steadily retreating inflation. In addition he’s a thoroughly decent man, in stark contrast to the rot that came before him. It’s the rot that might return that concerns me.

Biden’s hand on the tiller has been metaphorically steady but literally shaky. I worry that, compounding the trouble with low approval ratings, even voters who like him might think twice about voting for what will be an 82-year old man by election day. And if anything goes wrong with his health after his nomination, if he wanders off during a debate, if he asks where a dead congresswoman is at a public event (as he has already done) that will just be amplified during a campaign. And if his opponent is Ron DeSantis the contrast in age and vigor will be even more striking.

Still, it seems like he’s going to move forward with a campaign. So if he does run again his running mate will matter a lot. And it cannot be Kamala Harris.

If Biden’s approval ratings are nothing to write home about, Harris’ are worse. According to a recent analysis in the Los Angeles Times, Biden has a net -7% approval while Harris is at -12%. And Harris is by far the least popular Vice President in recent history. At this point in their terms, Harris’ approval is 12 points lower than Mike Pence, 15 points lower than then-Vice President Joe Biden, and 40 points lower than either Dick Cheney or Al Gore.

And, no, it’s not because she’s a Black woman. She had a +5% rating on inauguration day and through their first year in office her numbers were actually better than Biden’s. But since then Harris’ performance has been uneven and it has become apparent that she just doesn’t connect with average voters. The daughter of California professors misses the mark much like the Wellesly-educated Hillary Clinton did.

There’s no question that Harris would be a drag on the ticket even if Biden were young and popular. But with Biden’s age a big factor, voters are going to be looking at his running mate and asking if she’s ready to step in. Most of them will conclude she isn’t.

In truth, I always thought Harris was a bad pick and I especially thought it was a mistake for Biden to lock himself in by race and gender even before he announced his choice. But that’s the unfortunate state of the identity-obsessed Democratic Party these days. If he felt compelled to choose a Black woman then I liked then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayors run things and make real policy. Senators issue statements and ask questions at hearings. And, of course, Biden could have used a leg up to win Georgia whereas Harris’ California is a lock for any Democrat.

The other day in the New York Times, liberal columnist Gail Collins wrote that Harris should go, but she can’t be replaced because Biden can’t afford to dump the first Black woman in that role. I think he can’t afford not to find someone else.

It would have to be a two-step process. First, Harris would have to be convinced that what she really wants to do is write a book and spend more time with her family. Then Biden would have to select another Black running mate.

I like Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. A kid at only 69-years old, Austin is a retired four star general who exudes strength and competence, exactly the kind of assurance that voters need. If Biden should fall, this guy is there to pick up the flag. It doesn’t hurt that, as a non-politician, he has no record of votes or positions to attack. And, since he’s not clearly a Democrat or Republican, it might head off a third party challenge from a group like No Labels.

Moving on from Harris isn’t just something Biden should do to improve his chances for a second term. Assuming he can win again, it’s the right and responsible thing to do for the country.