If the Biden-Harris ticket pulls you out of the legal tangle and you emerge victorious in the US presidential election on Thursday, Kamala harris in fact it will be closer to the White House and the vice president more important than any other running mate in American history – in various aspects.
The first historical milestone, of course, will be the breaking of the glass ceiling that will come with the swearing-in of the country’s first vice president. It is a testimony and an indictment of the male dominance (mostly white) of American politics that 45 men have served as President and 48 men as Vice President of the United States; Kamala Harris, regardless of her ethnicity or heritage, will be the first woman to break through the White House executive office barrier.
Given the political situation and his temperament, it will be anything but a masterpiece. Of course, there is the widely discussed topic of Joe bidenThe age (77) and mental acuity that make the old trope of the vice president being a heartbeat away from the presidency even more relevant. But also emerging from the fiasco that is witnessing Democrats squeeze out a narrow election victory rather than an anticipated blue wave, is a broader leadership crisis: Questions are being raised about the performance of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Nancy pelosi (80) and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (70), who have led the party to below par results, emerging with a slim majority in the House and wasting the opportunity to win a majority in the Senate.
As a relatively young senator (55) from the nation’s largest and richest state (California, an economic powerhouse), she will be well positioned to lead the party’s young, restless and progressive lawmakers. In fact, if the Democrats manage to tie in the Senate after the Georgia runoff elections (they are expected to be one seat less after her own California seat is automatically replaced by a Democratic successor), she, as vice president, will exercise the runoff in the Senate.
But to get there, she and Biden will first have to win the score and stand up to the scrutiny of their own campaign. Why did they fare so badly in Florida, where efforts to woo the Latino vote seem to have fallen short (in part because Hispanic immigrants from Cuba and Venezuela were wary of the socialist label Trump bestowed on them)? Did she get enough of the Native American and black community, both strongly Democratic-leaning, but some of whose voters view her record with caution? Once in office, he will also have to resist Trump’s attacks, which will not fade and in fact, will be even freer without the trappings of office, not that that stopped him much.
On a lighter note, Harris will also be the most colorful and best-documented vice president ever given her vibrant personality, intellectual zest, and eclectic interests. She’s already a social media star, with memes and videos of everything from her favorite songs (“Being Young, Talented, and Black” by Nina Simone is her anthem) to dancing and cooking shoes.
As vice president, Kamala Harris will not live in the White House; The vice president’s residence is a couple miles north at the United States Naval Observatory. Expect her to observe the White House from there.
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