In the News: Kamala Harris running for Joe Biden's vice-president

Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow

5 mins

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Perhaps the word that comes up most often in the headlines this morning is “  historic  ”. “  Kamala Harris was the first black attorney in San Francisco to serve as California's attorney general and the second black woman to be elected to the United States Senate. And now she is the first black woman to be nominated as a candidate for the vice-presidency of the United States,  "recalls the Los Angeles Times, which believes that" Kamala Harris has yet much more to offer than being a simple symbol  ".

First of all, explains the Washington Post , she "  fulfills the most important criteria  ": "  At 78, Joe Biden would be by far, in case of victory, the oldest president ever invested in the presidency. The demographic reality therefore dictated to the Democrats the choice of a candidate for the vice-presidency able, by his experience, to replace him. And Mrs. Harris is that person  ”.

"  And as it is more than likely that Joe Biden will not run for a second term, Kamala Harris is already the all-round Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election  ," the Boston Globe for its part underlines .

"  The choice of Kamala Harris also demonstrates that the criteria of gender and skin color today prevail over considerations of electoral geography  ," notes the New York Times  : "  By designating the senator from California, a state that Democrats have won every presidential election since 1992, Joe Biden has embraced modern imperatives for building a broad coalition within the Democratic camp  , ”the newspaper writes. "  The time when the co-listers should absolutely help the candidate for the presidency to win their State of origin thus becomes a relic of the past  ".

But precisely will Kamala Harris, known for her rather centrist positions, be able to seduce the more left-wing progressive camp, in short, those sympathizers who were enthusiastic about the candidacy of Bernie Sanders?

The Wall Street Journal's answer   to this question is no: “  Kamala Harris will not satisfy progressives. By choosing this senator as vice-president, Joe Biden sends a clear message to the left wing of the Democratic Party, namely: you are dead  ”, estimates the economic daily. And he warns: “  This choice indicates that the party establishment still considers the defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016 as an anomaly of history and not as proof of a flawed strategy in the face of the real evolution of the world. political identity of its constituents  ”.

The Sacramentoo Bee also emphasizes that Kamala Harris is a "  personality that divides  ": "  The one who had called herself the" best cop in California "had also been strongly criticized, especially by members of the black community  ", recalls the local daily. “  When she served as the San Francisco Attorney General and California Attorney General, Kamala Harris had a reputation for waiting rather than acting and only addressing controversial cases once she was certain they were politically viable. ". The Sacramentoo Bee remembers its hesitation in 2015, when the California Assembly proposed independent investigations into any murderous incident involving police. Or even her opposition in 2010 to the legalization of marijuana, when she says today she supports it.

Contradictions which the San Francisco Chronicle does not take umbrage. On the contrary, the newspaper believes that Kamala Harris "  has demonstrated throughout her career that she is not an ideologue and that she knows how to choose her battles  ".

The Dallas Morning News understands that the appointment of this moderate Democrat is not intended to please progressives but to seduce the famous "  swing voters  ", those who sometimes vote Democrat, sometimes Republican.

Some editorialists think this strategy lost in advance. Like the very conservative Washington Examiner who wrote: "  33% of independent voters say they reject Kamala Harris, against 25% of favorable opinions  ". Her columnist also tries to demonize the candidate for the vice-presidency: "  The owners of firearms, the anti-abortion, the activists for the school at the house and the faithful of the traditional religions - all could fear d. 'to be persecuted in an administration dominated by Kamala Harris,  "writes the Washington Examiner before concluding:"  Joe Biden will probably continue to talk about the reunification of a country divided by the presidency of Donald Trump. But from today, no one should believe it  ”.

Yesterday, Donald Trump immediately attacked Kamala Harris, calling her phony Kamala, which could be translated as “phony Kamala”. "  And yet it will be very difficult in sexist po  ," predicts the Chicago Tribune . “  Because contrary to what the conservative camp wants to believe, Kamala Harris is anything but a radical leftist. And she'll give Joe Biden what Donald Trump needs most : attention. For a president who spends most of his time watching television or tweeting about things he has seen on television, the very telegenic Harris will be too much to bear,  ”the newspaper predicts. "  Then the president will look at his own vice-president and see a man as electrifying as a spoonful of mayonnaise, " quips the columnist before concluding: " You can bet your membership in Mar-a-Lago (the Gulf of Donald Trump in Florida, editor's note)  : when the next round of bad polls comes, Donald Trump will begin to see Mike Pence's personality as a handicap  ”.

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