A Few Thoughts About Kamala Harris

I am still saddened and angered by the way President Biden was pushed out of the race. 

And please don't tell me that President Biden was selfless. Democrats didn't leave him with much of a choice. 

But my feelings aside, what is done is done. 

Kamala Harris, barring any unforeseen circumstances or skeletons, will be the Democratic Party's standard bearer against Donald Trump.

In which case, this isn't a tough call. It is Kamala Harris every single time.

With that said, I am not without my reservations.

For starters, I am worried that Harris has been cast against Trump as prosecutor vs. felon. Yet when I think of Harris on the debate stage, I always remember how her 2020 presidential bid imploded against Tulsi Gabbard. At the time, I wondered:

Here's my question. How could Harris not have been prepared for Gabbard's onslaught? She and her staff had to know it was coming. Gabbard had been telegraphing her punch for three weeks. My guess is that Harris simply didn't take her seriously or was polling too low to be taken seriously. Whatever her reasoning she wasn't prepared for what she should have known was coming.

Following the debate, Harris fired back at Gabbard calling her "an apologist" for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. An hour late and a few million dollars short. The damage was done.

Needless to say, if Harris cannot handle Gabbard then how the hell is she going to handle President Trump?

Five years later, the question still remains. Now, given the circumstances and the stakes involved, perhaps Harris will be far better equipped to handle Trump. Nothing would delight me more. 

But I have a feeling that expectations are being raised high, possibly too high. And if Harris falls short of those expectations, then watch out. Those who saw fit to push out Biden only for Harris to falter will have a lot for which to answer.

Then there is also the question of how far she will go to appease the Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. During her time in office as VP, when she has been confronted by people accusing Israel of committing genocide, she tells them how she values and respects their voice or how their truth cannot be suppressed. 

This is a pet peeve of mine. There isn't your truth or my truth. There is only the truth. To say otherwise reeks of cowardice and pandering. 

But the fact that Harris has done this twice makes me think there's bound to be a third. Should this come to pass it will be in the context of speaking as a presidential candidate. If she speaks in such a way which is perceived as indulging claims of Israeli genocide or even worse accuses Israel of committing genocide, then there will be a sliver of Jewish voters which will be Trump's for the taking. Or at the very least it could force a segment of Jewish voters not to support either Harris or Trump. 

With that said, Harris has been vocal in denouncing Hamas for its use of rape and sexual assault against the hostages. She's no Jamaal Bowman. 

Of course, Republican attack on Harris over Israel have to be taken with several grains of salt. House Speaker Mike Johnson took Harris to task for "boycotting" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress. 

Nonsense. Harris was no more boycotting Netanyahu's address than Republican VP nominee J.D. Vance who was also a no-show. Indeed, Harris met with Netanyahu beforehand.

Still, I have a feeling Harris might step into it where it concerns Israel and not know how to step back out and regain her footing.

Despite my reservations, I am fully prepared to cast a ballot for Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket if it means denying Trump the presidency once more.