OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Leading Democrats have increasingly voiced their concerns and frustrations even after Vice President Kamala Harris has begun to take a larger role in President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign because they see a host of missed opportunities.
According to CNN, the frustrations surfaced during weekend gatherings at Harris’s residence at the Naval Observatory. In those meetings, she has engaged with Democratic leaders in an effort to address the campaign’s “information bubble.” Notable Democratic figures in attendance have included Governors Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), and Wes Moore (D-MD).
Reportedly, Harris’s proactive engagement with her fellow Democrats has been positively received. However, there persists a sense of stagnation, with prominent Democrats concerned that it could hurt the party in November, the report stated.
During a meeting last Saturday, for instance, Whitmer criticized Biden and Harris for their communication regarding abortion rights, as reported by more than two dozen sources contacted by CNN. Additionally, Pritzker expressed his frustrations over the Biden campaign’s perceived lack of aggression in addressing Republicans and former President Donald Trump for their opposition to the Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill.
“But perhaps most troublesome is Biden and Harris’s regression with young voters. Both the president and vice president have been targeted for not doing more to protect Palestinians in Gaza, as well as other problems that young voters often prioritize,” the Washington Examiner reported, citing CNN.
Biden and Harris have faced historically low approval ratings while in office. Also, Trump has been rising in the polls the more Biden’s Justice Department and other Democratic attorneys general and prosecutors target him.
All said, Harris has faced increased criticism from both outside and within her Democratic Party for failing to address several key issues, such as record migration at the US-Mexico border — which was her top priority.
Her apparent lack of authority on Capitol Hill in negotiating accords has also been a concern, given that she was a California senator before becoming vice president in 2020.
The Los Angeles Times published an in-depth article about Harris and how she continues to fly back to California every chance she gets to “hide out” from “scorn and criticism.”
The profile begins: “In a city full of celebrities and A-listers, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s presence is hard to escape. For Harris, the temptation to abandon Washington, where she faces Republican derision and criticism within her party, for downtime at home has been tough to satisfy in recent years.”
“While President Biden has a near-weekly habit of returning home to neighboring Delaware, a taxpayer-funded cross-country journey to Los Angeles is more difficult to justify unless it is for official business. Harris’ excursions back to Los Angeles are frequently disguised as an event to celebrate a local small business or a stop to raise awareness about one of her legislative priorities, such as black maternal healthcare or reproductive rights,” the LA Times added.
White House officials are frustrated with the media’s focus on Biden’s falling approval rating as the 2024 campaign cycle begins.
Biden is falling in the polls and is now behind Trump, who is leading the GOP field.
According to The Hill, “someone in the Biden orbit also said part of the frustration is the disproportionate media focus on the polls that show Biden losing while ignoring polls that show him winning.”
Though Trump has predicted the economy’s collapse under Biden’s administration, inflation is falling, stock prices are rising, and the unemployment rate is near “historic lows,” White House officials say.
In addition, the Consumer Price Index, which measures a basket of goods, has slipped since the pandemic.
A Biden official told The Hill that the lack of coverage is a “deep frustration.”
