All Eyes On Kamala

Following Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance last Thursday, top Democrats who have been openly supporting the president's 2024 campaign are privately pushing for him to step out of the race.

According to one source cited by Axios, his family can close advisors are meeting today at Camp David to decide whether to move forward or end his campaign early.

Which brings our attention to Vice President Kamala Harris - who polls even worse than Biden in a matchup against former President Donald Trump, according to RealClearPolling.

Following last Thursday's debate, Harris quickly took to the air to defend her running mate's record and ability to perform his duties - however according to The Hill she has also been central to conversations among some Democrats over whether Biden should step aside - putting her at the top of the ticket in November.

Harris - whose most notable failure as 'border czar' would certainly come under scrutiny in a Trump vs. Harris election, must now seek to reassure Democrats about their party's chances of success.

"The next 30 days it may be up to her to make the case. People will be looking to her and testing her to see if she’s ready," one Democratic donor told the outlet.

Another Democrat who served in the Obama White House said that Harris "clearly has a purpose now to make the case for what they have accomplished," adding "This is the transitional moment where both she and Biden have their hands on the baton, but clearly she will be needed to complete the race."

Many Democrats quickly panned Biden’s showing and raised the idea that he should step aside ahead of the party’s August convention.

That left Harris to defend her running mate on the same networks where anchors and pundits were discussing the prospect of Biden leaving the ticket.

“People can debate on style points, but ultimately this election and who is the president of the United States has to be about substance,” said Harris, who conceded Biden had a “slow start.” 

The vice president was not asked about, nor did she address, the elephant in the room: That she would be the likeliest candidate to replace Biden should he step aside. -The Hill

On Friday, Harris' team dismissed the notion that the Democratic ticket won't include Biden.

"Vice President Harris looks forward to serving a second term with President Joe Biden," said Harris spokesman Ernie Apreza in a statement.

Harris, who launched her career as former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown's side-piece, ran for President in 2019 - dropping out before the Iowa caucuses due to polling in the single digits and reports that she treats her staff like shit.

"This is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen an organization treat its staff so poorly," said former staffer Kelly Mehlenbacher in a blistering resignation letter.

Should Biden step aside, Democratic strategists have downplayed the notion of an open convention - arguing that Harris would be the logical choice, and warning of the risks of passing over a black woman already on the ticket for another candidate such as California Governor Gavin Newsom - who would be viewed as a 'white male savior' inserted into the race.

As Vice President, Harris has been an abject disaster - failing miserably as Biden's 'border czar' who presided over the influx of tens of millions of illegal migrants flooding into the United States. She's also failed at criminal justice reform, voting rights legislation, and administration's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Harris also met with Central American leaders to address the root causes of migration, which did not result in any significant policy changes or improvements in the situation.

And again, she's polling worse than Biden vs. Trump.

A February New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris trailing Trump among likely voters in a hypothetical matchup by 6 percentage points, 42 percent to 48 percent. She fared only slightly worse than Biden, who at the time trailed Trump in that survey by 4 percentage points, 44 percent to 48 percent.

The same poll found 38 percent of likely voters had a favorable view of Harris, compared to 54 percent who had an unfavorable view of her. -The Hill

In short, Democrats are in a DEI trap of their own design, unburdened by a competent candidate.