Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly looking at ways to differentiate herself from President Joe Biden, a challenge that she might not be able to conquer, especially with the election being less than a month away.
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According to NBC News, Harris’ team has been working to fine-tune her responses to questions related to how she would be a departure president from Biden.
This development comes after a series of interviews that received no small level of scrutiny from members of the chattering class. She has shown an understandable reluctance to criticize her boss’ decisions, which could harm her at the ballot box considering the many problems everyday Americans are facing.
Harris’ recent appearance on “The View” provides an instructive example illustrating the position in which the vice president finds herself. When asked if there was anything she would have done differently over the last four years, she replied, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.”
Bad answer, Kamala.
Americans are currently dealing with a slew of economic woes as they try to figure out how they will continue making ends meet. Many are likely blaming the Biden-Harris administration for the exorbitant prices they are paying at the grocery store and at the gas pump. If she is saying she would stick to business as usual, it might prompt voters to throw in with former President Donald Trump.
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Speaking of Trump, he quickly seized on Harris’ answer during a rally in Pennsylvania. “So her answer that she would do nothing different is disqualifying. Kamala Harris is grossly incompetent. She cannot be trusted,” he said.
Harris has been walking a difficult tightrope between showing loyalty to Biden while also trying to distance herself from his policies. But this loyalty might prove to be an insurmountable roadblock to victory as she struggles to cast a distinct vision for the country under her presidency.
Still, her team is working to find areas where she could contrast herself with the current administration. The problem is that her policy proposals have not strayed far from Biden’s. She recently brought up a “Medicare at home” program aimed at expanding in-home care for the elderly. Yet, this aligns with Biden’s healthcare plans.
The Israel/Palestinian conflict could be another area where Harris might try to set herself apart from Biden, and she could possibly take a different stance on the matter. However, there likely isn’t much room for maneuvering there as she still has to strike a balance between calling for a ceasefire while reaffirming her support for Israel.
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The fact that Harris has at least pretended to walk back some of her 2019 policies that would have struck a more radical tone than Biden’s isn’t helping matters either. She has sought to move towards the center to avoid alienating a wider swath of voters. The reality is that Harris has always been an empty suit devoid of substance. She lacks the inventiveness required to capture the imagination of a large percentage of Americans.
Harris is in quite a quandary here – which could be why her main campaign message is “I’m not Trump.” It remains to be seen whether this sales pitch will be enough for the American electorate.