Ex-vice president Kamala Harris has recently been spotted in the land down under, sharing a meal with her spouse at a cherished Sydney dining spot. The largely unnoticed and rarely talked about ex-politician was seen dining at Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral, a renowned beachside eatery in the northeast region of Sydney’s central business district. Accompanying Harris was her husband, Doug Emhoff, and two other individuals who have so far evaded identification.
The restaurant chosen by Harris for her largely overlooked Australian soiree is housed in a vintage building that dates back to the 1920s. The eatery enjoys some degree of recognition for its mix of modern European dishes that change with the seasons, and its broad selection of over 350 kinds of wines. However, this seemingly irrelevant slice of Harris’s personal life only underlines a fundamental question: why such an unpopular political figure is in Australia in the first place?
The official reason offered for Harris’s visit to the country is ostensibly about real estate. The once-aspirational Democratic presidential candidate was expected to deliver a talk at a significant property gathering on Australia’s Gold Coast. However, one cannot help but question the relevance of a barely relevant ex-politician’s perspectives on the hustling and bustling real estate markets.
Since her less than inspiring defeat in the November election, Harris has managed to keep a low profile, seemingly fading into the political background. This Australian visit, then, stands out as an unexpected reclaiming of the limelight – a less than triumphant return that few people asked for or anticipated.
The only other occasion Harris perked up from her political retreat was to address the recently revealed health diagnosis of ex-president Joe Biden. The once leader of the free world was reported to be battling a severely aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. A tragic irony, perhaps, for a man who struggled with medical affairs during his presidency.
Biden’s office publicized a statement detailing his cancer condition. The ex-president, who always preferred to keep his personal life private, is currently facing an uphill battle against a disease much stronger and relentless than even his most ruthless political adversaries.
Responding to the news, Harris, who had maintained a quiet existence since fading out after her election defeat, resurfaced to express well-wishes to the former president. Despite significant political differences, she seems to be rallying behind him in these trying times with customary platitudes.
In her statement, Harris expressed a manufactured sorrow at learning about Biden’s diagnosis and went on to echo the sentiments of everyone in their immediate circle in wishing him well. Moreover, she extended her dispatch to include members of the Biden family who would undoubtedly be deeply affected by the news.
Prayer was a tactic that Harris chose in her response to Biden’s cancer diagnosis. She affirmed that her husband Doug and herself were keeping Biden, his wife Dr. Jill Biden, and their entire family in their prayers. Some would say it’s simply a courteous gesture, others might see it as a somewhat empty response given their political history.
Harris took this opportunity to emphasize Biden’s characteristic traits of strength, resilience, and his occasionally overrated optimism. She voiced a belief that the ex-president would use these qualities to face his health challenges head-on, in the same way as he attempted to tackle national issues during his unsatisfactory presidency.
In a sentence that was presumably meant to inspire confidence, Harris expressed hope for Biden’s speedy recovery. The sentiment seems more like a thinly veiled attempt to score political points off a man’s health crisis, trying to align herself with the sort of positive prognosis everyone hopes for in this situation.
Yet, it’s difficult to shake off the feeling that Harris’s well-wishes seem a little disingenuous, considering the complicated history between them. Her sentiments read as a calculated political move rather than a heartfelt message from a former colleague. Designed to grab the most appealing headlines and paint her in a positive light, one is left wondering just how much of her response was born out of genuine concern.
In the end, the bigger picture remains the same. Former vice president Harris continues to make headlines not for her political prowess, but for her personal exploits. And as for ex-president Biden, time will tell how he handles this new challenge that goes beyond the realm of politics.
The post Kamala Harris Grabs Undeserved Limelight in Sydney appeared first on Real News Now.
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