In American history, the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, held the unique distinction of being the last president born under British rule and the first Whig Party leader to ascend to the presidency. His inaugural address is still talked about as the lengthiest in history, clocking in near two hours. His presidential tenure, cut short to an abrupt end a mere 31 days post-inauguration, remains the shortest ever due to his unfortunate demise while in office.
Moreover, Harrison was noted for a particular political feat, being the last individual to rebound from a failed first presidential bid to clinch victory in the subsequent election. While Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson had set this precedent, Richard Nixon, in the Republican camp, also attempted this maneuver, but not until a considerable period had passed since his first failure.
The annals of political history also find names such as Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump, who brought twists into the narrative by emerging victorious, suffering defeat, and then triumphing once again. But the vast majority of political aspirants who don’t taste success on their initial attempt, and then choose to stand for election immediately after, have found themselves in the throes of defeat once more.
This isn’t promising for Kamala Harris, considering the news of her recent decision not to contend for California’s gubernatorial seat. This decision has sparked conjecture that she may be aiming at the presidential office after all. The current climate within the Democratic Party, however, hardly seems encouraging for her ambitions.
The popularity of Democratic Party finds itself greatly diminished. The net favorability of the party, at negative 30 points, triples that of the GOP at negative 11 points. In fact, the Democratic Party seems to be in the midst of a popularity crisis, reaching a nadir in approval ratings unseen in the last 35 years.
The resentment within the party is two pronged. On one hand, Democrats are irritated at their own party’s shortcomings in the battle against Trump. On the other hand, they voice frustration over the party’s fumbling defence against Trump’s policies, even with him in power.
The situation for Harris is not all rosy. One of her largest obstacles is the fact that she personifies the discord and discontent current within the Democratic folds. This dissatisfaction, however, is far from a homogeneous sentiment.
Aggravating the split in the party are progressives expressing disapproval at insufficient resistance, while the centrist wing of the party grapples with the Democrats’ left-leaning orientation in identity politics and cultural wars. Regardless of these polarising standpoints, what seems to unite all factions is the fervent desire to achieve victory.
Despite the visible discontent within the party, Harris found a way into potential nomination for the 2024 elections, riding largely on the wave of diversity. Biden’s explicit declaration to choose a woman, preferably of African American ethnicity, as his running mate sealed her fate for candidacy. However, the welcome stop for the diversity train ends here for Harris.
Though Harris’ racial background and gender aren’t her barriers, she falls short in her overall inability to net in votes in a manner that ensures Democratic coalition expansion. To secure a victory, Democrats need someone capable of converting Trump followers, a feat which Harris has yet to demonstrate.
Unfortunately, her electoral loss wasn’t the result of lukewarm Democratic turnout. Her failure was largely due to her lack of allure to an evolving electorate. Most of her rhetoric painted her into a corner as a Dean at some inconsequential liberal arts college than as a capable political leader.
Her convictions, outside of her standpoint on reproductive rights, appeared to be cooked up by focus groups rather than being genuine, at a time when voters were in search of authentic representation. Even more detrimental was her move to comply with Biden’s request to not distance herself from him, adding to her lack of original persona.
Highlighting her paradoxical stance was her decision to grant her first interview after leaving office to Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’. While her appearance might have been savored by Colbert’s staunchly ideologically dedicated crowd, the demographic that the Democrats badly need to woo remains unimpressed.
Therefore, if Democrats choose to prop her up for nomination again, Harris might find her place in history books as a trivia question-answer rather than as the esteemed 48th president of the United States. For her, the road to the White House is long, pot-holed and hardly smooth.
The post Kamala Harris: A Failed Presidential Bid and a Treacherous Path Ahead appeared first on Real News Now.
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