The midterm elections are going to be here before you know it and I already have the distinct impression that for Democrats, it’s coming on way too quickly. It’s currently unclear if the left is half as motivated as the right is, and based on the right’s recent fundraising reports, the right is charged.
(READ: GOP Has Month of Record Fundraising Making the Midterms an Uphill Battle for Democrats)
The midterms aren’t just important because it may win back the House and/or Senate from Democrats and put a solid stop to the attempts at passing ludicrous pieces of legislation that would set the nation back decades on multiple fronts, but because it will also be a solid indicator on who will be on the back foot going into the presidential elections two years after.
Usually, demoralization of a party happens after a loss like the one Republicans suffered last presidential election. That did not happen with Republicans this time. Not only did Trump energize the Republican party in ways that hadn’t been seen since Reagan, many Republicans feel the election was stolen, or at the very least, that unfair media coverage and social media manipulation made for an unfair battlefield. Either way, they’re angry.
It doesn’t help Democrats that Republicans can see the weakness emanating from the White House. Biden is clearly not in charge. He can hardly form full sentences during speeches, seems generally confused, and is hardly ever allowed to speak to the press for longer than a few moments. When he does, he often becomes angry and short-tempered, even with reports who are willing propagandists for him.
As I reported earlier on Tuesday, a recent poll found that a majority of Americans believe that Biden is being controlled by “others” and that means, by extension, this nation is. This includes 37 percent of Democrats, a troublingly high number for the left.
(READ: Poll Finds Most Americans Believe ‘Others’ are Controlling Biden and That’s Bad News for Democrats)
It’s clear that Biden isn’t going to bring home another W in a presidential election and there are many who wonder if his mental faculties will allow him to make it that far.
So let’s say he doesn’t. That means his VP, Kalama Harris, will have to step in, but according to an Axios report, it’s probably safe to assume she won’t fare any better.
The report notes that Harris is frustrating White House officials with her constant missteps and “increasingly public bickering in her orbit,” some of which was caught by, and reported on, by Politico.
The Politico story itself paints Harris’s “environment” as unhealthy and “rife with dissent”:
In interviews, 22 current and former vice presidential aides, administration officials and associates of Harris and Biden described a tense and at times douroffice atmosphere. Aides and allies said Flournoy, in an apparent effort to protect Harris,has instead created an insular environment where ideas are ignored or met with harsh dismissals and decisions are dragged out. Often, they said, she refuses to take responsibility for delicate issues and blames staffers for the negative results that ensue.
Axios says that Harris and Biden are constantly out of step with one another and that her internal office conflicts are creating a hazard for her possible future run against any GOP nominee, including Trump. Administration sources say that her only saving grace is that it’s unlikely America will unseat the first black woman in the office, and while it wouldn’t be impossible, they do have a point. It will play in her favor, but perhaps it’s important to remember that neither one of those things saved her in the Democrat primary.
But a house divided cannot stand, and Harris’s gender and skin color might not even be able to save her from her own internal conflicts. A well-oiled, motivated, and well-funded Republican machine is likely what Democrats are going to face in the upcoming presidential elections. A clumsy, toxic team of Democrats attempting to fend that off probably won’t do well at all.
Outside her team, Harris is generally unlikable. Her press appearances, if not off-putting, don’t sell anyone on anything. It feels as if she’s constantly putting on an act. Her smile seems forced, her cackle sounds unnatural and comes at awkward times, and she dodges more questions than she answers. Even mainstream news sources can’t doctor her oddities into sellable material.
When the GOP comes to do battle, it’s going to do so in full force and this time. It’s not going to want to relent until it gets what it wants. Meanwhile, the guy leading the Democrats is like a mushroom. If you shoot a duck, I’m scared of toasters.
