So much of today’s political news coverage reflects the campaign messaging by the administration of President Joe Biden versus that coming from the feloniously besieged presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Indeed, whoever is elected as the next leader of the free world, ever-increasing challenges make the issue of competency even more significant. As the respective ages of the candidates are a concern for many, the qualifications of the next vice president are becoming more consequential than ever.
In 2020, presidential candidate Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris, a black woman of Indian and Jamaican parentage, to be the first woman of color to appear on a major party ticket. Now, after serving as our vice president for nearly 3.5 years, polls indicate that most Americans disapprove of her job performance, putting her at a lower approval rating than President Biden.
Even though Harris was assigned to facilitate policy solutions on pivotal topics – i.e., voting rights, immigration, and border security – there has been a lack of political movement on these issues. Her public presence is regarded as artificial, and her tendencies to respond to pointed questions with an infamous cackle or create word salads that fail to convey any substantive message are regarded as inappropriate and irritating.
Yet, as the election nears, the administration is seemingly tasking Harris as the most influential voice out of the White House on reproductive rights issues by offering a message that the U.S. is confronting a healthcare crisis.
In my opinion, even if Donald Trump successfully attempts to channel Harry Houdini to escape from the shackles of felonious activity charges and secure his party’s nomination for president, perhaps equal to those challenges would be his selection of a vice presidential candidate.
Suppose Trump has learned anything from Biden’s choice of Harris when selecting someone who checked off several identity politics boxes. In that case, the Democrats have come to recognize that categories like race, gender, and sexual preference are never qualifications for that job.
Regardless of who the future presidential candidates may be, they should choose their potential successors based on merit, not diversity. As citizens, we must vote with high expectations, understanding that they are the key to achieving the leadership our country needs.
Peter Wibell, Rutledge