Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver

Will the real Kamala Harris please stand up?

[Getty Images] 
issue 03 August 2024

About five minutes ago, the one Democrat more certain to lose to Donald Trump than Joe Biden was his widely ridiculed vice president. Party wonks despaired that their elderly candidate was handicapped by a veep whose prospective ascendence to the presidency terrified voters. Dems anguished about needing to sideline an unpopular ‘woman of colour’. Remember the many theories about how best to get shed of the woman – perhaps with the booby prize of a Supreme Court seat?

Five minutes ago, Republicans gleefully celebrated that, by honouring the crude rubrics of identity politics, Democrats had burdened themselves with an incompetent diversity hire. I, too, briefly shrugged off Biden’s endorsement of his VP to replace him atop the 2024 ticket. ‘Right, buddy,’ I thought, ‘and she’ll lose.’

For these puppet masters, Harris is the ideal candidate: out of her depth and easy to manipulate

I greatly underestimated the awesome power of the Democratic Medusa, whose snakes writhe into, wrap around and infest nearly every American institution, particularly the press.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in