(New York) Kamala Harris has been subject to repeated ridicule within her own party and constant criticism from the opposition camp. But last Friday in New York, one of her admirers compared her to a heroine from the Old Testament.
“I read in the Bible the story of a lady named Esther. “Esther found herself with access to the head of state,” said Al Sharpton while introducing the vice president, keynote speaker at the annual conference of the National Action Network, a Black Pastor Organization, held at the Times Square Hotel. .
According to the biblical book of the same name, Esther used her position with the Persian king Ahasuerus to save the Jewish people from destruction.
Sharpton continued after summarizing the story of the biblical queen. Like Esther, she was ready for it. »
From the Bible, the civil rights activist moved to reality.
And I tell you today that members of the right can throw all the punches they want. They can invent any argument against the vice president. It is made for this purpose. I was born for this. I was born for this. She can take any beating she can get because she’s been beaten worse than this. »
Jinh Moon photo, Reuters archive
Rev. Al Sharpton addressed the audience during the National Action Network’s annual conference last Wednesday.
Hundreds of people in attendance, most of them black, gave Kamala Harris a warm welcome, undoubtedly one of the highest for a vice president who has not fallen short during the first months of the year.
doubts
This reception may also reflect a turning point that current events contributed to by allowing Joe Biden’s right-hand man to express himself with more freedom and power. In New York, for example, I denounced the positions of Ron DeSantis and other Republican “extremists” on many of the issues making headlines these days, including abortion, censorship, guns, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Of course, this kind of intervention will in no way diminish the right-wing criticism of Kamala Harris. But it could reduce the suspicions the vice president inspires among Democrats.
These doubts are not new. However, they are back in the media after a statement from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in late January. During a radio interview, the latter directly responded to the question of whether Joe Biden should seek a second term.
“Yeah, he should run again,” she said. But she declined to say the same about Kamala Harris: “I really want to be mindful of what makes Biden comfortable on his team.”
After this declaration, which was seen as a betrayal by her camp, the Vice President declined two phone calls from a former colleague who wanted to apologize to her in private after he had done so in public.
Sensitivity and loss of confidence
However, if she doubted it, Elizabeth Warren wasn’t the only one in the Democratic camp to do so. A few days after his radio interview, A.J The New York Times He published a front-page article talking about the disappointment of Kamala Harris’ allies at his difficulties in determining his vice president.
Some have even gone so far as to fear Republicans will score points by repeating that a vote for Joe Biden in 2024 will actually be a vote to put Kamala Harris in the Oval Office, given her age of 46.H president.
“This will, in my opinion, be one of the strongest arguments against Biden,” times John Morgan, Florida Democratic donor.
A few weeks later, Reuters went on to publish an article suggesting that Joe Biden himself may have begun to lose confidence in Kamala Harris. Based on anonymous testimony from a former White House official, the report’s authors wrote that the president’s decision to run for office again in 2024 was in part due to his belief that no other Democrats, including the vice president, could defeat Donald Trump, if he The last is the Republican candidate.
Critics on the background of racism and sexism?
It should be noted that Kamala Harris is not the first vice president who has one wondering what she is doing with her days. Nor is she the first right-hand man of a president that strategists are proposing to replace on the presidential ticket.
Is there a share of sexism or racism in his treatment? probably. But being a black woman is also an advantage for a vice president within a party whose electoral success depends on mobilizing blacks and women.
PHOTO APU GOMES, AFP
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on the sidelines of a pro-choice rally on Saturday.
The fact that Kamala Harris has tried to pretend in recent weeks to travel to Memphis to participate in the funeral of Nichols’ pictures or to Nashville to support “Justin”, these young black representatives evicted from their seat in the Tennessee Parliament, or again in several other cities to advocate for women’s access to abortion or Abortion pills.
The trips that have been added to a recent trip to Africa to try to counter the rise of China and Russia on this continent.
Kamala Harris remains largely unpopular, with just 39% of positive reviews according to the Real Clear Politics poll average (compared to 42.1%) for Joe Biden.
But she will be treated like a queen in New York last Friday.
“Total coffee aficionado. Travel buff. Music ninja. Bacon nerd. Beeraholic.”
