I haven’t done a politics screed in a while and that’s mostly because there’s just been so much going on that by the time I find or make the time to write about it, something else has come along. So, I’m just going to note and comment on a few things that have pinged my radar in the last week or so.
As we all know by now, Kamala Harris has been anointed as the Democratic candidate. But BLM and others have pointed out that simply anointing her undermines the very democratic process that Democrats claim to love and be defending against Trump. In response to the party elites anointing Harris, BLM et al have threatened to boycott the election stating that the party cannot simply take their votes for granted.
I never thought I’d say this, but good for BLM. They’re right. No party and its leadership should take any group of voters for granted. Not even if the party elites talk long and hard about how great they are for any given block of voters. The old saw states “never assume, because then you make an ass out of you and me.” Parties and party leaders need to keep this at the forefront of their minds… maybe even a plaque or something on their desks, somewhere where its in front of their eyes all the damn time.
Democratic party elites are currently busily trying to shift the narrative about Harris away from anything that shows her to be hypocritical and/or a pure opportunist.
What have they done, you might ask? Well, let’s take a look, shall we?
First, she has spent her entire career identifying herself as Indian (as in the subcontinent). When she was sworn in to the Senate in 2017, Biden proudly announced that Harris was the first Indian-American to serve in the Senate. There was zero, zero mention of her having black heritage. Harris’ father is Jamaican, born and raised and she has downplayed or simply ignored that side of her heritage until the last few months. Why do you suppose that is? I’d call it opportunistic, given that she’s shifted her background depending on what is deemed best to garner more votes.
Secondly, she has been Biden’s VP since the get-go. A woman who won no primary elections because she dropped out of the race before even Iowa could hold its caucuses. As Democratic elites are so fond of pointing out when VPs run for president… they own the actions of the previous administration more than any other candidate. The Vice-President is second-in-charge. If they aren’t responsible for anything the administration did while they were VP, what were they even doing?
As part of the responsibilities given to her by Biden, Harris became, and still is, the border czar. Biden called her the “border czar” when he gave her that responsibility. It is disingenuous at best, outright lying at worst, for the media to try to claim that she was never the border czar. If that’s the story they’re sticking with, then they are implicitly calling Biden a liar. Now, I know they’ve totally thrown him under the bus, but is that something they really want to say?
Stories about the toxic environment in Harris’ office have been floating around since she was DA in San Francisco and California AG. A former staffer from Harris’ time as AG has said that among other things, the entire office staff was required to stand and say “Good morning, General” when Harris entered the office. Additionally, staffers below that of her inner circle were not allowed to look her in the eye when speaking to her. Turnover among Harris’ staff is extremely high and has been in all of her offices including VP. It’s an open secret that she screams and curses at staff when things don’t go her way. All of this points to a toxic boss who is insecure in her position and that’s why she demands unquestioning loyalty and obedience from staffers and why she seems to feel that screaming and generating fear and untold stress is the best way to manage an office. We’ve all had bosses like that and I’m sure we’ve all gotten out of those jobs as quickly as we possibly could. Now, think about that sort of personality as president. If she gets mad at a foreign leader or feels threatened or insulted… what in the name of all that’s holy will she do?
The use of “General” as a title demonstrates that Harris had no comprehension regarding the office she held. The Attorney General is the general attorney for the state government (or the federal government). The term dates from the Anglo-Norman where an individual was named “king’s attorney”. In the US the AG is supposed to protect the public’s rights. “General” is not for an AG is not a form a address.
The toxic work environment also points to someone with strong authoritarian tendencies… the “my way or the highway” approach is just that, authoritarian. You all must do your jobs as I tell you and not as you think best, or I’ll fire you or humiliate you or threaten you.
In her position as California Attorney General, Harris was directly responsible for extending the sentences of prisoners (the majority of which were black men) so that they could be put to work on the fire lines.
As Vice-President of the United States, Harris traveled to Guatemala to have talks with that government regarding the huge influx of people entering the U.S. illegally. In that speech she told those thinking about bypassing legal channels to get into the U.S. “Do not come. Do not come.”
Some will argue that noting Harris is prone to spewing a word salad is unfair and wrong and that I’m just jealous of her speaking abilities, or somehow racist and misogynistic. Every time I hear that, I have to laugh. And laugh some more. Let’s look at some of her more (in)famous comments, shall we?
“It’s time for us to do what we have been doing and that time is today. Every day it is time for us to agree that there are things and tools that are available to us to slow this thing down.” In response to a question on the Today show about the administration’s response to Covid.
“With us in government. We campaign with thee plan! Uppercase T uppercase P thee plan! And then the environment is such that we’re expected to defend thee plan!” In a French lab. She dragged out the word “the” and put on a faux French accent.
“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that’s wrong, and it goes against everything that we stand for.” Video at the link in case you’re allergic to the NY Post.
“The significance of the passage of time, right? The significance of the passage of time. So when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time.” A speech in Louisiana about internet access.
All these things are accurate no matter how much the White House, Pelosi, Schumer, Harris herself, and many others are pushing you to believe otherwise.
Supporting Harris means supporting a woman who slept with a married man thirty years her senior (Brown), which man then used his considerable influence and myriad connections to get her two different political appointments leading her running for SF DA, then CA AG, then CA Senator. It means supporting a woman who ran for president in 2019-20 and didn’t make it past Labor Day 2019. Supporting a woman who, as VPOTUS, was dubbed the “border czar” and failed to fix anything with the border and only visited the border once and then over ten miles away from the actual border. Supporting a woman who creates extremely toxic work environments for her staff and thus can’t keep staff. How’s that going to work with Cabinet Secretaries?
You may not like this picture of Harris, but it’s much more accurate than what the media (CNN, MSNBC, NYTimes, Washington Post, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.) are trying to push. And that should tell you something about media bias.
Open your eyes, look around, and once again, please do your own research and read those sites/publications you might not normally read.
Don’t be afraid to read something that might cause you to question your beliefs.
