Kamala or Bust For Some

A major problem with conservatives is that so few of them are willing to listen to a dissenting opinion. Though more liberals/progressives will listen to an opinion different from theirs, quite a few of them- us- also refuse to listen to uncomfortable arguments. I suppose it could be years of listening to the likes of Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnnell, and Joy Ann-Reid, who chat regularly and almost exclusively with those who mirror their own perspective.

Thus, they become enraged at such individuals as Dan Abrams, who regularly engages with folks with views different than his own,  The controversy began when the 9:00 p.m. ET host on NewsNation interviewed Ameshia Cross.

Dan Abrams interrupts @AmeshiaCross, as she's listing VP Harris's recent work, to suggest that it doesn't matter what Harris does if the public "doesn't perceive" her work. He naturally fails to see the irony here. Or the reality Black women face — esp one deemed a threat. https://t.co/oLcnmNdMiI

— Cassandra the Anti-Nihilist (@WriterWarrior) April 28, 2023

Abrams interrupted Cross in the middle of a de facto campaign speech because that is what an actual interviewer does. Cross argued that the Vice President is acting effectively but as Abrams had to explain, a Vice President has no power. Instead, he wanted to focus on the issue he raised, Harris' value to the ticket.

Kamala Harris is no threat to anyone but to President Biden's re-election chances. Though perception is not reality, it has much to do with how individuals vote. Voters perceive Harris as unlikable or are uncomfortable with her, a discomfiting reality for her supporters. Abrams has the crazy idea that Democrats want to win the next presidential election and would act to make that happen. As he recognizes, the latter assumption is debatable, even if he and others are condemned for addressing the topic.

.@DanAbrams says he was "skewered" on social media after he dared to ask whether Vice President Kamala Harris should be on the ticket in 2024 because of her low poll numbers. He's joined by @KrisLKnight to discuss the controversy.

Watch #DanAbramsLive: https://t.co/s8z9kEhRC4 pic.twitter.com/fCRIgJIMtv

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) May 2, 2023

So as a lead-in to Kristal Knight, Abrams explained

Last week on the show, I had the temerity to question, based on Vice President Harris' low poll numbers, whether Democrats and President Biden should consider picking a different vice presidential candidate for 2024. And for posing the question, I've been skewered by many on social media and on my radio show, some accusing me of being a racist. I questioned why it seems few on the left are focusing on this based on President Biden's age and mental acuity. 

Typically, a Vice President wouldn't be a make-or-break issue for a sitting President, unless of course people are concerned that said President may not be able to finish out his term, exactly the case here. A majority of Americans polled say that they think President Biden will not finish a second term, instead believe that Vice President Harris would take over at some point.

A vice president does not do a good or bad job because she has no role under the Constitution other than to cast the deciding vote on the Senate floor when said chamber is deadlocked. And there is no way to determine whether Kamala Harris would be an effective President were an aged Joe Biden to die in office. The only consideration in whether Harris should remain on the ticket is whether she would enhance the prospects of Biden's re-election and, if not, what impact a likely replacement would have.

The inevitable attacks on Dan Abrams as being racist because he merely raised the issue are not only reprehensible but completely invalid. If Kamala Harris were to be dropped from the ticket, her replacement would be someone acceptable to interest group(s) representing the base of the Democratic Party, non-young black women.

It's difficult to determine whether critics of Abrams, or of anyone who dares suggest even the possibility of a vice-presidential nominee other than Harris, fully comprehend the importance of defeating Donald Trump or whomever the GOP presidential nominee is.  Those racemiancs are entitled to their point of view- but they're not entitled to shutting down debate and endangering the re-election of Joe Biden.

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