And that's what I feel like they did to Kamala Harris. When Biden refused to step aside and not run again, he was supposed to be that bridge. He backed off on that promise due to arrogance and then he dropped out after a catastrophic debate performance and they set up Kamala Harris to fail.
That was a three month campaign and she was supposed to introduce herself to the American people. No wonder people were Googling "did Joe Biden drop out?" (During the show itself, Maher stated that "Did Joe Biden Drop Out" was a popular search on November 4 among people Maher characterized as "Christmas Eve shoppers.")
Isgur is correct that President Biden had a catastrophic debate performance. Otherwise, she was way off-base. Were three months insufficient for the Democratic nominee to "introduce herself to the American public?" Memories are short, but fortunately we do have that Google machine to disabuse ourselves of any thought that Harris was deprived of the time to introduce herself.
On August 23, CNN had reported
Vice President Kamala Harris capped one of the most extraordinary months in modern political history Thursday night with a speech that rallied Democrats around themes of patriotism — and cast Donald Trump as the enemy of classic American principles.
“In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand. And I know where the United States belongs,” she said.
With the cadence of a courtroom prosecutor, Harris delivered on the promise many Democrats saw in her when she launched her first presidential campaign five years ago, and when Joe Biden chose her as his running mate in 2020.
Harris went directly at her Republican rival. She laid out the former president’s legal troubles. She blamed him for the horrors some women have faced amid the implementation of strict state-level abortion laws. She issued a reminder of what she called the “chaos and calamity when he was in office.”
Six days later, Brookings commented
Symbols, visuals, and memes have recently overshadowed words
and text in political communication. Nonetheless, last week’s Democratic
National Convention proved that words still matter, that a 21st century
rhetoric can still inspire in a digital-visual world.
Ronald Reagan was called the “great communicator” because he mastered the language of the living room with stories that relayed big ideas and evoked the communal experiences of Americans. A lineup of successful speakers at the DNC did the same, foreshadowing the party’s messaging for the next two months.
Convention speakers used language that invited Americans to remember cherished moments of being together: cheering from the bleachers on Friday night, call and response from pews on Sunday morning, watching Team USA win Olympic gold, and conversations with your best friend on girls’ night out. They reminded us of the words we use when our team wins or loses, when we thank veterans for their service, we celebrate a wedding anniversary, welcome the birth of a child, or mourn the death of a mother.
And they did it in short words and phrases Americans use every day. This was a change for Democrats. Out were abstract ideas, in were muscular verbs and concrete nouns. Out were 10-point policy speeches, in were stories of patriotism and service, sports and teamwork, family and faith.
Harris' acceptance speech "rallied Democrats around themes of patriotism... with the cadence of a courtroom prosecutor" as she "issued a reminder" of the failure of President Trump. The nominee "proved that words still matter" as she capped off a convention replete of speakers who
used language that invited Americans to remember cherished moments of being together: cheering from the bleachers on Friday night, call and response from pews on Sunday morning, watching Team USA win Olympic gold, and conversations with your best friend on girls’ night out. They reminded us of the words we use when our team wins or loses, when we thank veterans for their service, we celebrate a wedding anniversary, welcome the birth of a child, or mourn the death of a mother.
Kamala Harris had it going on. The Democratic Party had it going on, and the latter was all in on the former.
The American people liked what they heard. They got to know her much better over the course of the next 75 days and changed their mind, at which time she lost decisively to a fellow with an approval rating of approximately 42%. We knew that Donald Trump had a high floor but a low ceiling. Then he met Kamala Harris.
After Isgur's foolish remark, Maher responded
No, no. You think three months wasn't long enough? It was too long; it was long enough.... It's not that they didn't have time to introduce. They met someone. They didn't like them.
Nor did Joe Biden ever promise to serve only one term, nor did he "back off" any promise. On March 9, 2024, in a "nod to three people expected to be considered for the vice presidential nomination" (which included Harris), Biden stated "Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else. There's an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country."
His people refused to say whether he'd serve only one term. However, when Biden finally realized that winning re-election was not plausible, he dropped out and endorsed Harris. The notion that he held out due to "arrogance" reflects a failure to understand that it's difficult for an elderly man (perhaps a woman, also, but that's another issue) to understand when his time is up. When that elderly man has been a President- and a highly effective one- it's even more difficult.
Voters met Kamala Harris, who made a good first impression. They met her again and again, and eventually were turned off by her. They turned against the candidate, a problem time could not cure.
Admittedly, Joe Biden did make a major mistake. By early summer of 2020, he had decided to select as his running mate a woman, very likely black, who probably would be the leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in either 2024 or 2028. Turns out, he chose the wrong woman.
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