Is Vice President Kamala Harris the future of the Democratic Party? Her ascendancy has been meteoric, fueled by Democrats eager to retain control of the White House. The youthful Harris was the answer to President Joe Biden's old blood. At a glance, she was younger and more spirited. Harris embodied the diversity exalted by Democratic voters. Trifecta: a woman, part black, part Indian American, with the woman angle being first among equals -- especially as regards reproductive rights placed in jeopardy by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Mixed with hatred of former President Donald Trump, Democrats find Harris electrifying.
But political honeymoons do not last forever. The hard work of campaigning follows. And there is where Harris stumbles. Unemployment is troubling. Prices are climbing. Terrorists are racing through our porous borders, leaving appalling crimes in their wake. Are voters better off today than they were four years ago? A positive answer is unconvincing. Voters do not see a future of wealth, safety and leisure under a Democratic administration. Everyone feels left behind but billionaires and the multitrillion-dollar military-industrial-security complex.
The yawning gap between Harris' promises and reality is in plain view. For three and a half years, Harris has copiloted the nation with Biden into terra incognita. Americans are worried about the future, which remains fraught with uncertainty.
The border is Harris' Achilles heel. A staggering number of illegals enter every day, wreaking havoc on the lives of citizens peacefully residing in border towns. They are bankrupting New York City and Chicago. They are committing crimes. Biden and Harris have been reactive rather than proactive and going to the source (i.e., penalizing failed states for driving their people to desperation in tens of millions).
This is where Trump, the former president, sees his opportunity. Illegal immigration on his watch dwindled to a trickle. He built an insurmountable wall that provided reassurance that all was under control. He upgraded vetting to screen out terrorists. Trump boosted the economy with punishing tariffs and indulgent tax cuts. He is attracting voters who see him as more competent on economic and immigration issues. Harris should worry that Trump's character flaws are being overlooked and instead voters are more focused on her policy positions and the past four years of foreign conflict, economic downturn, rising inflation, and migrants invading our borders.
Trump's advantage is particularly pronounced in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, where Harris' position has been weakened by earlier opposition to fracking that appealed only to Democratic progressives in that state. Fracking is welcomed by Democrats in other states as a generator of jobs. Harris opportunistically flip-flopped to attract more votes, which could estrange voters who would rather lose than compromise to win.
As the race for 2024 comes into sharper focus after Tuesday's presidential debate, Harris must awaken from her reverie. Her rise was swift, but the road to victory is steep. The honeymoon is over, and promises will not do. Harris needs to deliver, and deliver now, by jumpstarting the economy and creating an impermeable border campaign. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. If Harris is unable to gain more electoral votes than Trump, she will be defeated. History will define her as a loser who failed to deliver in contrast to Trump, who succeeded in everything he promised -- including ending the constitutional right to abortion, bringing a close to forever wars, and building a wall. If Harris wins, however, a new chapter will open for women and minorities.