The Democratic Party is heavily divided over former Vice President Joe Biden being the Democratic nominee for president. Their concern – or disgust, depending on who you ask – was ratcheted up when Biden tapped Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) to be his running mate. In a lot of ways, progressives see Biden and Harris as these two people who perpetually locked up people of color (Biden through the 1994 crime bill and Harris by prosecuting parents for their kids' truancy issues when she was San Francisco DA). Now that these two are the head of the Democratic ticket, they have to face the music and realize the base isn't excited about them.
During an interview with The Grio, Harris admitted that Democrats "may not fall in love" with her or Biden but, in a sense, Americans need to hold their nose and vote for the ticket.
“We have to meet people where they are and see, hear and address their needs,” Harris said, referencing those Democrats who aren't thrilled by the Biden-Harris ticket.
“You may not fall in love with who you’re voting for, but if you just look down on a piece of paper at the issues that are impacting you every day, whether you’ve got relatives who have been impacted by the COVID virus, you’re unemployed or trying to get that extra check that unemployment, that $600, or you look at who’s going to pay attention to whether the black community is going to have equal access to a vaccine when it’s created. And you'll know there is so much on the line in this election," she explained.
Harris continued on, saying that "they" – the Republicans – want to strip Americans of the right to vote because it can and will change the course of our nation. Of course, that's not the case. We want fair and secure elections.
Instead of trying to win voters over, Harris is telling progressives to sit down, shut up, hold their nose and vote for the ticket. This isn't about people being enthusiastic about a Biden-Harris ticket. This election, at least on the Democrats' front, is about "anybody but Trump." Harris sees the lack of enthusiasm. Her way of getting people to vote is to remind them how much they hate Trump. It's obvious this campaign will focus on how much people hate Trump and not what Biden and Harris can do for people.
Let's see how this impacts voters. Will people despise Biden-Harris more than Trump, to the point where they cast a third party vote? Only time will tell.