Staff Reports
The latest development in the Democratic Party’s circus comes at a time when President Joe Biden has taken a backseat in the 2024 campaign, leaving the spotlight firmly on Vice President Kamala Harris. In a twist that would make even the most seasoned political analysts raise an eyebrow, the very first ad for Harris’s presidential campaign emerged— and it’s dripping with disdain for former President Donald Trump while delicately sidestepping her own lackluster tenure under the Biden administration.
This 53-second spot appears to be less about Kamala’s accomplishments as vice president and more about her prior life as a prosecutor, casting her in the role of the avenging angel. The ad gleefully criticizes Trump rather than offering a robust vision for the future. It certainly sets the stage for a narrative: Harris, the fierce attorney general, versus Trump, the so-called villain. The ad’s narrator makes bold claims about Harris’s prosecutorial record while conveniently ignoring her tenure filled with controversy and political backlash.
Harris is back to embracing her prosecutor past. https://t.co/DoojwLToGD
— Jim Antle (@jimantle) July 23, 2024
For those living under a rock, it’s worth noting that Harris made her bones in the legal world by prosecuting sex offenders and clamping down on profit-hungry colleges, which, to the layman, sounds impressive. But the ad takes a rather sweeping approach to Trump’s past, using snippets from the Access Hollywood tape as if that alone qualifies as a compelling argument. Let’s not forget this was the same Harris who, not long ago, faced severe criticism for her prosecutorial tactics, particularly during her run for the presidency, where some labeled her as “Kamala the Cop.” That cute nickname did not exactly do wonders for her street cred among progressive factions within the party.
The Democratic narrative takes a bizarre turn, especially when the ad insists that Harris is “in every possible way” the anti-Trump. That would be commendably ambitious if her own record didn’t contradict this portrayal so profoundly. Critics would argue that her aggressive stance on crime is somewhat confusing when juxtaposed with the progressive movement’s call to defund the police. It’s a balancing act that would leave any seasoned acrobat dizzy trying to keep up.
Just when one might think the sky is the limit for Harris, a reminder comes crashing down: she is still inextricably linked to the Biden administration, which has a decidedly mixed reputation among voters. Let’s face it: the political landscape regarding crime has shifted dramatically since Harris first made headlines as a tough-on-crime prosecutor. Now, as crime rates rise in major cities, her past may either haunt her or serve as the foundation for a new campaign narrative where she presents herself as tough but understanding—a far cry from the cop persona she worked hard to shed.
The Biden-Harris legacy will be her double-edged sword as she attempts to rebrand herself once again. Harris is looking to leverage the current political climate to distance herself from the controversies of the past while simultaneously attempting to harness her prosecutorial prowess to take on Trump. In what may be the ultimate irony, she might end up prosecuting her own case against the former president, aiming to capture hearts and votes by ignoring the skeletons in her own closet—while hoping the public will remember her more for her sassy “fun aunt” persona than her history as a fierce cop on the beat.
