President Joe Biden is getting a new suggestion about his running mate ahead of the 2024 election.
Kathleen Parker, a columnist for The Washington Post, wrote in an op-ed published on Friday, “Americans, including Democrats, are concerned about Biden’s age and the increasing probability that he wouldn’t be able to complete a second term. If he wins reelection, Biden will be 82 on Inauguration Day.”
“The problem isn’t his numerical age. People age in different ways. In some cases, people hardly age at all, they’re so physically fit and mentally astute. But even the most robust 80-year-old would be challenged to keep pace with the White House job. Far younger presidents have turned gray in the Oval Office,” she continued.
Parker noted Biden’s “steady decline the past few years — his stumbles, his search for words, his occasional blank stare — has been impossible to ignore.”
However, she turned to address what she sees as another vulnerability for the president’s re-election bid: Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Inarguably, a significant obstacle to a Biden win is Kamala Harris, whose low popularity has not been improved by her lackluster performance as vice president,” Parker wrote. “More independents and disenchanted Republicans might swing for Biden if it weren’t for the prospect of a President Harris — not because of her sex, race or any other demographic category, but because of her competency, or lack thereof.’
She added, “The question now is, how risky would it be for Democrats to replace her? Some worry that a change would jeopardize Black votes. It was never clear, however, that Harris was a draw for Black American voters, even if some Black women celebrated her rise.”
Parker argued dropping Harris would not be as risking as some have claimed, by suggesting it is dubious Black voters will suddenly decide to support his opponent if he did drop the vice president from the ticket.
“I’m not alone in suggesting that Biden replace Harris, perhaps in exchange for a key role in his administration. Serving as attorney general at least would be in her wheelhouse. Several alternative candidates have been suggested, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and, needless to say, Taylor Swift. (Kidding, though her outspoken contempt for Trump isn’t nothing.),” Parker wrote.
She noted a recent controversy over former secretary of State and failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, getting involved in a primary challenge against a sitting Democratic lawmaker.
“We are left to speculate about motive, but the effect of Clinton inserting herself into the news cycle is to remind voters that, but for her defeat in 2016, we wouldn’t be stuck in this old-White-men dilemma. She is also reminding people of her relative centrism, her support for Israel and her broadly respected role as secretary of state,” Parker wrote.
She added, “No one has mentioned her as a possible running mate for Biden far as I know, but why not replace Harris with Clinton? At 76, she might want no part of it, but it’s hard to retire when you feel your job isn’t done. If Biden needs to step down, even those who didn’t vote for Clinton would have confidence in her ability to keep the country on track. It’s just a thought, but worse ideas have met with regrettable success.”
