Opinion: Racism, Sexism, Power—and the Case For and Against Kamala Harris

There’s something oddly amusing, yet simultaneously pathetic, about watching party loyalists twist themselves into knots to justify political moves that contradict their stated values.

Exhibit A: Evangelicals and other social conservatives embracing sexual assaulter-in-chief, Donald Trump .

Exhibit B: Democrats who claim to be the party champions of women and racial minorities, trying desperately to sideline the first Black and female vice president, and potential president.

Here are the facts:

President Joe Biden ’s debate performance proved he is not an ideal candidate for what will be a grueling campaign in which every vote will count and every moment on the campaign trail will matter.

Vice President Kamala Harris is younger, more energetic—and also extremely polarizing.

Some of the reasons she is considered polarizing are well-earned. Her flippant answers in certain interviews, combined with her inappropriate laughter during others, handed ammo to her already lengthy list of critics, many of whom never liked her to begin with.

The criticisms I have heard of Harris—including from women—have been jarring, with some reminding me of why I hated the girls’ locker room in junior high and others reminding me just how hard it is to please anyone, let alone everyone, when you are a woman, and a minority one at that. My close white female friends were stunned when I explained to them that one of the reasons I prefer to handle certain conflicts via email—particularly as a Black woman—is because at nearly 6 feet tall I cannot afford to have a colleague say that “I was aggressive,” or “intimidating,” or that they felt “threatened.”

It can be exhausting, as the criticism of Harris proves.

If you don’t smile enough, you will be seen as an angry Black woman.

But if you laugh too much, you’re unserious.

If you aren’t attractive enough, a lot of men may not vote for you.

But if you are too attractive, a lot of women will assume you got where you are on your looks… or on your back.

Fair or not, the strong reaction to Harris makes it clear that she will have an uphill climb to try to save the White House from returning to Donald Trump. And yet, being a longshot has never stopped parties from giving white male candidates a chance—even if it’s a chance to fail.

One of the most baffling things about the DEI debate (and conservatives derisively calling Harris a DEI candidate ) is how much more impressive her resume is, in comparison to the men she’s being compared to. A former prosecutor, turned California state attorney general, turned United States senator is still having her qualifications questioned, in comparison to Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Consider that for a moment.

Or consider this: Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice were stuck serving in the Cabinet for a president who knew they were both smarter and more qualified than he was. The rage that Harris seems to evoke among some people is puzzling. But it’s also nothing new. Neither is Biden’s decline. What is also not new is the incompetence and infighting of Democrats. During my years on-air, one of my favorite quotes from a liberal pundit whose name escapes me is, “If anyone can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it’s Democrats.”

That appears to still be the case. If Harris was polling so badly a year ago that Democrats feared she couldn’t take the ball from Biden and run with it if necessary, they should have asked him to step aside then. Then they could have given her the opportunity to serve as the first Black female president, making history and giving little Black girls the chance to dream bigger than they ever have. Then they could have asked her not to run for re-election so they could turn the page on the Biden-Harris era and usher in a new crop of candidates they deemed more electable.

But they didn’t do that and asking her to step aside now—especially for white men who are even less qualified, but more disliked than she is (here’s looking at you Gavin Newsom !)—will just prove that Democrats are as hypocritical about their values as conservatives. That wouldn’t be a surprise to those of us who cover politics, but it might be to the base of Black female voters that has saved the Democrats time and again.

Read more at The Daily Beast.