Over the last few days, President Joe Biden’s polling numbers have been slipping. ABC News/Washington Post poll showed him with a 64 percent disapproval rating from voters on the economy. He was 10 points behind Trump in a match-up for the general election. An NBC News poll showed Biden down double digits among key Democratic voting groups.
Although the net favorability rating for Vice President Kamala Harris has not been widely reported, it is a severe concern for the Biden/Harris campaign. NBC News gave a 31% positive rating and a 51% negative rating, which was worse than their ratings of Biden and Trump.
James Clyburn (former House Majority leader and Assistant Democratic Leader in the House, D-S.C.) appeared on Sunday’s “Meet the Press”. He spoke about the continuing polling struggles that Biden and Harris will face in 2024.
Clyburn’s question was about Kamala Harris and “why” she had such poor ratings. Clyburn emphasized that Harris was the first woman vice president and pointed out her being a woman of color, which Clyburn suggested played a significant role in Harris’ poor ratings.
Clyburn warned Joe Biden along the way. Some prominent Democrats’ unwillingness to endorse Harris again as Biden’s running-mate has led to doubts over whether they and most Americans believe she would be a suitable choice to lead the country in the event of Joe Biden stepping down.
KRISTEN WELKER: You say you don’t pay much attention to polls. According to our poll, her favorability is lower than President Biden or former President Trump. Do you know why you think she isn’t resonating with voters as well as her predecessor? How do you see the problem?
REP. JIM CLYBURN: Because when you compare the first woman of color and the first woman to be vice president of the United States and compare that to all of the histories before, you will get that. I think that during this campaign, she will demonstrate, as she did in that hall last night, that she knows exactly what she’s doing. She has the capacity and the capability to be president of the United States if called upon to do so.
Watch:
Just 31% of Americans have a favorable view of Kamala Harris — even lower than Biden.
Jim Clyburn says it’s because she is a “woman of color and first woman to be vice president,” but insists “she has the capacity and capability to be president.” pic.twitter.com/G6WF9jnc33
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 24, 2023
If you read between the words, it is clear that Biden has been warned not to even consider removing her from the ticket.
Clyburn was instrumental in gaining Biden’s support in 2020 by urging him to choose a woman of color as his running mate. He announced his support for Biden in late February, before the South Carolina primaries. It was deemed crucial for Biden’s “comeback “.
Biden is grateful to Clyburn, a powerful Democrat from Washington, DC, and South Carolina, which has 60% Democratic voters. His handlers will not entertain the idea of replacing Harris on the ticket if only to keep Clyburn, a powerful Democrat, happy.
Harris’ physical attributes, which made her a top contender in 2024, will probably keep her on the ballot despite the fact that she drags Biden’s campaigns. This is a perfect example of the foolishness of identity politics. The GOP should use this to attack Biden during the election.
