It's Kamala Harris' day
But there's always tomorrow
Today seems to be the day to begin to evaluate Kamala Harris’ electability. The fundraising taps are back open,[1] the Democratic Party seems to be coalescing around her, and the contrast between her and Donald Trump is stark[2]—to find a sharper one, you’d probably need to go to some of the presidential candidates I have voted for over the years (in California, where there were more choices than in Pennsylvania). Sam Blewett succinctly notes the contest between Harris, “a [59-year-old] former prosecutor who focused on tackling sex crimes” and Trump, a “78-year-old convicted felon who has made well-documented (and utterly gross) boasts about grabbing women”[3] (and whom a judge has called, for all practical purposes, a rapist[4]).
But her record as a prosecutor in California isn’t quite so progressive as she has claimed[5] and she has a record of strong support for Israel. She has been more critical of how Israel has conducted the genocide, but has, in line with the administration she serves, continued to express that support.[6] She will need to walk at least some of that back to repair much of the damage that Joe Biden did. My own position throughout has been that I cannot vote for genocide and Jeremy Scahill’s reporting[7] strongly suggests that I may have a problem voting for her. We shall see.
The situation is unlikely to improve for this election. Joe Manchin, who just can’t seem to get enough attention for himself and who, in concert with Kyrsten Sinema, eviscerated Democratic Party social infrastructure proposals, perhaps partly accounting for Joe Biden’s mixed and not-so-great economic record, is said to be weighing a challenge.[8]He would be worse, certainly not as bad as Trump, but worse. I thought I also saw word that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is sniffing about.
[1] Rebecca Falconer, “Kamala Harris gets fundraising boost after Biden drops out of race,” Axios, July 21, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/07/22/kamala-harris-campaign-fundraising
[2] Sam Blewett, “Biden bows to the inevitable,” Politico, July 22, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/biden-bows-to-the-inevitable/; Philip Bump, “The remarkable contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump,” Washington Post, July 22, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/22/harris-trump-differences-presidential-election/
[3] Sam Blewett, “Biden bows to the inevitable,” Politico, July 22, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/biden-bows-to-the-inevitable/
[4] Aaron Blake, “Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll,” Washington Post, July 19, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/19/trump-carroll-judge-rape/
[5] German Lopez, “Kamala Harris’s controversial record on criminal justice, explained,” Vox, August 12, 2020, https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/23/18184192/kamala-harris-president-campaign-criminal-justice-record
[6] Jeremy Scahill, “Can Kamala Harris Wipe the Blood Off Her Hands?” Drop Site, July 22, 2024,
[7] Jeremy Scahill, “Can Kamala Harris Wipe the Blood Off Her Hands?” Drop Site, July 22, 2024,
[8] Liz Goodwin and Amy B. Wang, “Manchin weighs options after Biden exits presidential race,” Washington Post, July 21, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/21/manchin-weighs-options-after-biden-exits-presidential-race/