'Silent' Kamala Harris watches presidential hopes buried in Afghan rubble as new poll slams VP
Kamala Harris, despite being the first women Vice President of the United States, is facing a massive challenge when it comes to popularity. Ever since she was nominated as Biden's running mate, Harris has faced a string of criticism, exasperated by her controversial tenure as VP. From failing to address the border crisis to reports of infighting, Harris has seen her popularity crash in recent months. Now adding to that is her stunning silence over the Afghanistan crisis.
The past few months in particular, have been extremely harsh for Harris. In July, she admitted she might be overworked, saying "maybe I don't say "no" enough in an interview. Around that time, we reported on an expose that revealed Harris was overseeing a "toxic" work culture, which resulted in numerous resignations from her office. On August 16, Harris was slammed for encouraging vaccines, but not addressing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
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In fact, in recent weeks, Harris has been quite silent about events in Afghanistan. Despite being the VP, she hasn't yet addressed the chaotic fallout, which is at the center of the latest criticism. Her prolonged silence, combined with Biden's "cynical" and "heartless" speech on the matter has led to a massive drop in popularity. However, between the two, Harris is seeing worse numbers.
55% call Harris 'unqualified' for POTUS
Harris' latest numbers come thanks to a Rasmussen Reports poll that was released on August 19. The poll surveyed 1,000 US voters, so it's not a very big number, but it does indicate that things are beginning to look bad for the VP. The poll found only 14% of respondents believe Harris is "qualified" to become POTUS, down from 49% when the poll was last conducted in April. That massive drop has led to 55% of respondents calling Harris "unqualified" to take over from Joe Biden.
That 55% number is a culmination of two separate opinions - 47% believe she is "not at all qualified", while 8% call Harris "not qualified." Only 29% of respondents called Harris "very qualified" to run the nation. The survey results were released after Harris' first public statement in six days. Harris made pre-recorded comments for the National Association of Black Journalists convention. Barring that, Harris hasn't really spoken in public at all over the past week, only offering up a few tweets.
On August 17 and 18, she did tweet about Afghanistan, but it wasn't anything significant. "For two decades, our courageous service members put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. We will always be grateful—and proud. Ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is the right decision," she tweeted on the 17th. On the 18th, Harris said, "We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Now, our mission is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of the country."
For two decades, our courageous servicemembers put their lives on the line in Afghanistan. We will always be grateful—and proud.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 17, 2021
Ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan is the right decision.
We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Now, our mission is to get our people, our allies, and vulnerable Afghans to safety outside of the country.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) August 17, 2021
Stunning absence from public
Since the fall of Kabul, Harris has been almost absent from the public eye. Beyond the two tweets, she was captured in a photo talking to Biden about the crisis on August 15. Put out by the White House, the photo captured Harris, along with the CIA and other intelligence officials speaking to Biden, who was at Camp David. Beyond that, on August 19, the VP's Twitter account posted a photo of Harris with Biden and other national security team members meeting to talk about the crisis.
But photo's aside, Harris is yet to offer any public comments on the matter. Biden made a somber speech about the crisis on August 16, but Harris was nowhere to be seen at the time. She was also conspicuously absent from Biden's speech on Covid-19 and vaccinations on August 19. In fact, Harris has not been seen in public since August 12 and reportedly has a very empty schedule. The absence has not gone unnoticed. Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told Newsmax on August 19, "Where is she (Harris), defending women and girls, standing up for human rights, standing up for these women and girls who we know are going to be pushed into sex slavery?"
The VP's office confirmed to The Daily Mail that Harris will go ahead with her second foreign trip in office to Singapore and Vietnam. Harris is scheduled to tour the two nations beginning August 22, when she will land in Singapore. On August 25, she will land in Hanoi, Vietnam. On the way back, Harris will stop in Honolulu to address the troops stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam.
Not addressing the Afghanistan crisis though, could prove to be a major mistake, as rumors are ongoing that Biden may seek a different running mate in 2024. So far, Harris has done little to indicate she's the ideal VP, let alone President.