On Tuesday, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius joined the growing list of notables expressing doubts about the wisdom of President Joe Biden representing the Democratic Party in 2024.
Ignatius’ Tuesday piece made clear his opinion that “Biden and Harris shouldn’t run again.”
On Wednesday, former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and current MSNBC analyst invited Ignatius to defend his position on the “Morning Joe” show. During the program, McCaskill offered tentative support for Biden — and strong support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
McCaskill lauded Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she was a “woman of great accomplishments.”
“Why is America down on [Harris] to the extent they are? Because she’s done nothing to deserve this,” McCaskill argued.
The MSNBC analyst continued: “I remember us laughing sometimes at Joe Biden when he was Vice President in the cloakroom of the Senate. I mean I wasn’t laughing, sorry, Mr. President, but other people were kind of making fun of him.”
McCaskill added: “Al Gore, same thing. Dan Quayle, same thing. Vice presidents have a tough job. But why is America so convinced? I mean, this is a woman of great accomplishment. … Why is this Kamala Harris a problem instead of an asset?”
Ignatius, a guest on the MSNBC “Morning Joe” show, noted that Harris underperformed in her 2020 campaign and was out of the race before the Iowa caucuses. He suggested the same thing had happened in her role as vice president — there was a lot of initial momentum, but underperformance led it to quickly fade.
“Why she didn’t get traction with the public, with Democratic voters, I don’t know. But I watched that happen. And I feel like I’m watching that happen now while she’s Vice President,” he added.
Ignatius also noted that people are concerned about Biden’s age and Kamala, if better known and liked, could be a valuable DNC asset.
“I would love for her to have traction with voters … and become known,” Ignatius said. “[It would be great if she could] become someone who voters feel is a plausible leader.”
The Washington Post writer added: “I don’t know many political observers, and Claire maybe you disagree, who feel that she’s really accomplished that. Maybe that’s still possible, but that has not been an easy job for her.”
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