Democrats Have Buyer’s Remorse with Kamala Harris: The Democratic Party was deeply committed to not only being the party that got the first female president of the United States but that the first female president was also a person of color. Enter Vice-President Kamala Harris, who swooped in to replace her running-mate, the aging President Joe Biden in the eleventh hour and who appealed to the Democrats because she was that female of color that they wanted so badly to nominate. 

But before the switch-a-roo between Biden and Harris occurred over this last summer, there was talk for many years that Joe Biden was going to be replaced in 2024 as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee with another famous woman of color. Many people believed that former First Lady Michelle Obama was slated to be called upon by her party to replace the aging Joe Biden at the last second. 

Indeed, judging from how badly Vice-President Harris has been performing in the polls—and the fact that even before she became the nominee Harris’ approval rating as vice-president was one of the lowest in history—many Democrats likely have buyer’s remorse. Compare Harris’ ratings over the last four years with those of Michelle Obama. Whereas Harris is viewed with derision, Michelle Obama is still highly regarded. 

Michelle Obama ’24: The GOP Nightmare? 

In fact, most Republicans were breathlessly anxious over the prospects of a Michelle Obama candidacy.

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has a history of success against career politicians, whether it be former Republican Florida Governor Jeb Bush or former Democrat Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

He barely lost to Joe Biden in 2020, although one could argue that was under significant strain caused by the unique events of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, things seem to be somewhat normal in terms of the election. There is no novel crisis affecting the American public that might impact voting (so far). Under these conditions, then, Trump can be Trump—and he is. The fact that President Biden, after having won 14 million Democratic Party votes in his party’s presidential primary this year, was unceremoniously ousted from the nomination by his fellow DNC elites has left a bad taste in many people’s mouths. 

Whether fair or not, this has negatively impacted Kamala Harris, who is now seen by many as a usurper (even if she does not struggle with the obvious age-related cognitive decline of Biden).

While the Democrats are content to play along with the charade that Biden wanted to extricate himself from this year’s race, the general voting population is uneasy about it. Meanwhile, Trump continues to ground Harris’ campaign down, notably in key swing states (and that’s all while Trump has a rather unimpressive ground game in those key swing states). 

Michelle Obama Would Have Been a Better Candidate

For all her favorable press, Harris is proving to be as unprepared for running for president this cycle as she was in the previous one (remember she dropped out of the Democratic Party’s 2020 race before the California primary because she feared losing her own state). While it’s true that Michelle Obama has never run for high office, the fact of the matter is that her support and popularity are far different from those of Harris. 

And Michelle Obama is a better public speaker. 

She rarely seems nervous, and Mrs. Obama never breaks down in awkward, uncomfortable, and, at times, condescending laughter that has become a key source of internet memes. 

Plus, we all know that the Obama wing of the Democratic Party has its hands firmly on the steering wheel of the Harris campaign. In 2020, both Barack and Michelle Obama firmly supported Kamala Harris’ candidacy. They begrudgingly accepted the Biden candidacy. Yet, having an acolyte running for office is far different than having a genuine article, like Michelle Obama, run. 

It's possible that, once in the ring, Michelle Obama would have experienced the same relative decline in her popularity and support—notably in key swing states—that Harris has. Michelle Obama is noted for having a glass jaw.

As First Lady, she was not an explicitly political figure and, therefore, was often treated far differently than she would have been treated if she were in the political arena rather than her husband. It’s possible that Mrs. Obama’s negatives would have been amplified—especially by the brutal campaign style of Donald Trump.

Even Biden Would Have Been Better Than Kamala

But Michelle Obama is a much stronger figure on the campaign trail than Kamala Harris (and that’s saying a lot since Harris is a professional politician). Michelle Obama is much better about getting her messages out, and she resonates with a much larger share of the American people.

In other words, whether she wins or not, Kamala Harris is a much weaker candidate than Michelle Obama would have been. Of course, Michelle Obama appears to be living her best life. Why sully it with a run for office? 

Anyway, the Democrats have obvious buyer’s remorse. It’s probable that President Biden, despite all his shortcomings (and he has many) was a better and more qualified candidate for president than Kamala Harris.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. 

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