What’s happening: President Joe Biden is on notice after his 2024 running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, hired an anti-Biden gunslinger to be her campaign communications director.
The veteran aide, Brian Fallon, has a history of mocking Biden’s cognitive inadequacies and pressuring octogenarian Democrats to resign.
Crucial context: Fallon, a Harvard alum who previously worked for Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, and Chuck Schumer, ridiculed Biden during a Democratic primary debate in 2019. “Biden trying to complete an answer is a tender moment,” he wrote. During an earlier debate, Fallon lamented that Biden had gotten a “pass” for his incoherent answer to a question about slavery.
In 2021, Fallon criticized Biden for not caring about black people. “He’s test-driving Ford F-150s. He’s not going to Selma to talk about voting rights,” Fallon complained to the Washington Post.
That same year, Fallon spearheaded the liberal activist campaign to pressure former Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer to retire before dying from natural causes. Breyer was 82 at the time; Biden is 81 now.
Why it matters: Compelled by her boundless ambition, Harris appears to be laying the groundwork to force Biden off the ticket in 2024.
Several days after Fallon’s hiring was announced, independent presidential candidate Cornel West suggested that Biden would drop out of the race because “he’s running out of gas.”
The Democratic Party has no “Plan B” if Biden decides not to run again, Reuters reported last month, which means that Harris would be in prime position to seize the nomination.
Anyone who challenged Harris would be immediately denounced as racist for trying to stop a woman of color from reaching the White House.
Of note: Harris is one of the most widely disliked vice presidents in American history. Even her former staffers are terrified at the thought of her becoming president.
Bottom line: Watch your back, Joe.
Why does the hiring of Fallon, who has criticized Biden’s cognitive abilities, raise questions about Vice President Harris’s confidence in her running mate and the initial decision to run with him
Why it matters: The decision to hire Fallon as her campaign communications director suggests that Harris may be positioning herself to challenge Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary. While it is not uncommon for vice presidents to eventually run for president, such a move would create significant tension within the party and potentially undermine Biden’s re-election efforts.
Furthermore, Fallon’s history of criticizing Biden’s cognitive abilities raises questions about the vice president’s confidence in her running mate. If she believes that Biden is unfit for office, why did she agree to run with him in the first place? This decision could be seen as disloyal and opportunistic.
The backlash: Unsurprisingly, the hiring of Fallon has drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.
Conservatives argue that it is proof that Harris is not a true ally of Biden and that she is actively working to undermine his administration. They believe that this move is part of her larger plan to position herself as the frontrunner for the 2024 Democratic nomination.
Progressives, on the other hand, express disappointment with Harris for hiring someone who has mocked Biden’s cognitive abilities and pressured older Democrats to resign. They argue that this goes against the principles of the Democratic Party, which advocates for inclusivity and respect for all members, regardless of age or cognitive abilities.
The bottom line: The hiring of Brian Fallon as her campaign communications director sends a clear message – Kamala Harris is not afraid to challenge President Biden. Whether this is a strategic move to position herself for the 2024 Democratic primary or simply a lack of loyalty to her running mate remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain – tensions are rising within the Democratic Party, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming months.
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