‘The Disappointment Is Real’: For Kamala Harris Superfans, a Case of Buyer’s Remorse

Andrew StilesAugust 15, 2022

Report: These idiot libs really thought she would “undo the systemic, the systematic racism and sexism and heterosexism in government with one fell swoop”

Andrew Stiles • August 15, 2022 3:00 pm

Normal Democrats have long abandoned the idea that Vice President Kamala Harris has what it takes to be the party’s standard bearer in 2024 and beyond. After her presidential campaign flamed out in embarrassing fashion, the VP has spent the last year and a half validating the critics who contended she is a talentless hack, an empty pantsuit, and a terrible boss. A recent poll of New Hampshire Democrats found that in a hypothetical 2024 Democratic primary, Harris would place seventh, just several percentage points ahead of Hillary Clinton.

The Daily Beast reports that even the diehard Kamala Harris superfans—aka members of the #KHive—who obsessively promoted her failed candidacy and ascension to the vice presidency are beginning to have second thoughts:

The Daily Beast reached out to more than a dozen high-profile members and former members of the #KHive to see if, after 18 months in office, the vice president has lived up to their hopes. And while most still say that they have her back until the end, some quietly admit that the comedown from the high of a victorious campaign has been harsher than they’d expected—not that they would ever say so publicly.

“I would never, ever say that I regret supporting the first Black woman vice president, ever. But the disappointment is real,” said one self-described former member of the #KHive, who requested to speak anonymously so as not to alienate themselves from friends made through the movement. “I was obsessed with the idea of this person who could undo the systemic, the systematic racism and sexism and heterosexism in government with one fell swoop, and now I’m thinking to myself, did I just make up a person in my head who could do those things?”

That anonymous quote reveals so much about the modern Democratic Party and its peculiar fetishes. The desire to make history for the sake of making history. The tendency to become “obsessed” with politicians. Doing one’s part to end “systematic racism and sexism and heterosexism in government” by tweeting. The inevitable letdown. The refusal to speak out (on the record) for fear of recrimination.

The authors of This Will Not Pass recount that Biden’s decision to choose Harris “had little to do with [her] political strengths and vulnerabilities” but was rather a “pragmatic” choice based on the campaign’s desire to play it safe while also mollifying those who wanted a “diverse” Democratic ticket. Harris could still become president if Biden dies, but she will never be elected president. Democrats should be glad that even her most devoted fans are starting to accept reality.