Popular belief dictates that federal officials, particularly the big party leaders, must be highly intelligent and cunning. After all, only the most cunning swindlers could get to the White House or Capitol’s highest agencies out of the tense of party politics, right?
Oftentimes, individuals strain, often desperately, to attribute difficult machinations and hidden motives to the current conflict of the American political scenery. It’s a foolish hope that the selfish or inane ramblings of our political class have some deeper meaning.
Despite the abundance of evidence that she is really a simpleton, National Review’s Jim Geraghty displayed this sentiment on Monday, apparently struggling to understand Kamala Harris ‘ rise to power and the very real chance that she might be the next president.
Why does Kamala Harris have the Democratic nomination and a about 50-50 chance of becoming the first female president in U.S. history, according to the nagging complication that arises? Geraghty posted on X.
Do you know how some viciously ambitious Political men and women yearned for her every step of the way? How many bright, tough, shrewd, usually deceitful and cold-blooded pols have tried to claw their way up the sticky mast and fallen small? And miraculously, this alleged dolt succeeded in doing it”? he continued.
Geraghty is overreacting about it. In fact, the vast majority of Washington dwellers are simply average, and more than a few are perfect buffoons.
Case in point: Kamala Harris. She might be one of the least intelligent candidates to win the presidency. In a major that was rife with imbeciles when she attempted to win the nomination on her own, she ran one of the most unsophisticated campaigns in 2020. She was so utterly incompetent as the “border emperor” that the advertising press attempted to muddle up the fact that she was in charge.
She has risen to the position of the queen of expression sandwiches and non-answers on the campaign road, just capable of parroting the most pointless talking points. Nothing about her absurd “wisdom” ringes more dull than the frequently repeated” What can be, unburdened by what has been” Truly the slogan of intellectual midgets everyday.
Most recently, she’s then accused of several instances of copying, including in congressional testimony — really a sign of a strong and competent mind.
Therefore, to solve Geraghty’s problem: How did Kamala reach the highest levels of the Democrat Party?
First of, she became then-candidate Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020 for a very distinct purpose, and it was not her knowledge. After the gentle revolution against an evidently declining Collins, the Democrat Party then gave her the nomination on a silver platter, without a second main vote in her favor.
Second, it’s sad to say, but a big portion of the population is terrible enough or deranged sufficiently to assist Harris. More than enough people are willing to support her in the face of her race or female, the fact that her name appears next to Donald Trump’s brand, or the obvious fact that she is never Donald Trump.
Third, lots of poor ( at best ) or even illegal dumb people have bumbled their way into the halls of power in this land — far more than we’d like to say given our “enlightened” form of government. Some men who were better suited to being the White House receptionist ended up in the Oval Office because they had the advantage of larger social conflicts, were in the right place at the right time, or had the best chance of doing so.
The Democrat Party nominated Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan in 1852 and 1856, both, by passing over probably the most famous and obtained Democrat of the time, Stephen Douglas. One of the most renowned presidents is still Franklin Pierce, and Buchanan has gained notoriety for his disastrous management of the secession problems just before the start of the Civil War.
The Democrat Party of the Roaring Twenties nominate a succession of individuals in 1920, 1924, and 1928 despite political strife and intrigues that were largely brought on by President Woodrow Wilson. These men were elected to the leadership of one of the biggest national events more because they were required to nominate one rather than because they inspired electors or had any real chance to overthrow the Republicans ‘ strong economic history.
Often people ascend to power based solely on events beyond their control, including large foolishness. Both candidates for president in 1976 was credit Watergate’s aftermath for their place in the regional spotlight.
After corruption crises shook the Nixon administration, Gerald Ford was ushered into the president. In October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned, paving the way for Ford to take over as President Richard Nixon’s No. Nixon was forced out of business by the Watergate scandal in 2002.
Before the 1976 election, Jimmy Carter was largely unknown outside of his home state of Georgia, but the anti-establishment sentiment in the country immediately made the black horse the most feasible prospect in a steady of swampy creatures in Washington.
Ford is portrayed as a mild, temporary president burdened by the bag of his father and the best defeat in Vietnam, despite his apparent affection for him. Although Carter managed to some extent improve his reputation following his presidency, his administration saw domestic unrest and disgrace for the United States while it was prisoner in the Iran hostage crisis.
All of this being said, does the mere existence of a politician’s guile or wit not imply that they are elected to office or hold positions in the party authority. If she wins, Harris might come out as a political talent who played the fool who was quietly deceiving her enemies, but more likely than not she’ll keep revealing who she really is: a dimwit with a little talent for opportunism.
Occasionally, a shovel is a shovel. Often, an idiot is an imbecile. Kamala most likely is n’t playing 4-D chess. She’s struggling at chess.
Hayden Daniel is a personnel director at The Federalist. Prior to joining The Daily Wire, he held positions as assistant editor/opinion editor and as an editor-in-chief. He received a B. Washington and Lee University offers an A. in German history with minors in theory and classical studies. Following him on Twitter at @HaydenWDaniel