According to popular belief, politicians at the provincial level, especially the leaders of the main parties, must have a high level of cunning and intelligence. After all, only the most cunning swindlers could get to the White House or Capitol’s highest agencies out of the treacherous labyrinth of party politicians, correct?
Oftentimes, individuals strain, often desperately, to feature complex machinations and hidden motives to the current conflict of the American political scenery. It’s a nonsensical hope that the selfish or inane ramblings of our political class have some deeper meaning.
Despite the abundance of information that she is really a simpleton, National Review’s Jim Geraghty appeared to struggle to understand Kamala Harris ‘ rise to power and the possibility that she might be the next president on Monday.
” If Kamala Harris is as terrible as her critics claim, why does she have a roughly 50-50 chance of becoming the first female president in U.S. history”?” There’s this annoying problem. Geraghty posted on X.
” Do you know how some ruthless, ambitious Political men and women yearned for her every day to succeed?” 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 managed to accomplish it. he continued.
Geraghty is overreacting. In fact, the vast majority of Washington inhabitants are simply average, and more than a few are full buffoons.
Case in point: Kamala Harris. She might be one of the most academically illiterate candidates to win the presidency. When she attempted to win the election on her own in the 2020 key, she ran one of the most unsophisticated campaigns. She was therefore utterly incompetent as the “border emperor” that the advertising press attempted to muddle up the fact that she held the position.
She has come a long way from being the wife of expression sandwiches and non-answers, just capable of parroting the most pointless talking points on the plan trail in 2024. Nothing about her absurd “wisdom” ring resonates 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 numerous 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 revolt against an evidently declining Biden, the Democratic Party then presented her with the nomination on a silver platter without a second primary vote in her favor.
Second, it’s sad to admit, but a large portion of the population is stupid enough or deranged enough to support Harris. More than enough people are willing to support her in the face of her race or gender, the fact that her name appears next to Donald Trump’s name, or the obvious fact that she is not Donald Trump.
Third, plenty of mediocre ( at best ) or even outright moronic people have bumbled their way into the halls of power in this country — far more than we’d like to admit given our “enlightened” form of government. Some men who were better suited to being the White House janitor ended up in the Oval Office because they had the advantage of larger political 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, respectively, by passing over arguably the most famous and accomplished Democrat of the era, Stephen Douglas. One of the most inconsiderate presidents is still Franklin Pierce, and Buchanan has gained notoriety for his disastrous handling of the secession crisis just before the start of the Civil War.
The Democrat Party of the Roaring Twenties nominate a succession of candidates in 1920, 1924, and 1928 despite political strife and intrigues that were largely brought on by President Woodrow Wilson. These men found themselves leading one of the top major national parties more because they had to be nominated for something rather than because they inspired voters or had any real chance to overthrow the Republicans ‘ strong economic record.
Sometimes people ascend to power based solely on events, even pure unchecked luck, that are completely out of their control. The Watergate controversy could have had an impact on both candidates ‘ chances of winning the 1976 presidential election.
Gerald Ford was elevated to the position of president after corruption scandals shook the Nixon administration. In October 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned, paving the way for Ford to take over as President Richard Nixon’s No. Second, the Watergate scandal forced Nixon to step down as president.
Before the 1976 election, Jimmy Carter was largely unknown outside of his home state of Georgia, but the anti-establishment sentiment in the country following Watergate made the dark horse the most likely choice among a stable of Washington swamp creatures.
Ford is portrayed as a moderate, placeholder president burdened by the baggage of his predecessor and the ultimate defeat in Vietnam, despite his apparent affection for the country. Although Carter managed to some extent improve his reputation following his election as president, his administration experienced domestic unrest and humiliation for the United States while it was hostage-taking country.
All of this being said, just because someone holds public office or ascends to the position of party leader does not indicate that they have any unique wit or guile. Harris might emerge as a political genius who was patiently playing the fool in the election, but more likely than not she’ll reveal who she really is: a dolt with a small opportunism.
Sometimes, a spade is a spade. Sometimes, an idiot is an idiot. Kamala most likely is n’t playing 4-D chess. She’s struggling at checkers.
Hayden Daniel is a staff editor at The Federalist. He previously held positions as deputy editor/opinion editor at The Daily Caller and The Daily Wire’s editor. He received his B. Washington and Lee University offers an A. in European History with minors in philosophy and classics. Follow him on Twitter at @HaydenWDaniel