Throughout the American political government, the vice presidency position is one of the jobs with the most unclear description. With Sen. Kamala Harris winning the secondary electoral seat, set on her shoulders are all kinds of possible criticisms she might face during the rest of her term.
People give negative notions about the vice presidency role over the years of American politics. Even Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first vice president, John Nance Garner, famously outlined the job as “the spare tire on the automobile of government” and “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” Garner’s famous comment on the vice president position indicated its neglect by government officials in every political administration.
However, the harsh comments attacking the vice presidency seat turn around in a new light with the official appointment of Joe Biden as the nation’s president. Joe Biden is the model for this change, and this influenced people to believe that Harris is unlike the vice presidents before her. According to close insiders, Harris is a centerpiece for the new administration equipped with positive influence and a sense of responsibility.
Biden has proven himself to be a positive instigator for this change in the political government. According to former state president Barack Obama, Biden contributed a lot to the nation’s system’s improvements as a whole. Obama revealed that he trusted Biden with his campaign’s key pieces, including supervising foreign policy connections and bringing in a group of former government employees to aid his presidential term. Due to these, Obama did not regret picking Biden as his running mate for the 2008 elections.
Obama’s alliance was Biden’s referring point when he revealed last August that Kamala Harris was his chosen nominee for vice president. He looked back on his talk with Obama regarding his acceptance to be his vice president during the time.
“When I agreed to serve as President Obama’s running mate, he asked what I wanted. I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made his most important decisions,” stated Biden. “That’s what I ask of Kamala – to be the last voice in the room. To always tell me the truth and ask the hard questions,” he added.
Biden was a seasoned politician, while Harris was his subordinate during the elections. However, the California Democrat noted positive changes within the Senate since Biden’s political service 12 years ago.
Adding up to Biden’s productive contributions is Harris’s political accomplishments. She brings experience in both state and local levels, emphasizing her work as the California attorney general to preside over the 2008 mortgage crisis case. This significant contribution of hers brought Harris working on the exposition with Beau Biden, Joe Biden’s late son, and Delaware’s current attorney general during this time.
Several close people and acquaintances expressed their belief that Biden would stay true to his promise to consult and listen to Harris for her state affairs perspectives. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a close ally of Biden, disclosed his discussions with Biden regarding his experiences as the nation’s vice president.
“I would suspect that he would do what Barack Obama did with him,” said Clyburn, adding, “use her strengths in such a way that it would help give substance to the vice presidency.”
Every political administration has the power to set its job descriptions for respective political roles in the American government. The vice president is automatically the next-in-line candidate for presidency if the president leaves office, is incapacitated, or dies. Additionally, the Vice President also serves as the Senate’s leader, provided that a tie exists from the voting results.
With a past and good political background, Harris has a good headstart for the role. Before her candidacy as vice president, Harris proposed several Senate bills to aid Black and brown communities that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
