Strong Women In Politics Still Face Strong Pushback
March 8, 2024
John Nance Garner, who served as FDR’s vice president for eight years, compared the job to “a bucket of warm spit.” (He actually said, “warm piss,” but this is a family-friendly blog).
Facing the prospect of a 2024 presidential rematch between two octogenarians, the choice of who will serve as our next vice president is many orders of magnitude more important than Garner’s description.
Everyone has an opinion of who that should be. Here’s mine:
Meet Hamilton (Ham) Carris
Ham’s record of achievement at all levels of government has been extraordinary.
As attorney general of his state, Cam took on banks, mortgage companies, health care providers and fake colleges and retrieved billions for taxpayers and individuals victimized by their frauds. He won more than 90% of the cases he brought against those who committed crimes using guns. He developed a program of recidivism that reduced the level of prisoners returning to jail from 50% to 10%.
Ham was so successful at the state level, and before that as district attorney, he was re-elected by landslides. Then, he was elected to the U.S. Senate where he excelled on three important committees: Judiciary, Budget and Intelligence. In Washington, he’s been a trusted advisor to President Biden, closely involved in major presidential decisions and serving the United States in negotiations with world leaders.
No one is ever fully prepared to step into the job of U.S. President. But Ham’s experience and decades of success at all levels of government engenders confidence that he could take control seamlessly if required.
Never heard of Hamilton Carris? I’m not surprised. Because he doesn’t exist. At least by that name.
The person I’ve just described is Kamala Harris, whose record is even more impressive than my summary. Check her out on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris).
Unfair Scrutiny of Women in Politics
Harris, like Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and other accomplished and successful women in politics tend to become easy targets for image distortion once they reach positions of real authority. All have endured sustained fierce partisan attacks on their personalities, manner of speech, even what they wear.
Add one more strike against Harris. She’s mixed race, as Donald Trump keeps reminding people when he keeps suggesting she wasn’t born in the U.S.
Would “Ham,” as a White male be facing the unpopular poll numbers being hung on Harris? Doubtful. Do those poll numbers change the fact that Harris is and has been an extremely successful public official at all levels of government? Of course not. No one else mentioned as a potential replacement has a comparable record of experience.
So, for those wringing their hands over Harris remaining on the Democratic ticket, get over it. She will be there. She should be there, both because she has the background that qualifies her and because she’s a strong advocate for the political choices most Democrats favor.
If “Ham” makes sense as President Biden’s running mate, “Kam” does, too.
Facing the prospect of a 2024 presidential rematch between two octogenarians, the choice of who will serve as our next vice president is many orders of magnitude more important than Garner’s description.
Everyone has an opinion of who that should be. Here’s mine:
Meet Hamilton (Ham) Carris
Ham’s record of achievement at all levels of government has been extraordinary.
As attorney general of his state, Cam took on banks, mortgage companies, health care providers and fake colleges and retrieved billions for taxpayers and individuals victimized by their frauds. He won more than 90% of the cases he brought against those who committed crimes using guns. He developed a program of recidivism that reduced the level of prisoners returning to jail from 50% to 10%.
Ham was so successful at the state level, and before that as district attorney, he was re-elected by landslides. Then, he was elected to the U.S. Senate where he excelled on three important committees: Judiciary, Budget and Intelligence. In Washington, he’s been a trusted advisor to President Biden, closely involved in major presidential decisions and serving the United States in negotiations with world leaders.
No one is ever fully prepared to step into the job of U.S. President. But Ham’s experience and decades of success at all levels of government engenders confidence that he could take control seamlessly if required.
Never heard of Hamilton Carris? I’m not surprised. Because he doesn’t exist. At least by that name.
The person I’ve just described is Kamala Harris, whose record is even more impressive than my summary. Check her out on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris).
Unfair Scrutiny of Women in Politics
Harris, like Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and other accomplished and successful women in politics tend to become easy targets for image distortion once they reach positions of real authority. All have endured sustained fierce partisan attacks on their personalities, manner of speech, even what they wear.
Add one more strike against Harris. She’s mixed race, as Donald Trump keeps reminding people when he keeps suggesting she wasn’t born in the U.S.
Would “Ham,” as a White male be facing the unpopular poll numbers being hung on Harris? Doubtful. Do those poll numbers change the fact that Harris is and has been an extremely successful public official at all levels of government? Of course not. No one else mentioned as a potential replacement has a comparable record of experience.
So, for those wringing their hands over Harris remaining on the Democratic ticket, get over it. She will be there. She should be there, both because she has the background that qualifies her and because she’s a strong advocate for the political choices most Democrats favor.
If “Ham” makes sense as President Biden’s running mate, “Kam” does, too.
Joe Rothstein is a political strategist and media producer who worked in more than 200 campaigns for political office and political causes. He also has served as editor of the Anchorage Daily News and as an adjunct professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. He has a master's degree in journalism from UCLA. Mr. Rothstein is the author of award-winning political thrillers, The Latina President and the Conspiracy to Destroy Her, The Salvation Project, and The Moment of Menace. For more information, please visit his website at https://www.joerothstein.net/.
