Donald Trump winning next month will be a tremendous victory on its own, but there's an added bonus that will come with Kamala Harris's defeat.
It could be the end of the Obamas' star power.
Remember, Barack Obama was a key figure in forcing Joe Biden out of the presidential race. He may not have wanted Kamala Harris to be the Democrats' nominee, but the party is in the situation they are in now in part due to his pressuring Joe Biden to drop out. But he's also been playing an active role in campaigning for Kamala Harris.
And it's not been going well. Sure, he's helped boost attendance at her rallies, but earlier this month, Barack spoke in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the aim of increasing black voter turnout for Kamala, particularly among black men who are shifting their support toward Trump. However, Obama’s approach was criticized as condescending, racist, and sexist. Similar to Joe Biden’s infamous “you ain’t black” comment, he used race and gender to shame black men for not backing Harris. He suggested that their reluctance was due to her being a woman, urging them to reconsider and framing Harris’s leadership as a stance against Trump’s perceived bullying behavior.
Obama stated, “Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president,” implying that supporting Trump reflects poorly on their masculinity. His remarks seemed desperate and showed he's worried that Kamala can't close the deal. By insinuating that black men vote based on identity and suggesting they reject Harris solely due to her gender, Obama’s speech underscored a lack of confidence in her ability to win, especially since he could not convincingly argue that her policies as vice president have positively impacted black lives.
Now, his wife Michelle's recent appearance at a Kamala Harris rally is being similarly panned for being racist.
“I gotta ask myself, why on earth is this race even close?” Michelle began. “I lay awake at night wondering what in the world is going on. And it’s clear to me that the question isn’t whether Kamala is ready for this moment because by every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready. The real — the real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?”
.@MichelleObama: I hope that you will forgive me if I'm a little angry that we are indifferent to Donald Trump’s erratic behavior. His obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick… pic.twitter.com/a2RrXJbWN9
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 26, 2024
And boy, was she angry at times.
“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn. I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to Donald Trump’s erratic behavior. His obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do."
Her remarks were ironic since Trump had just recorded a three-hour long interview with Joe Rogan, one that her campaign refused to do.
Kamala has been downgraded to a supporting role in her own campaign, leaving the final pitch to Hollywood celebrities and the Obamas. And it's not working. If Kamala Harris loses, it won't just be because Kamala Harris was a historically awful candidate, but because Barack and Michelle Obama couldn't carry her over the finish line.
Barack Obama couldn't win the election for Hillary Clinton, either. If he can't win this for Kamala, his cachet in the Democratic Party will suffer.
So, in case you needed another reason to vote for Trump...
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