Kamala Harris: The textbook example of failure for the Democratic Party

By Craig J. DeLuz | Project 21

OPINION (PROJECT 21) – Amid the perceived rise of Kamala Harris as the leading contender to succeed President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s representative in the upcoming November elections, I received a communiqué from a confidant imploring me not to criticize her. It was made clear to me that, as a Black man, to flatly reject her candidacy in favor of the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, would result in my complete disengagement from the Black community. While I can attest to my friend’s sincerity and genuine concern for my well-being, I had to suppress my initial reaction of righteous indignation.

However, the message is emblematic of a troubling trend in our society, where any disagreement with a Black politician is automatically labeled as a betrayal of the Black community as a whole. This tactic is not only intellectually dishonest, but also dangerous, as it suppresses meaningful discussion and analysis of policies and qualifications, and fuels the negative aspects of the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) narrative.

First of all, a person’s race should not determine their political beliefs or loyalties. We should all be able to freely and critically evaluate all candidates, regardless of the color of their skin. If I suggest that I should blindly support (or at least not oppose) Harris because she is black, I undermine both my agency as an individual and her competence as a civic leader (the latter is questionable).

Harris, an elected official with a record of failures spanning her entire political career, has been consistently rewarded with promotions by left-wing voters. Her lackluster performance as San Francisco’s district attorney should have been a red flag, as she not only had an abnormally low conviction rate, but was also unable to effectively prosecute serious crimes. In fact, she managed to achieve the highest felony conviction rate of any major city attorney in the state, and she covered up a scandal involving San Francisco’s forensics lab. But did that stop the left from elevating her up the political hierarchy? Unfortunately, not.

In her next role, as Attorney General of California, Harris again proved less than successful. During her time in office, she consistently showed a tendency to side with criminals over their victims. As a result of her “Smart on Crime” policy, California experienced a 10 percent increase in violent crime, ending a streak of 22 consecutive years of declining violent crime in California. And it has only increased since then. Still, the left praised her and catapulted her into the U.S. Senate.

So what did Harris accomplish during her time in the Senate? The answer is quite simple: nothing. Her record is devoid of any notable legislation or accomplishments. She did, however, earn the distinction of being ranked as the most politically left-leaning member of the Senate and the second most absent in votes of all senators, with 55.1% of the vote (397 out of 720 votes) in the 116th Congress. Still, her less-than-remarkable Senate record did not hinder her rise to the role of vice president, a position she only earned because then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden committed to selecting a black woman as his running mate.

Kamala Harris now holds the second-highest office in the land, and once again she has failed to make a meaningful impact in her role. Whether she’s serving as “Border Czar,” or overseeing the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, or leading the administration in addressing the challenges of artificial intelligence, she can’t claim any major achievement. What she can claim is credit for overseeing the worst border crisis in U.S. history.

Yet, despite her lack of merit and achievements at all stages of her career, the left considers her the perfect candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

While it may make for an appealing narrative to have Harris as the first black woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee, that alone is not enough to qualify her for office. And while it’s understandable that some would want to support Harris in the name of “equality,” as symbolism can be powerful, we must remember that symbolism should never trump substance.

Let us not reduce Harris to a symbol, but rather hold her accountable for her actions and qualifications.

For that reason, Kamala Harris is an example of the left’s brazen disregard for promoting competent leaders. She is the poster child for failure. And her rise to become the front-runner for the 2024 Democratic nominee is unequivocal evidence of the left’s detachment from reality and competence.

So while I appreciate my friend’s concern, I cannot subscribe to the damaging narrative that I should blindly support a candidate based on his race. Our political choices should be based on thorough evaluation and analysis, not blind loyalty. To do otherwise would be a disservice not only to ourselves, but to our nation and our posterity.

Project21 Ambassador Craig J. DeLuz has nearly 30 years of experience in public policy and advocacy. He currently hosts a daily news and commentary show called The overview. You can follow him on X on @CraigDeLuz.

This article originally appeared in the Washington Times.