Occasionally in American politics, a story becomes so huge, so inexorable, the liberal media has no choice but to report on it — even if it is damning to the reputations of their favored politicians. Take Kamala Harris, for example. The current vice president of the United States initially enjoyed nearly universal praise from mainstream news outlets. The acclamation was directed almost exclusively at her identity as the first African American, Asian American and woman to hold the office, but her approval ratings were generally above 50%. Networks such as CNN extolled her, calling her election victory “a new high point in a career of barrier-breaking accomplishments.” In an article preoccupied with the VP’s race and gender, they insisted that her “history-making win… represents the millions of women in the demographics — often overlooked, historically underrepresented and systematically ignored — who are now the recipients of that new power for the first time in the country’s 200-plus-year history.” And then, painfully aware of their own obsession with her immutable characteristics, they dutifully added that, “Harris is a lot of things beyond her gender and her race, of course.” But the media failed to mention the one thing that would actually matter: whether or not Harris would perform her duties effectively. Well, after eleven months, the verdict is in and the answer is obvious. It’s so obvious, her performance has been so disappointing, the media can’t help but notice. CNN recently published a new Harris-centric article, only this time it was devoted entirely to her “frustrating start as vice president.” According to the report, “key West Wing aides have largely thrown up their hands at Vice President Kamala Harris and her staff,” citing their irritation at “what they see as entrenched dysfunction and lack of focus” and “signs of disloyalty.” The exposition also notes that, while “Harris’ closest aides frustrate even her,” White House insiders have described her relationship with Biden as “an exhausted stalemate.” Still, CNN somehow managed to blame her failures at least partially on racism and sexism. But even they can’t deny that Harris is simply not performing well. SEE ALSO: Kamala Harris’s Belated Border Visit is This Administration’s Most Embarrassing Moment Nor are they the only ones. USA Today admitted that progressives are disappointed in Harris. Politico reported that “[t]here is dysfunction inside the VP’s office…. And it’s emanating from the top.”And of course the most important indicator is not what the media says, but what the American people think, and with Harris’ approval rating at an historic low of 28%, it’s apparent that voters aren’t happy, either. But why? Why are both opponents and supporters disappointed in Harris? Simple answer: she hasn’t accomplished much of anything. She was put in charge of the border crisis, and yet we still have a border crisis. She didn’t even visit – much less work to repair – the southern border for an inexcusable amount of time, and when asked why she hadn’t, retorted snarkily and absurdly that she “hadn’t been to Europe.” She’s taken charge of a partisan effort to “protect the fundamental right to vote,” but Republicans have criticized her endeavors and Democrats are aware that she hasn’t made any substantial progress. She launched a nationwide “tour” in an attempt to encourage Americans to voluntarily get vaccinated, but Biden ultimately mandated vaccinations anyways. So what has Harris done? SEE ALSO: WaPo Columnist: Kamala Harris’ ‘Love Life’ Should Be Off Limits She redecorated her office. And while she still hasn’t adequately dealt with the southern border crisis, she somehow managed to find time in her busy schedule for an interview about her office’s new artwork, furniture and portrait of Thurgood Marshall. She also mocked those who criticized her for reportedly spending over $500 on pricey cookware in Paris. And then she struggled through a cringeworthy demonstration on how to charge an electric car. In short, Harris is simply ineffective at doing her job. That doesn’t mean that she is entirely at fault, however. In many ways, her shortcomings as VP just confirm an even bigger, more fundamental problem with American politics: our entire federal government is ineffective. Our big-government politicians seem to be better at creating problems than fixing them, and while they put on a show of “politics,” their constituents suffer the consequences. So yes, Kamala Harris may be bad at her job – so bad, in fact, that not even the left-leaning media can pretend otherwise – but she is simply playing her part in a broken system that is bad at its job. The solution, therefore, is not merely to replace her or any other politician in Washington. The real solution is to stop trusting politicians, especially those who can’t manage even their own affairs, to govern our country and fix its problems. Jakob Fay is a former intern and current SIA Coordinator for the Convention of States Project, a project of Citizens for Self-Governance.
