Has the time come Kamala to step up?

Her role as veep might well turn out to be unusually important

Questions on the video

1. What was Vice President Kamala Harris keen to talk about at the event for college sports players?

2. Why are senior Democrats lining up behind Kamala Harris as a potential successor to Joe Biden?

3. How has President Trump tried to belittle Kamala Harris, and why might it be tricky for him to face off against her?

4. According to Republicans, what is their view on Kamala Harris's chances of posing a threat to Trump in the election?

5. How is Kamala Harris perceived outside the White House as a potential candidate against Trump compared to Joe Biden?

6. Do you think Kamala Harris would have a better chance against Trump than Joe Biden, according to public opinion?

7. How does Kamala Harris differ from Joe Biden in terms of directness and knowledge when answering questions?

Correct answers:

1. Vice President Kamala Harris was keen to talk about President Biden Joe Biden's Legacy of accomplishment over the past three years.

2. Senior Democrats are lining up behind Kamala Harris to avoid a chaotic competition for the succession and because they believe she can bring the party together and win against Donald Trump.

3. President Trump has tried to belittle Kamala Harris by questioning her ability to become the first woman president. However, facing off against a former prosecutor like Harris could pose challenges for Trump.

4. Republicans believe that Kamala Harris will not pose a significant threat to Trump in the upcoming election and express excitement about defeating her.

5. Outside the White House, Kamala Harris wasn't necessarily seen as tomorrow's woman compared to President Biden being yesterday's man.

6. Public opinion varies on whether Kamala Harris would have a better chance against Trump than Joe Biden, with some expressing doubts due to her background and views.

7. Kamala Harris is often criticized for not answering questions directly and appearing confused or talking in circles, unlike Joe Biden.

As a bit of context on the changing role of the Vice President, I wrote this early in the Biden term...

The Vice President’s role in US government is one of the many paradoxes about politics in that country. On the one had the powers of the veep in constitutional terms are very limited, but at the same time they are said to be 'just a heartbeat from the presidency', with eight incumbents having died in office (four being assassinated, of course) – and vacating 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before facing impeachment proceedings.

As John Adams, the nation’s first veep, said, “My country has in its wisdom contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” In constitutional terms the VP has a very limited role. They oversee the casting of senatorial votes for the electoral college (which in most years is not a news story, but seems to be gathering momentum this time around), and in most years the power they have to cast a vote in a tie in the Senate wouldn’t matter, but if events in Georgia today go as opinion polls predict then Kamala Harris could be spending as much time in the Senate helping her boss as she has done representing California.

Historically, therefore, the role of VP has not been significant until recent decades, mirroring the growth in the size and scope of the roe of the executive branch. And this is where the unofficial dimensions of the office gets interesting. Al Gore as Bill Clinton’s deputy took a key role in environmental policy and reorganising government, Dick Cheney (as listeners of the Bush/Blair podcast I have frequently plugged will testify) was a driving force behind America’s intervention in Iraq. So we have seen the development of a 'dual presidency' or 'co-presidency' thesis. When it comes to the president-elect, Joe Biden used his much greater experience as a member of the Senate than Barack Obama in building bridges between both ends of the avenue.

So it will be fascinating to see what role Harris as VP plays. If Biden enters office with a 50-50 Senate she could well break the record held by John Adams of 29 tie-breaking votes. Thus the constitutional role comes into play. And what of her unofficial role? What does Harris have that Biden doesn’t? Well, think how she balances the ticket: she is young, energetic, and more to the left than Biden. So one suspects she will be deployed to exploit those strengths by placating key parts of the Democrat coalition, especially with mid-terms less than two years away.

And then, the elephant in the room is the significance of the 25th Amendment.