In yet another public display of disregard, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, while stepping onto the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors stage on December 8, blatantly overlooked Vice President Kamala Harris. This despite Harris energetically applauding as the President and First Lady confidently entered the room. This episode, in which the Bidens didn’t bother to greet or even acknowledge Vice President Harris, is the second such instance of Biden outwardly ignoring Harris since her unfortunate election debacle.
Vice President Harris was undeterred, if not unmistakably slighted, comfortably nestled between the sea of applauding guests and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The setting was the 47th Kennedy Center Honors, a star-studded evening that annually brings together individuals who’ve contributed to the American cultural landscape. The atmosphere, apart from the coldness shown to Harris, was an illustrious one, yet her presence seemed inconsequential to the Bidens.
This year’s class of the Kennedy Center Honors boasted of numerous industry heavyweights. Celebrated filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola garnered accolades, as did rock band The Grateful Dead and jazz aficionado Arturo Sandoval. Singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt and the iconic Apollo Theater also had their well-deserved moments in the spotlight. Yet, the focus was inadvertently shifted to the palpable tension amongst the top figures of our country.
The Biden-Harris duo’s meet-and-greet requirements have famously included common civilities, like mutually acknowledging one another at public events. However, Biden’s recent decision to collectively inert Harris was not only ostentatious but also suspiciously recurrent. His actions, rather lack thereof, have breathed more life into rumors of rising frictions within the Democratic Party.
Political norms might bend but certainly should not break. Even trivial exchanges, like a cursory hello or an acknowledging wave, have been standard protocol for the presidential duo. Biden’s intentional nonchalance towards Harris, however, notably once again broke that tradition. This conspicuous act of indifference only seems to corroborate existing whisperings of disorder within their party ranks.
The intrigue continues to mount as this incident unfurls against the backdrop of Harris’s recent electoral setback. The post-election speculation has been interspersed with heated debates convincingly dissecting her loss. Probing analysis and candid feedback have come from numerous Democratic Party members, notably including ex-president Bill Clinton.
Ever the diplomat, Clinton weighed in on the Harris debacle, attributing her loss to unfortunate circumstances. The election, according to him, didn’t favor Harris as she entered the race under peculiar circumstances, rendering her a stranger to the electorate. She was forced into the field when no competition could legally claim the lump of campaign funds already earmarked for Biden’s campaign. The short timeframe rendered primaries an untenable option.
Clinton’s narrative painted a grim picture of an uphill battle Harris never had a fighting chance to win. She was thrust into the election ring with limited time and equally limited resources which had her emerging at a distinct disadvantage. The electorate had a clear understanding of President Trump – they knew what they liked and what they didn’t. Given this context, about 54 percent of voters would have preferred an alternative candidate, but Harris failed to present herself as that viable option.
He maintained that voters weren’t offered an ample opportunity to acquaint themselves with Harris and her ideologies. Consequently, they hesitated to rally behind a candidate they knew so little about. Clinton aptly pointed out that the Democratic Party’s challenges were not just Harris-centric but indicative of broader communication issues within the party.
Clinton’s comments underlined the urgent need for Democrats to better engage with voters, stepping away from ‘demographic games’ that have proven largely unproductive. His words highlighted a mighty lesson for Democrats – there needs to be an amplified focus on communication within the party, both with constituents and amongst themselves.
As the dust settles on this incident and words of wisdom are heeded, we are left to wonder about the road ahead for the Democratic Party and its leaders. Will they acknowledge the cracks within and work towards mending walls, or will they continue to neglect their own, just as Biden did with Harris at the Kennedy Center Honors?
All eyes will surely be on the Democrats as they chart their course into the future. The lack of camaraderie on public display at the Kennedy Center Honors was an ill omen for things to come, unless learnt from. Whether the incident will serve as a mere footnote in a tortuous political narrative or escalate into a totally damaging chapter, remains to be seen.
If anything, this incident can be seen as a wake-up call for the Democratic Party. They must strive to right their wrongs and show unity, honing their internal communication and abandoning self-defeating tactics. Stepping into the spotlight of the next presidential election slated for 2028, they have to restore faith, amongst themselves and with the voters they serve, or they risk their future political relevance.