The liberal swoon over Kamala Harris is ebbing.
It was just five months ago that the LA Times announced a new feature "Covering Kamala Harris," a on-going feature dedicated to her “ historic rise to the White House".
The Times justified its coverage with Kamala Harris is the first vice president who is Black, South Asian, female and the direct descendants of immigrants.
Well, now.
Yesterday the Times entry in “ Covering Kamala Harris” was hardly complimentary.
Essential Politics: Failure of elections bill shows limits of Kamala Harris’ influence
By NOAH BIERMANSTAFF WRITER
JUNE 23, 2021 6:52 AM PT
This is the June 23, 2021, edition of the Essential Politics newsletter. Like what you’re reading? Sign up to get it in your inbox three times a week.
There was justifiable skepticism this month when President Biden announced Vice President Kamala Harris would lead an effort to expand voting rights and pledged the administration would “fight like heck with every tool at my disposal” to pass a major bill in Congress.
Fast forward three weeks, and Democrats are where many thought they would be: nowhere. The Senate killed the House-passed “For the People Act” on Tuesday, with Democrats lacking the 60 votes to overcome a Republican filibuster.
As for Harris’ role, the takeaway was how little we saw of her. No dramatic trips to the Senate to court votes. No statements on how to find compromise. No known talks with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the sole Democratic holdout in supporting the bill, or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who kept his members from breaking ranks in opposition to even debating it.
All those nice diversity check boxes Harris claimed as assets seem to have been canceled by the one left unchecked:
COMPETENCE