President says Kamala Harris will remain his Vice President if he runs for a second term

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have each other's back.

ANALYSIS

Despite the GOP media machine's attempts to sow seeds of discord among Democrats, President Biden hinted that he will run for President in 2024 and confirmed that Vice President Kamala Harris will remain by his side.

A reporter asked Biden if Vice President Kamala Harris would remain his running mate in 2024 when he runs for reelection, Biden said, "Yes, and yes."

When asked to elaborate, Biden responded, “There’s no need to.”

“She’s going to be my running mate, number one,” he said. “And number two, I did put her in charge. I think she’s doing a good job.”

Biden's remarks are contrary to attempts by conservative media such as Fox News, New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Sinclair Media Group and a host of other publications, radio and TV stations posing as neutral outlets, to create a schism between the two. (Sinclair is the owner of the largest number of TV stations in America.)

Like her male predecessors, as vice president Harris usually remains in the background working and advising the behind-the-scenes as the President takes the spotlight. However, the President has given Harris some of the most high profile and difficult assignments to seek policy solutions on voting rights, immigration and border security. Because of an apparent lack of progress on these issues (mainly due to GOP opposition), she has given  fodder to her Republican critics who see her as the Democrats' most likely successor to Biden in 2028, or in 2024 should Biden decide not to run for a second term.

As the media did with Hillary Clinton when she ran for President, the almost daily barrage of unflattering headlines from conservative media has sucked in other media outlets to follow with their own articles along the same negative vein. The GOP strategy it appears is repeat the lies often enough and people will begin to believe them to be true.

If his earlier remarks wasn't clear enough, he left know doubt about his support for his Vice President during a Democratic National Committee grassroots event Friday where  began his remarks by thanking Harris after she introduced him. 

"Hi, Kamala. I love you," Biden said. "You always have my back. You're really amazing. You're the best partner I could imagine." 

Biden's remarks are contrary to attempts by conservative media such as Fox News, New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Sinclair Media Group and a host of other publications, radio and TV stations, to create a schism between the two. Sinclair is the owner of the largest number of TV stations in America.

Biden's response when questioned about his plans for 2024 seems to indicate that he will go for a second term if: 1. the GOP pick Donald Trump as their candidate; 2. His health. In 2024 he'll be 83 years old, the oldest candidate to run for one of the world's most rigorous jobs and a campaign that will most likely be the most roughest and physically demanding that he'll face. 

The relentless attacks against Harris have had an effect. Harris poll numbers have gone down in the year the Biden administration has been in office and she was basking in her historical accomplishment for being the first Asian American and Black woman to be sworn in as Vice President.

After the new administration's honeymoon period and Americans finished patting itself on the back for its progress on racial equity as evidenced by Harris position as Vice President, the press' overall negative portrayal of Harris has had an effect. Her favorability rating now is lower than former Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney and Al Gore, according to Five Thirty-Eight,

Harris' poll numbers raises the question if she is being judged differently by the voters and the media than the aforementioned male VPs: as a woman and being a woman of color.

The traits most people associate with politicians — for example, competence, ambition, aggressiveness, confidence, toughness — are linked to masculine behavior, writes Five Thirty-Eight.  Numerous studies have found despite polls saying most voters would vote for women, subconsciously, people tend to believe men are often assumed to be viable candidates from the get-go, while women must work to be taken seriously. “Men have a leg up in politics because there’s a basic assumption that they’re qualified to run,” said Nichole Bauer, a professor at Louisiana State University who studies political psychology.

While the Democrats tout their accomplishments in their first year -- ie. infrastructure, record number of jobs, climate change and low unemployment -- the media seems to be following the lead of the right-wing media and seem to be more focused on what the Biden administration has not accomplished in the areas of voting rights, immigration, all of which were opposed by Republicans.

2024 is three years away, but the the GOP is already in campaign mode by undercutting the credibility and qualifications of Harris. Democrats are more worried -- as they should be --  about the midterms which could determine if Congress will determine if Biden's and Harris' will have the wins or roadblocks for the rest of their  term. Biden's latest statements indicate he and Harris will rise or fall together.

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