LOS ANGELES.–Only hours away from her pick for a running mate, 59-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris, now her Party’s presumptive nominee, has a big decision from three remaining choices, picking from 51-year-old Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 60-year-old Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Az.) and 60-year-old Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. But behind the scenes, Kamala has been hammered by her party’s progressive base, objecting to Shapiro because of his Jewish faith. Kamala is married to 59-year-old Jewish entertainment attorney Doug Emhoff, another red flag for Democrats pro-Palestine base, pushing Kamala to pass over Shapiro because he’s Jewish. Some of the progressive donors call Shapiro “Genocide Josh,” a clearly anti-Semitic meme all because he’s Jewish, having nothing to do with Israeli policy. Democrats have a real problem with their Party’s leftist base, showing clear signs of anti-Semitism, largely coming from Muslim voters in Michigan and the Upper Midwest.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian in Congress, leads the charge against Shapiro, summoning her squad including Rep. Alexandria Occasion-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), all of whom back Palestinians in the fight against Israel. If Harris bows to the Squad’s pressure against Shapiro, it will show a real character flaw, knowing that Shapiro is the best possible fit as a running mate. “It’s her first major decision that she’s making as an executive, so it tells you about her thought process,” said Amy Walter, a polling expert at Cook Political Report Newsletter. Most political experts think Shapiro is hand down Kamala’s best choice for a running mate, largely due to his superior campaign skills. Wherever Shapiro speaks, he has enthusiastic crowds delivering his campaign message.
If anti-Semites in the Democrat Party prevail on Harris, it will speak volumes about her character, knowing she runs her campaign on a civil rights platform, promising to advance the cause of freedom and human rights. What message would it send if she capitulates to the anti-Jewish, anti-Israel lobbying in her party’s progressive base? Tlaib was censored Oct. 7, 2023 by Congress for making anti-Semitic remarks. If Harris caves into anti-Semites in the Democrat Party, it’s going to give 78-year-old former President Donald Trump plenty of ammunition against her. How can Harris, who’s married to Jew, acquiesce to anti-Semites in her own party without repercussions? It would show Kamala is more worried about Muslim votes than doing the right thing to defend the Constitution’s guarantee of religion freedom. Kamala would look unprincipled and weak.
When comparing Kelly and Walz to Shapiro, there’s really no comparison to the charismatic Pennsylvania governor, who united the state to win a bruising race against 60-year-old conservative State Senator Doug Mastriano. Kelly and Walz lack the kind of pizzazz shown by Shapiro actually campaigning for himself and, more recently, a surrogate for Harris. Harris must act in picking her running mate on principle that she cannot use anti-Semitism to change her pick for Vice President. Harris currently tries to hone her campaign to go after Trump for his age and racist positions that offend Democrat voters. Trump recently told Black journalists that he wasn’t sure whether Harris was Black or South Asian, something that prompted groans in the Republican Party. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Trump should stick to campaign issues not bringing up Kamala’s race.
Democrat strategist think if they make the 2024 race about Trump and not the issues confronting Americans they’ll have a better chance of winning the race. “Make the referendum on Trump rather that a referendum on the current state of the economy, then we have a real opportunity to win,” said Walter, with Cook’s newsletter. It’s only a matter of time for voters to question Kamala on her position on the Ukraine War, where Biden committed the U.S. to 10 years of supplying Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky unlimited financial aid. Trump runs on a platform to end the Ukraine War in 24 hours, meaning he would pull the plug on an further funding. Kamala, at some point, will be asked her positions on the economy, foreign policy and the border crisis. Walter is kidding herself that making the election only about Trump is enough to win in November.
Harris has a big decision picking a running mate that could decide the Nov. 5 election. If Harris excludes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because he’s Jewish, she would have cave in to her party’s anti-Semitic progressive wing. No amount of voters is worth anything if Kamala violates her own principles to use religion as a basis of picking a running mate. Shapiro has more than proved himself that he’s a rising star in the Democrat Party that would on balance help Harris beat Trump in November. Excluding Shapiro because he’s Jewish would turn a lot of ordinary Jewish voters off who mainly vote Democrat. Whatever strategy Harris takes to defeat Trump, it would be far worse to join anti-Semites in the Democrat Party to save a few Muslim votes in Michigan and the Midwest. Harris must show she has the character to make the right decision for the right reason.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
