There are at least two potential scenarios that could play out with respect to Biden’s running mate in 2024. First, of course is VP Kamala Harris. But my assertion is that Biden will need to dump her because he and the Democrat movers and shakers know she is a huge liability to the extent she could cause Biden to lose.
Latest polls show her unfavorable rating at 53%. But the manner in which she continuously presents herself with respect to the issues of the day is more telling than the poll number. Frequent descriptors of VP Harris’ performance from both parties include but are not limited to; “incompetent”, and “a drag on the ticket.” Since Biden’s announcement to run in 2024, the media has been reporting that the White House is gearing up to rehab her image ahead of the 2024 campaign. Hard to change a zebra’s stripes.
ASSERTIONS:
Former President Obama continues calling many of the important shots in the Biden administration in order to complete his 2008 announced intent to, “transform America.”
Scenario number two; Obama has already decided that Susan Rice will be the VP on the ticket for the 2024 election.
The first step was for Rice to resign from her position as Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor and Chair of the White House Domestic Policy Council. The fact that she did so the day before Biden announced his intent to run for president again in 2024 was no accident; it is all part of the plan.
This coming Fall, certainly not later than December, expect VP Harris to abruptly announce that she is withdrawing from the Biden ticket, citing “personal” reasons. Biden will immediately praise her work, wish her well and within a few days announce that Susan Rice will be his VP choice.
In that many Democrats consider Kamala a loser, her departure from the ticket will be an instant, dramatic and positive up-tic for the campaign just as the Primary season takes off.
BACKGROUND: In the 1990’s Secretary of State Madeline Albright was Rice’s mentor and got her a job on the Clinton National Security Council staff, 1993-1997. From 1997-2001 Rice was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. During the Bush administration she was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. In the 2008 presidential campaign she was Obama’s senior foreign policy advisor. Following Obama’s election, she was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden transition and later selected to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 2009-2013, a position which Obama restored to cabinet level.
September, 2012 the Benghazi, Libya U.S. diplomatic facility and CIA annex were attacked resulting in the deaths of four Americans to include the U.S. ambassador, Christopher Stevens. On the following Sunday, Rice appeared on five major interview shows to discuss the attacks. Her talking points included the administration’s contention that the attack was “spontaneously inspired” by a violent protest at the American embassy in Cairo, Egypt hours earlier, which had been triggered by the release of an anti-Muslim video. Many considered that linkage between the anti-Muslim video and the attack in Libya, to be a stretch of logic. Following her five Sunday appearances, there were persistent accusations that she had intentionally misled the public.
Benghazi damaged Rice. While Obama supported her and was considering her to be Secretary of State, on December 13, 2013 Rice sent a letter to President Obama asking that he not consider her for Sec. State saying, “the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly.” She became Obama’s National Security Advisor for his second term during which
Rice rarely made public appearances or personally defended her National Security Council issues. Ben Rhodes, the deputy to Rice, became the public face of the NSC.
CONCLUSIONS: Obama was instrumental in getting Biden to appoint Rice as his Domestic Policy Advisor. Why? It’s called grooming. By 2020 Susan Rice had accumulated about three decades of experience in foreign affairs and international relations with zero official, high-level interaction with U.S domestic affairs. So, in 2021 she went straight to the top, in charge of the administration’s domestic agenda.
Over the first two years of this administration, what have we heard from Susan Rice? Nothing. Keep a low profile, complete a two-year crash-course in domestic affairs and become a highly qualified candidate to be the Vice President.
Now she is ready for the big show; four years as Vice President 2025-2029, with the possibility every day of being sworn in as President if Biden becomes physically or cognitively incapacitated. That will result in Obama being the ring-master of at least four of the past five administrations, 2009-2029; Obama, Obama, Trump, Biden, Biden/Rice and the possibility for a Rice administration 2029-2033. Plenty of time for Obama to finalize and institutionalize his transformation of America.
By then the historians will be busy writing the first chapters about the fall of the once-great United States of America.
For the past week, media has been asking why did Susan Rice step down and why now? Now you know the answer; (maybe).
Wake up Republicans and get your act together. If Kamala is out of the picture, it’s a whole new ball game.
Marvin L. Covault, Lt Gen US Army, retired, is the author of VISION TO EXECUTION, a book for leaders, and a new book May 2022, FIX THE SYSTEMS, TRANSFORM AMERICA as well as the author of a blog WeThePeopleSpeaking.com.