🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
The Democrats have a big problem. Despite massive and historic achievements, President Biden's polling numbers are underwater. His disapproval rating stands at 53 percent. 68 percent of the country believes Biden's mental and physical health is an issue of either major or moderate concern. In a general election matchup against former president Trump, Biden leads by just 4 percent, which is within the margin of error, and in a general election matchup against the other leading contender for the Republican nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, President Biden is tied.
These disastrous polls have some arguing for ditching President Biden and mounting a serious alternative candidate. California Governor Gavin Newsom's name has been floated in this context. But this would be a mistake. The Democrats shouldn't replace President Biden; they should replace Vice President Kamala Harris, who is even more unpopular, and who would replace President Biden in the event of an unfortunate circumstance related to his age and capabilities.
After all, President Biden's negative approval ratings are confounding, when you consider his record. The economy continues to be very strong, particularly when it comes to employment. Inflation has died down considerably, and Biden has demonstrated real finesse in driving the NATO alliance in support of Ukraine. When it comes to the issues of abortion and gun control, he is in sync with the vast majority of the country—especially compared to Trump and DeSantis, who could not be more at odds with popular sentiment on those key social issues.
Biden's underwater polling reflects the perception among many that Biden is simply too old, even for hard core Biden supporters. The President will be in his mid-80s throughout his second term. The perception that he will not be mentally fit enough to carry out the demands of the job may be unfair, but that perception is clearly held by a majority of voters, including Democrats and Independents.
Thus, to many voters, casting a vote for Joe Biden is tantamount to casting a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, and Vice President Harris is the most unpopular vice president in 30 years, per a NBC News poll this week. 49 percent of voters have a negative view of the Vice President, with 39 percent having a "very negative" view. Just 11 percent of Americans have a "very positive" view of Harris.
I am not going to take a position here as to whether Vice President Harris has performed well as VP or not, or whether anyone in her position could perform better than she has, given the extremely difficult issues like immigration with which she has been charged. Instead, consider that the election is going to be decided by a handful of swing states—indeed, by 2-3 percent of swing voters in those states. The most important question—perhaps the only question—of this election is whether swing voters in purple states who are highly resistant to Trump or DeSantis would feel forced to vote for them if Kamala Harris was the Vice President on the Biden ticket.
If you think the answer to that question is that they might, or that enough of them might, that means that Vice President Harris could render Joe Biden unelectable. Which is why it is Harris who should be replaced.
Replacing Kamala Harris has to be done in a sensitive manner. The President must be careful not to alienate Harris supporters. To that end, he should make sure to replace her with a Black running mate, and he should announce her appointment as Attorney General of the U.S., an extremely prestigious position with even more power at which she can excel. Having been both a district attorney, and attorney general of the most populous state, she is not only unquestionably qualified for the role, but on the many issues related to voting rights and abortion which she has taken the lead on, the AG role would provide a position of ultimate authority from which she could most affect those issues. Against the backdrop of current AG Merrick Garland's cautious approach to the job, becoming Attorney General would give the Vice President a way to be perceived as assertive and muscular and a real agent of change—attributes the Vice Presidency has not afforded her. In so doing, the nation gets the best of her experience, and she gets a substantially improved perception of her political future.
Given that President Biden has already indicated that he has chosen Kamala Harris as his re-election running mate, the above scenario does not seem very plausible. Yet while we don't hold primaries for vice-presidential candidates, the Democratic National Convention could be the forum for this decision. In order to save an unpopular president, delegates should pressure the Biden team to open up the nominating floor for a vice presidential candidate.
This approach would create some real excitement around the Democratic Convention. It would also provide a solution to President Biden's key vulnerability, as well as provide a better path for Kamala Harris' political future, and even show some real strength on the part of President Biden that he recognized a pivot was necessary and was willing to make it in order to further assure Donald Trump is never President of the United States again.
Don't replace Biden. Replace Harris.
Tom Rogers is an editor-at-large for Newsweek, the founder of CNBC and a CNBC contributor. He also established MSNBC, is the former CEO of TiVo, and a member of Keep Our Republic, an organization dedicated to preserving the nation's democracy.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
