Harris v. Biden - An Anatomy of a Political Attack

This post was going to be a post rating the contenders after the Democratic debates. But the more I wrote and thought about it, the more I realized what I want to write about is the attack that Kamala Harris laid on Joe Biden. It was probably the most powerful political attack I've seen in a primary debate. Even though Biden's hit on Rudy Giuliani was powerful ("a noun, a verb, and 9-11"), it came across the aisle. This was a Democrat on Democrat hit, and it's brilliance is reflected in the recent CNN poll which shows Biden's support down 10 points from last week. He has literally lost 1/3 of his support in one week. 

Now, there was a time when Joe Biden was capable of greatness. His persona was that of a family patriarch who'd put his arm around your shoulder and call you "champ" and tell you that everything would be okay. He single-handedly destroyed Rudy Giuliani's political career. And he gave the Obama Administration that personal touch that Obama could never give (because of white racism). Even the Onion loved Diamond Joe.

At the same time, Joe Biden was also capable of being an immense jackass. His glad-handing could veer into groping, he plagiarized speeches, and his policy decisions on Iraq, race relations, bankruptcy laws, and his handling of the Clarence Thomas hearings were atrocious. In many ways, Biden represented the worst of Obama's policy choices - the desire for consensus and compromise over doing the right thing. 

Going into the debate, Biden's rationale for his candidacy was he was electable, and his election would be a return to Obama's policies. Kamala Harris' hit on Biden shredded both rationales. First, candidates who are electable don't fuck up debates. Yes, you can look bad in a debate, but this hit on Biden for his kind words to segregationists and his opposition to busing, had been a part of the primary campaign for weeks prior to the debate. And in fact, the Democratic Party voters have moved to the left on race issues, in large part due to Obama. So, he knew or should have known that this hit was coming. 

And had he been prepared (as he absolutely should have been), Biden could have used a line from Obama to turn the hit around. I know it's been awhile but Obama faced an issue regarding his old pastor who, in voicing his anger toward race issues in the U.S., shouted "God Damn America!" Obama responded with one of the great American speeches which revolved around the idea that people change, and their views evolve. Had Biden referenced that speech, the hit would have died.

Instead, he blundered for a response to a prepared attack. And yes, it was a prepared attack, as Harris is now selling fucking t-shirts with the attack's main line on it. That begs the question, if Biden can blunder into an attack that everyone could see was coming, how the fuck is going to deal with Fox News and Donald Trump in the general election? He's not.

The other big problem with the hit on Biden is that it undermines his second rationale that his Administration would be a continuation of the Obama Administration. Not surprisingly, it's pretty clear that Biden is no Obama. But more importantly, unlike Obama, Biden isn't African American. He has never had to deal with racism, and race relations aren't personal to him. When Obama was community organizing, Biden was palling around with racist Senators. 

At the same time, the hit itself was also effective because it was personal. Harris was directly affected by Biden's policy choices, and she used the stage to air her legitimate grievances. It was masterful in planning and execution. I have watched more than my share of debates over my lifetime, and the closest thing I've seen to Harris' attack on Biden was Bentsen's infamous "you are no Jack Kennedy" line. But even that line wasn't as devastating as Harris' attack. Bentsen's line to Quayle was a throwaway. Harris' attack was a sustained policy discussion. It. Was. Brilliant.

So, that being the case, where does this leave the race? Well, I think Harris and Warren will continue to rise in the polls. The reality is both are better than all the other candidates. Warren has shed her goofy persona and turned into a fiery policy wonk. Harris just demonstrated that she can turn an attack into a multi-day story (a talent unto itself). I suspect that we'll see a race of Sanders (who has his own constituency which exists unto itself), Harris, and Warren by the time Iowa is done.