Shiny new things

With two days to go before Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris selects a vice-president running mate, Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is one of the leading contenders. He might become the shiny new thing chosen to enhance the Democrat ticket. Harris, no doubt, is weighing the pros and cons of his Jewish identity, and calculating how badly he will offend the Muslim voters in Minnesota and Michigan. She will have to compute how his pro-Israel stance will mesh with the Far-Left Progressives, and how he might ensure a win in electorate rich Pennsylvania.

It’s now clear that Kamala Harris is cautiously managing her public appearances. If she wanders beyond the range of the teleprompter’s electronic cue cards, her penchant for serving up word salad become comically evident. President Joe Biden’s basement strategy suits her well, and her lack of interviews and ad hoc conversations suggests its continuation. It also remains to be seen whether Harris and former president Trump will square off in a full-throated debate and how she can handle unscripted moments. As Harris attempts to rewrite her radical left credentials, to fluff up her lethargic stint as vice president, and to sidestep her deep-seated anti-Israel bias, the impact of a Josh Shapiro selection becomes a complex decision. Will his personal appeal, and political skills distract the voters from her limitations?

Going into the tight, hotly contested 2024 election against former president Donald Trump, she is stunningly bereft of having had any votes cast for her. She has run between the political raindrops to secure this elevated opportunity in the most undemocratic way. The palace coup displacing Biden from the ticket thrust her into this rarified shot at the presidency. In 2020, because of poor voter response, she had to abandon her presidential campaign before the Iowa caucus. Her early withdrawal was not before she skewered candidate Biden with a flurry of painful charges about his racist past. Nonetheless, nominee Biden rewarded her with inclusion in his roundup of four Black women prospects as his vice president. It is not clear how well he assessed her credentials as the “Most Liberal Senator” and as an extremist California District Attorney and Attorney General.

Candidate Kamala must also be watching the mounting tensions in the Middle East. As the Gaza War expands to include Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran, Harris is finding it harder to hide her bias against Israel. She snubbed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by not attending his speech before a joint session of Congress. Among other negative statements, she said, “The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time. We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.” While she speaks out about Palestinian casualties, she remains silent about the 12 Israeli children recently killed by a Hezbollah missile.

Will partnering with Josh Shapiro convince the pro-Israel Liberal Jewish voters that she finally sees the complexity of the conflict? Will Josh Shapiro show the moral conviction to stand firmly with Israel and to resist the immense pressure of the deep bench of Obama era anti-Israel staffers likely to slide over from the Biden administration to be part of her foreign affairs policy cadre? With some rare exceptions, vice presidents have not been able to overcome the central tendencies of the presidents they serve and to play a meaningful strategic role. Expecting Josh Shapiro to counterbalance these well entrenched forces is asking a great deal.

In these polarized times, Ms. Harris’s record which contrasts dramatically with the many pro-Israel accomplishments of President Trump causes the Israelis grave concerns. How will she fare in those “three AM” calls demanding spit second decision-making with her lack of executive experience and with the negativity she feels towards Israel? Will this propensity be seen by Iran as an opportunity for attack?

Kamala Harris’s record on Israel compares poorly with predecessor Joe Biden, who had a many decades long positive interaction with Israeli leadership. Will the pro-Israel Governor Josh Shapiro be an effective antidote to counter all her anti-Israel history? Israel cannot rely on Kamala’s Jewish husband to save the day, and whether they can rely on shiny new thing Josh Shapiro should be on the minds of all Jews voting this November.