Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has become the presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate, Democrats and their media “amen corner” are turning themselves into pretzels trying to disentangle her from the open border/illegal immigrant debacle. Ms. Harris’s problem stems from her appointment by President Biden to play some role in dealing with the immigrant crisis. But there is now a dispute over whether or not she was appointed “border czar” and placed in overall charge of the administration’s failed effort and therefore responsible for it. Or was she put in charge of, and responsible for, only the “diplomatic” end of it?
Over this distinction, the debate rages, and with it, the possibility that the Vice President will be tagged as an albatross around the necks of Democrats come November.
So, we went back to the transcript of a March 24, 2021 PBS interview on the day of the appointment, which included Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris and was presided over by veteran newscaster Judy Woodruff.
The transcript is entitled “Biden tasks Harris with diplomatic efforts to stem migration amid growing border influx.” However, the introductory paragraph read, “The White House is moving today to limit the humanitarian – and political – damage from the migrant challenge. President Biden has put Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of the effort to stem immigration from Central America, and released new images from holding facilities in an effort towards transparency….”
Ms. Woodruff thereafter opened the discussion with this “The Biden White House is moving tonight to get the migrant challenge in hand before the humanitarian and political damage gets out of hand… To that end, the Vice President is taking charge of the effort. White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage.”
Thereafter, Mr. Biden was quoted by Alcindor as saying, “Vice President Kamala Harris will now be leading the administration’s efforts to deal with Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras on immigration.”
Ms. Harris was quoted as saying, “While we are clear that people should not come to the border now, we also understand that we will enforce the law and that we also, because we can chew gum and walk at the same time must address the root causes.”
Alcindor then is quoted as follows “Officials from the vice-president’s office say she will focus on two main issues, stemming the flow of irregular migrants to the U.S. and establishing partnerships with the Central American nations they are fleeing.”
We will leave it to our readers to decide which side has the better of the argument. But, with our tongues planted firmly in our cheeks, we suggest that Ms. Harris and the anti-czar, pro-Harris side just calm down. From what we know of the Vice President’s kindred political spirits, she is likely a hero to them for her work on the migrant issue.
She accomplished what she personally and President Biden wanted done – which was little or nothing. Indeed, who else can claim that on their watch illegal immigration tripled? Who else can claim that they increased the population of the U.S. by millions?
