Democrats smear Kamala's critics as 'racist'

With the 2024 election fast approaching, there has been much speculation regarding Kamala Harris' political future. While hardline supporters of the vice president have maintained that she will run alongside Joe Biden, or even assume the nomination herself, many are hoping alternatives such as California governor Gavin Newsom will take her place.

Democratic strategists and allies have repeatedly shut down any suggestion that Harris is not fit for the job by chalking up criticism to "racism" alongside a slew of other conversation-ending terms.

In a recent article on levelman.com, journalist William Spivey claimed Americans were afraid of having a second black president, and questioned why attacks against Harris were picking up as the election nears.

"The reasons for negativity sent Harris' way has various causes," he wrote. "Jealousy, envy, misogyny, and racism come to mind. I don't know how to rate the issues. I know the whitelash to the last time we had a Black president, and I have an idea of the percentage of voters who couldn't bring themselves to pull the lever to support a woman."

The Democratic field is currently occupied by Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Robert F Kennedy Jr. Others, such as Newsom, have not yet formally announced their bids. Strategist Karen Finney recently suggested that black voters would rather support Harris than a Caucasian candidate.

"You had people who were trying to test the waters," she said, and "the party rose up and made it clear to those individuals — who were mostly white men — that to disrespect the vice president would not be well received by women and people of color within the party."

She suggested those who dared express a desire to become the nominee "got a little bit of a smack in the face."

Others, including author Jemele Hill and former Biden-Harris campaign senior staffer Ashley Allison, have used Harris' race to deflect from criticism from opponents both within and outside the party.

A recent NBC poll found that only 32 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of the vice president while nearly 50 percent saw her in a negative light.