Where on earth is Kamala Harris?
As anti-Israel, anti-Semitic protests have taken over campuses across the nation, inflicting lawbreaking, chaos, and hatred, the vice president has stayed silent and done little to acknowledge or denounce the protests.
When she has addressed the issue, it has only been in the vaguest terms. For instance, when a local reporter in Milwaukee questioned her last week on “broadly [her] concern about the level of antisemitism we’re seeing across the country,” she responded:
I am very concerned about it. And I will tell you, I’m the former attorney general of California, and for two terms I served in that position where I would regularly do a report on hate crimes. And anti-Semitism nationally has always been one of those areas where we are seeing hate, and it has not dissipated. Frankly, with what we’ve now seen since Oct. 7, we’re seeing it only growing, and I’m concerned deeply about it.
That is a far cry from the only appropriate response to these protests from the vice president of the United States: forceful condemnation.
This week, while Harris was in Atlanta on an “Economic Opportunity Tour,” she said nothing to acknowledge the protests that have been headline news for weeks now. “Harris did not address recent protests on Georgia college campuses tied to the White House’s handling of the conflict in Gaza,” Atlanta News First noted.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden gave a terrible response to the protests while letting others in his administration speak out against the protests’ rampant anti-Semitism. Last month, Biden denounced “both sides,” saying: “I condemn the anti-Semitic protests, that’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians, and how they’re being…” But by Friday, Biden had finally faced enough backlash for his cowardly response. He relented and denounced the illegal and anti-Semitic elements of the protests: “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest,” he said. “There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students.” Biden’s remarks were too late to matter, as many of the protests were shut down this week by large groups of police officers. In contrast, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson visited the campus of Columbia University to denounce the protests nine days ago. Biden’s condemnation was too little, too late.
But Kamala’s silence is deafening. How could the vice president fail to denounce a protest movement fueled by anti-Semitism and illegal tactics — especially one that has flooded the news cycle for weeks? Voicing “concern” about anti-Semitism in general is not enough.
Perhaps Harris believes that alienating young radical progressives will hurt her chances for reelection. Or maybe she agrees with the protesters’ opposition to Israel’s response to Hamas’ attacks, as she has urged the White House to be “tougher” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Regardless of the reason for her silence, Harris’ failure to forcefully denounce these protests will only alienate her from the average voter.
