Much like how a broken clock is still correct twice a day, the hosts of "The View" can occasionally stumble on a genuinely salient point.
It's not often (certainly not twice a day), but every once in a while, the ladies begin tugging at a thread that's actually relevant, meaningful or thoughtful. The fact that this particular thread could unravel President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election bid?
That's just icing on the cake.
It does need to be noted that, even when they brought up a halfway-decent point, it's "The View," so it came under the guise of leftist grievances -- but they did eventually get there.
The hosts were discussing Vice President Kamala Harris in the context of Biden's re-election hopes.
Here's kernel of truth No. 1 from "The View": Harris has been a meritless vice president, and it has had an undeniably negative effect on Biden's 2024 chances.
"The Washington Post says the Biden team is trying to boost Vice President Harris' image," co-host Whoopi Goldberg said to begin the segment. She was referencing a Post report from Sunday that chronicled the "concerted effort" to bolster Harris' reputation.
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"But I'm trying to figure out why do they think it needs boosting," Goldberg continued. "What is that?"
Seriously? Are those blue-tinted glasses that blinding? Harris has been, generously speaking, the third-best Democratic vice president since the 1990s. Her tangible accomplishments are sorely lacking compared to those of Al Gore or even Biden.
And yes, those three have been the only Democratic vice presidents since the 1990s.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, the token "conservative" (read: non-leftist) on the show, tried to explain.
After blathering on about how she originally saw Harris as a "rock star," Griffin said, "It's her time in office that I take a bit of issue with.
"Having worked for a vice president, you kind of have two jobs: do no harm and try to keep a higher approval rating than your principal. She's not really been able to do either. And I feel like she hasn't broken through on major policy accomplishments.
"And she will, fairly or unfairly, be the most scrutinized vice president in history because she's running with the oldest [incumbent president] in history."
Co-host Sunny Hostin's genius response to those fair, if annoyingly soft, critiques? "And she's also a black woman."
When Griffin objected to dismissing all criticisms of Harris as stemming from racial animus, Hostin doubled down.
"Well, we're in the United States of America," she said when pressed on why she thinks the criticism of the vice president is based on her skin color.
After some cringe-worthy clapping from the audience, Hostin continued, "I mean, there have been studies. Black women are considered less articulate. They are considered uglier. They are considered all of these things by ... this country."
That's when "The View" stumbled on kernel of truth No. 2: Harris' downfall could also cost Biden swathes of black voters, which would be an unmitigated disaster for any Democrat.
"I understand why [Team Biden] are boosting her at this point," Hostin said. "They want to boost her because no Democratic nominee can win the general election without the black vote. I mean, that is just a fact."
Hostin argued that Harris won the 2020 election for Biden by giving him an appeal among black voters he otherwise would not have had.
"Black voters saved his campaign in 2020. They could also be why he loses it in 2024," she said.
It is inarguable that a loss in Harris' luster is a loss in Biden's luster, and the historically unpopular incumbent president can ill afford that.
Of course, Biden could always just dump Harris for a newer, shinier VP, but that comes with its own can of worms. Does he really want to deal with accusations of racism and misogyny heading into election season?
As the ladies of "The View" kind of, sort of acknowledged, if Biden loses his re-election bid, Harris' poor performance will show up in most of the autopsies of his presidency.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
