An Inevitable Focus on Kamala Harris
Author: Greg Valliere
July 21, 2022
JOE BIDEN HAS THE BEST DOCTORS in the world and the most effective medication possible, so he should bounce back from Covid. But he’s 79 years old and his infection shines a spotlight on his overall health — and on his vice president, Kamala Harris.
PEOPLE WE KNOW WHO HAVE CONTRACTED the BA.5 variant report that flu-like symptoms subside within 48 to 72 hours. But everyone we’ve talked with have had lingering fatigue and a general lack of energy for several weeks afterwards.
BIDEN HAS HAD TWO BRAIN ANEURSYMS, ONE REQUIRING MAJOR SURGERY, but his greatest risk factor is simply his age. His personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, has stated that the president is taking the anticoagulant Eliquis, the statin Crestor, the acid reflux drug Pepcid, as well as Allegra and Dymista for seasonal allergies.
WE THINK THERE ARE TWO MAJOR IMPLICATIONS:
First, if Biden comes back slowly from Covid, there will be a focus on his age and
energy, and still more speculation — mostly from the Democrats’ left wing — that the
party needs a different nominee in 2024. And there will be an intense focus on Harris, who has been a disappointment — within both parties, there’s a sense that she lacks the gravitas to assume the presidency.
Second, there will a renewed focus on this new Covid variant, and the need for booster shots by this fall. The BA.5 version is exceptionally contagious, and while it won’t kill as many people as the original Covid, it will prey on the unvaccinated and people with risk factors — such as old age.
BOTTOM LINE: We think Biden will bounce back within days, but how vigorous will he be this fall? His gait has appeared to be increasingly fragile, so his every public
appearance will be scrutinized carefully. And there may be a renewed focus on provisions that detail the transfer of presidential power to a vice president, not that we’re predicting that will happen.
WE WISH JOE BIDEN THE BEST, but we reiterate that he isn’t the party’s likely nominee in 2024; if he won a second term, he theoretically would leave the white House at the age of 86. The pressure is on for Harris to step up her game; if she doesn’t there could be a dozen or more Democratic contenders eager to jump in.
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