[ad_1]
For Harris, the past three months have been a series of firsts: The first woman to become vice president is also the first Indian American and first Black person to hold that title. Now, she is tackling her first big challenge, taking on a complex problem that has vexed Republican and Democratic administrations for decades.
At the same time, White House officials have struggled to define Harris’s directive. They have recently emphasized that her focus is on the Northern Triangle countries of Central America and the underlying causes of migration, not the more politically sensitive question of what to do with people once they arrive.
Many Democrats say this is a perilous mission for Harris, who is widely seen as a potential successor to Biden and the de facto leader of the party’s next generation. They worry it will collide with her long-term ambitions and say that, for better or for worse, she could own much of what happens on the border in coming months.
“There’s no question this one is high-risk, high-reward,” said former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro. “I’m betting she’s more than able to get the job done.”
Harris is already dealing with competing demands. Liberal leaders and immigration activists are warning against embracing policies that are too harsh, while Republican critics are ramping up efforts to portray her and other Democrats as soft and incompetent on the border.
The new assignment for Harris — a daughter of immigrants — has been the subject of private fascination by her allies, who have traded sometimes pessimistic texts with one another about where it will lead and what it will mean for her political future, according to people with knowledge of the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the exchanges.
But Harris’s friends say that she is looking for opportunities to show presidential leadership and strong support for Biden as she eyes her own future — and that her new portfolio allows her to do both. “The important thing to Kamala Harris right now is her relationship with the president of the United States. She will tell you that,” said Democratic strategist Bakari Sellers, a close Harris associate.
She has openly promoted her new role this week. On Monday, she posted a photo on Instagram of a meeting she held with administration officials who had traveled to the region. Two days later, at a roundtable discussion about coronavirus vaccines with religious…
[ad_2]
Source link
