Don’t sell Kamala Harris short

The media has been ruthless to Vice President Kamala Harris. They call her office “dysfunctional,” that she is not getting along with President Joe Biden, and that she is being set up to fail by the president. She smiles throughout all the negative press, and you must respect her for that. Hell, you need to respect her period. She has literally clawed her way to the White House. She is smart, charismatic, and extremely capable. To think otherwise of her is making assumptions without knowing the full story. She recently showed just how capable she is with her idea of dealing with the border crisis.

According to Newsweek, Harris began an initiative, “Call to Action,” to encourage immigrants to remain in their own countries. The initiative began with MasterCard, Microsoft, and Nespresso, but Newsweek reported that CARE International, Cargill, Grupo Mariposa, Parkdale Mills, PepsiCo, JDE Peet’s, and PriceSmart have all joined. Together, they have pledged $1.2 billion to be invested in Central America to create a manufacturing hub, open new stores, and partner with local farmers. Migration advocacy groups believe that the greatest factor driving immigration is economic insecurity, and this initiative will confront that issue, giving people meaningful work in their birth countries. Newsweek reported that Vice President Harris released what it terms her “root causes strategy,” and since its release, the number of migrants at the border has decreased each month. This proves that people are not just clamoring to get to the U.S. for no reason; the majority are merely looking to survive. When their home countries fail to provide security, they must look elsewhere, and they travel to what has been touted as “the land of opportunity.” It makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Even as people want to criticize her for her border work, Vice President Harris has developed an initiative that is already showing promise. Unfortunately, Harris still cannot get a break. The media has, instead, focused on who is leaving her office and why instead of looking at her accomplishments. Sadly, as Newsweek reported, it is mostly the so-called liberal media that attacks the vice president, including CNN, Politico, and the Washington Post. While it might seem cliché to play the female and race cards, one can only wonder if those are indeed issues for the media with Harris. It seems impossible for her to do anything right in their eyes. White House press secretary Jen Psaki, however, defended Harris: “She is a key partner. She is a bold leader. She is somebody who has taken on incredibly important assignments.”

It is easy to criticize people when you do not fully understand the nature of their positions. All the uproar over cookware shows just how easily people find something to criticize. Donald Trump cost taxpayers millions of dollars visiting his own properties and gouging the secret service, yet people are concerned about something Kamala Harris bought with her own money. This shows that people want to find fault in her rather than supporting her in a very difficult job.