Kerry

Trying to understand the motivation of voters is something that cannot really be scientifically proven. For example, I have no doubt that Comey's email allegation caused at least 500,000 soft D supporters not to make the trip to the polls in 2016, giving the edge to Mr. Trump. But there really is no way to prove it.

From what I can understand, Ms. Harris did an admirable job in the presidential campaign. She did or said nothing silly. Her gender and ethnicity helped balance Mr. Biden's old white guy look. Her gender and identify probably found more extra votes that the other VP hopefuls would not have found. But I can't prove that.

Whether we can prove it or not, just because a political player can get out the vote or build a team to get out the vote does not correlate to their ability to do well in governance. Good at the campaign trail does not mean good in the legislature. These are two different skill sets that only have a tenuous connection between them.

So, "duds" do get elected more often than we would like to admit. Ms. Harris might be one of them. But she also might learn on the job. Regardless, the D's are stuck with her for the time being. They can't turf her out yet. She might be a good scapegoat for a post 2022 loss. Or she might be the replacement in 2024.

The best test for governance in high places is how well they do in low places. Both Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris did not have much "low place" experience behind them. If this is the reason for failure, then the system is at fault for putting them too quickly into a high place.