Harris has told people close to her that she wants to shape her vice president after Biden worked with President Barack Obama over eight years: testing and pushing the administration privately, while publicly remaining a loyal and loyal lieutenant.
Harris, of course, wants to be Biden’s Biden and has spent several weeks playing a leading role in the creation of the next administration, interviewing all cabinet nominees and spending a lot of time talk to Biden about the process, sources said. She has also been working to get to know the President by talking on the phone almost every day, something that Harris believes will help her understand better. the kind of companion Biden wants to be.
“She’s trying to prove she’s capable of being a second one,” one source said. “For them, there’s as much learning and watching as there is participation.”
While she may not be the first vice-president to play an active role in shaping a new government, Harris’ watchtower is particularly special. Not only will she be the first Black, South American vice president and first female woman in history, she will also learn how to be a vice president from someone who she thinks did the job well.
That dynamism was evident this week when Harris was asked on ABC what the “definition of success” would look like when she looked back on her four years as vice president.
“Joe Biden succeeded,” Harris said quickly.
Although sources tell CNN there has been little, if any, disagreement between the two Democrats, so far nothing has come out in public, which is exactly what Biden and Harris want. Biden has publicly said he welcomes being pushed, telling CNN earlier this month “when we agree that it will be just like … when Barack and I … in private. “
Beyond loyalty, another unparalleled dynamic plays between Biden and Harris: continuity. Those close to Harris know that almost anything it does over the next four years will be seen as a potential scenario for another primary school application, a fact that her friendship with Biden’s long-time supporters could prove if they see her putting her future aspirations ahead of the stream. administration.
Building the cabinet
Harris ’first test has come in handy as she looked at the difficult industry of cabinet building. While she has given Biden her views on each candidate, she has not strongly opposed any of his elections, according to a source familiar with the work of Harris. That’s both because Harris believes that Biden, as president, deserves the team he wants, but also because he had no reason to go against any of the elections.
Organizations outside the movement have tried to follow Harris to push back-up cabinet candidates, but sources said Harris has tried to avoid too much by bidding specifically for one. person in cabinet discussions.
Biden and Harris have become closer over the past two months, talking almost every day on the phone and working specifically to improve their relationship as they prepare. for a step into the profession. Biden, in a conversation with reporters on Wednesday, said he asked Harris to thank her for not getting on the highway due to the coming winter storm. into, Gail, a sign of that deep relationship.
Being the second chief in a new role for Harris, who was always a district lawyer in San Francisco in 2004, will be a key figure in all of her offices.
Those who oversee the move are less concerned about the Biden-Harris relationship than they are about Harris’ relationship with former Biden supporters who are more focused on defending the boss. long-term than elevating the vice president.
A key aspect of these concerns is that Biden’s specter is not running for re-election in 2024, thus opening up a Democratic freemason in the final years of his first term. Biden, who is looking to avoid being a lame duck before taking office, has said nothing about running for re – election in four years.
Biden loyalists are expected to defend the suggestion that Harris is positioning himself to run in four years.
“I think their relationship will be good,” said someone who has worked with Harris. “I think it remains to be seen whether key staff will want it to be a key player. advisor. “
Prosecutor’s Eye
Harris has spent her weak days as a grandfather closing between her Washington, DC residence, her Senate office on Capitol Hill, the relocation office in the Department of Commerce building and an occasional trip up to Wilmington for an event with the President.
She has investigated a number of cases facing the incoming Biden administration, including the ongoing fight against the coronavirus. She was also a liaison between party groups, calling on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Pacific Pacific American Caucus to spread the incoming administration’s desire for a strong relationship.
Harris’ s package remains unexplained, sources said, partly because Biden has decided what the priorities will be. Like the rest of the administration, Harris will initially focus on controlling the pandemic of coronavirus, sources said. Beyond that is an open question.
One skill she gives the administration is an enthusiastic ability to read people in group situations, and a penchant to ask positive questions.
Harris, according to people who have worked closely with her in the past, is a person who enjoys challenging opinions at meetings and works to make plans perfect by refusing to accept wisdom. traditional and constantly ask “why” when proposing something.
“One of the first things I noticed about Kamala Harris was how insightful she was about people and situations,” said someone who has worked with Harris. “I was always thinking myself as being very good at reading rooms and reading people – and then I realized after spending a few months around it that I am an amateur amateur. “
Those accusatory skills, which this person brought to Harris often jury, come in as vice president, and allow Harris to just “keep an eye on” what Biden is want and quickly understand “what works for him and what doesn’t. “
Training to be Biden’s Biden
Historians who oversee the vice presidency marveled at the way Obama made Biden at the heart of the White House’s day-to-day work.
“In my opinion, Obama and Biden took it to the top,” said Joel Goldstein, a primary school associate at St. Louis. University of Louis. “They were able to develop an arrangement where Biden was heavily involved in key issues and maintain it for the entire eight years. “
Biden has said he wants a similar relationship with Harris.
“When I agreed to be President Obama’s running partner, he asked me a number of most important questions, he told me, he asked me what I wanted most … I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions, “Biden said after he picked up Harris.” That’s what I called Kamala. I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room. “
Assuming the settlement continues, Harris will have a chance to make a big impact, as well as prove to Biden that she can save disagreements for private negotiations.
“She’s part of the team,” Goldstein tweeted. “And part of the agreement is that when the President makes a decision, you can argue about it in advance, but then you try to implement it, and you try to persuade the close operation. “
One thing Harris will have full decision-making power is the vice president’s residence and her new kitchen. Well-known Harris chef has said that she and her husband Doug Emhoff often ate food she made in bulk and then froze in the general election.
“One of the things I’m looking forward to is cooking,” Harris told a donor while laughing, when asked what she would do for office fun. “And my husband Doug is looking forward to the same thing.”