Is Kamala Harris sensible and crafty or, properly, not a lot? Between her comical phrase salad musings, her apparent lack of preparation – for something – and her uncomfortable gaffes, Joe Biden’s right-hand lady (ought to or not it’s left-hand?) hasn’t completed a lot to encourage confidence in her data or competence. Simply the opposite day, Harris touted America’s “robust alliance” with “the Republic of North Korea,” wherever that’s. However of way more concern was her assertion that the distribution of federal hurricane help have to be based mostly upon the “have to combat for fairness.” One can moderately assume the interpretation: She needs white individuals despatched to the again of the road when assets are offered to hurricane-devastated communities.
The phrase that first involves thoughts is, what was she considering? One may drop the “what” from that query and nonetheless be on level. The Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) and different departments throughout the authorities have procedures and pointers in place for state and native authorities, in addition to people, to use for and obtain assets within the wake of a pure catastrophe. Upending these guidelines within the rapid aftermath of Hurricane Ian’s destruction for the sake of some perceived notion of racial fairness would trigger authorized nightmares and delays for each the businesses and the communities trying to acquire help. To not point out the sheer ethical dubiousness of all of it. That isn’t prone to occur – at the least this time round.
Kamala Harris Enjoying to the Crowd?
If Harris is in reality sensible and crafty, she is conscious of this reality however selected, with one eye on the November midterm elections, to play to minority teams. If that’s the case, she made an empty promise; telling “communities of colour,” as she put it, that they’d be first in line for aid and assets.
Throughout an on-stage chat with Indian actress and mannequin, Priyanka Chopra, on the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s Girls’s Management Discussion board on Sept. 30, the VP defined her non-thinking. She urged that “our lowest-income communities and communities of colour” had been “most impacted” by Hurricane Ian. Even Mom Nature is racist and hates poor individuals, apparently. No white Individuals in costly homes may probably have suffered any critical losses. “And, so, now we have to handle this,” she went on, “in a manner that’s about giving assets based mostly on fairness… “
Then got here the cringe. Switching into full condescension mode, with that mocking smile of a instructor who is aware of the seven-year-olds to whom she is explaining one thing can not probably perceive, Harris expounded the distinction between fairness and equality. The essential thought being that some individuals must be given extra as a result of they’ve additional to go to succeed in equality with their fellow Individuals. And, after all, Harris means non-whites who’re apparently, in her view, much less succesful and fewer in a position to succeed and, thus, extra reliant upon the federal government as a result of they’ll’t present for themselves.
If that every one sounds very very similar to west-coast progressive elitism – or maybe even white supremacism – that’s as a result of it’s.
However spare a thought for Kamala Harris – as a result of then she could have at the least one thought. She was instantly hammered by critics. Florida’s speedy response director, Christina Pushaw, fired again on Twitter:
“That is false. @VP’s rhetoric is inflicting undue panic and have to be clarified. FEMA Particular person Help is already obtainable to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, no matter race or background. In the event you want help go to http://disasterassistance.gov or name 1-800-621-3362.”
Elon Musk even chimed in. Responding to a essential tweet from College students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier – who mused, “I assume everybody else is simply screwed” – Musk added that the distribution of assets “[s]hould be in accordance with biggest want, not race or the rest.”
The Horrific Phantasm of Imposed Equality
Was Harris pandering to the black and Latino communities for votes, realizing that “racial fairness” would play no half within the allocation of help? Maybe, however may or not it’s that the administration intends to place its thumb on the size and fast-track assets to some areas over others, based mostly on ethnic demographics? Both risk is each unpalatable and unethical, to not point out the latter possibility probably being unlawful. Regardless of the cause behind this newest Kamala Harris calamity, it’s one other signal that the present administration intends to – or believes it might and may – proceed to widen the divide between whites and non-whites. Not simply between racial teams, although, however between those that Harris and Biden assume have an excessive amount of and people who apparently have too little.
No authorities, within the historical past of human society, has been in a position to impose or legislate both equality or fairness with out the try producing horrific outcomes. Sadly, each new wave of statists says, this time it’s completely different – this time we all know the best way to make it work. And if they’d even take into account making use of theories about social justice and racial fairness to the restoration efforts of hundreds of Individuals who misplaced a lot – or the whole lot – then what else are Biden, Harris, and firm able to dreaming up?