By Carron J. Phillips
Dan Quayle had trouble spelling potato. Al Gore taught us about global warming. Dick Cheney shot someone. Joe Biden was the fun uncle. Mike Pence was a nuisance at sporting events. Kamala Harris’ work ethic was questioned.
JD Vance, however, seems to be getting away with acting as a political puppet.
The bar for the vice presidency has always been low. But Vance isn’t being held to the same standard as Harris—and we all know why. But the white guy deserves to have his visibility, worthiness, and effectiveness questioned—just as Harris’ was. As the old African American proverb goes, “Keep that same energy.”
Journalist and media personality Jemele Hill recently observed on social media, “Isn’t it interesting how suddenly no one cares what the VP is or isn’t doing, and the VP isn’t being blamed for the failures of the president?”
Harris announced last week that she won’t run for governor of California but will release a memoir about her run for president last year.
So, for all the people who used to repeatedly ask, “Where’s Kamala?”—now you know.
That weaponized slogan questioned Harris’ supposed inaction. It was racist, coded language that attacked a Black woman’s resume, pedigree, and engagement in the West Wing. The disrespect was tailor-made for an elected official who had broken two glass ceilings at once, as it was the first time America had a vice president who was Black and a woman. Did anyone ask where Pence was? Where Quayle was?
Harris endured attacks almost from the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration. In the summer of 2021, a Politico article described Harris’ office as an unhealthy environment: “In interviews, 22 current and former vice presidential aides, administration officials and associates of Harris and Biden described a tense and at times dour office atmosphere." That was followed by reports of her approval rating falling because President Joe Biden tasked “her with assignments that range from the intractable to virtually insoluble.” By 2023, the noise was coming from inside and outside her own party, with concerns about her effectiveness as a spokesperson for the country and issues related to staff turnover. Some of the criticisms were fair; some were not. There were the attacks directed solely at the fact that she was a Black woman just a heartbeat from the presidency.
Richard Grenell, one of President Donald Trump’s former ambassadors to Germany, said Harris was part of a “revolving door of DEI appointments from the straight white male governor, who hands out appointments to keep different groups happy and at bay.”
“Kamala Harris is a product of this whole system. She’s very far left, unvetted and untested,” he added.
Lately, President Trump has been calling for the prosecution of Harris, Beyoncé, and Oprah over alleged campaign payouts—sans proof. In his view, no one would endorse a Black woman for president without being paid to do so.
This isn’t about favoring Kamala Harris or JD Vance because of their gender, race, or political affiliations. It’s about what’s good for the goose also being good for the gander.
Because now no one cares what the vice president is doing. This is what “moving the goalposts” looks like.
Vance hasn’t entirely escaped criticism. But most of his wounds are self-inflicted. Vance, who is married to the daughter of immigrants and whose boss is married to an immigrant, advocates for ending programs for legal immigrants. He has expressed disdain for adults who aren’t parents and called women “childless cat ladies.” He admitted that he’s willing to “create stories”—even if they’re lies—for attention, which is beyond problematic for a man who’s on record pace for tie-breaking votes on controversial legislation.
Vance, who once compared Trump to Hitler, is doing the bidding of a man behaving like a dictator, which more than likely plays a role in his conduct. “Trump has indicated in multiple ways that he doesn't place a high value on the assets the vice presidency can bring to democratic governance,” vice presidential scholar Joel Goldstein told the Columbus Dispatch last year. “Vance's limited experience in government—he will enter office with less government service even than Spiro Agnew—will limit what he has to offer Trump.”
But beyond a few memes on social media, no one seems to be questioning the vice president. Seen any “Where’s JD” stickers? Nope.
All vice presidents share a limited role: stepping in should the president be removed from office or unable to fulfill his duties, and presiding over the Senate, occasionally breaking ties. Modern vice presidents usually also
support and advise the president and represent the administration domestically and internationally. But wielding the power to follow through on their own ideas or policies isn’t part of the gig.
Harris was seen as a harbinger of progress. But genuine change occurs only when perceptions and systems are fundamentally transformed, leading to real evolution. A return to the norm—as we have with Vance—isn’t just an indicator that progress was overstated; it’s proof that it was temporarily orchestrated.
Why grant the Black woman approval only if she can leap tall buildings in a single bound when the white guy can’t jump over a phonebook? The questions should remain the same, regardless of who fills the role. Because we know if Kamala Harris had won, few would be asking, “Where’s Tim?”
Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.
Racism and misogyny on display in America again. Color me shocked.
So perfectly well said!