There is dysfunction inside the VP’s office, aides and administration officials say. And it’s emanating from the top.

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. Aides and allies said Flournoy, in an apparent effort to protect Harris, has instead created an insular environment where ideas are ignored or met with harsh dismissals and decisions are dragged out. Often, they said, she refuses to take responsibility for delicate issues and blames staffers for the negative results that ensue.

How many books would we have on this if it happened under Trump?

  • MarxMadness [comrade/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Exactly. The threshold question is whether she'll get the type of support she'd need to head off the competition early (as Hillary did in 2016). Hearing stuff like this makes me think that's less likely, this bit in particular:

    Recently, a Harris friend personally reached out to Flournoy on behalf of one of the party’s top donors to try to arrange a brief meeting. They were ignored. The friend said it wasn’t clear whether Flournoy knew who they were. The donor also contacted Harris’ office personally to connect, and didn’t hear back for weeks. They eventually were told the VP was too busy to schedule some time.

    “This is someone who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars—millions, even—for your boss and you’re just blowing them off?” the Harris friend asked. “Next time Kamala wants [them] for something, it’s like, ‘Hey, I couldn’t even get a call-back from your chief of staff!’”

    • Itsmorning [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      A politician who doesn't respond to bribery. Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Kamala really is stupid if she's violating that rule. No wonder she's getting bad press, the people who bribed her aren't getting what they paid for. These are warnings to get back on track and comply.