Paul Kengor: How Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris hurts him in Pa.

I was really surprised that Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate. I thought he would choose Susan Rice, a safe pick, genuinely moderate, measured, considerable experience in foreign policy, not a lightning rod. Harris is divisive and elicits anger. She hurts Biden where he needs help the most, namely in attracting moderates, especially in a state such as Pennsylvania.

Despite ridiculous attempts by the likes of The New York Times to frame Harris as a “pragmatic moderate,” she is anything but. She is literally perfectly liberal. Americans for Democratic Action, which ranks how liberal members of Congress are, gave Harris perfect scores in 2017 and 2018. She scored 100/100. She could not have been more liberal. Conversely, the American Conservative Union, which ranks conservatism, gave Harris a 3.03. That’s beyond an F. A true moderate would have received something close to a 50 from each organization.

Harris’ stance on issues such as religious liberty and abortion will obliterate attempts by liberals to convince the wider electorate that she’s a moderate. A striking example well known in Catholic circles was her questioning of Judge Brian Buescher during his December 2018 confirmation hearing for a U.S. District Court seat. “You have been a member of the Knights of Columbus, an all-male society comprised primarily of Catholic men,” said a disapproving Harris. “Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman’s right to choose when you joined the organization?” She also asked if Buescher was aware that the Knights “opposed marriage equality” when he joined in 1993.

This prompted even the liberal Jesuit publication America to editorialize against Harris’ “surprising ignorance of the Knights.” It prompted her Senate colleagues to unanimously approve a resolution affirming “the sense of the Senate that disqualifying a nominee to federal office on the basis of membership in the Knights of Columbus violates the Constitution of the United States.”

Aside from that issue, here’s one that somehow must have eluded the radar of Biden’s campaign people: fracking.

Biden has struggled to stake a position on fracking that appeals to liberals and moderates. According to his campaign, he opposes any new fracking permits, but existing permits would be permitted to continue. “No new fracking,” said Biden in March, allegedly leaving open the door for existing fracking.

Harris, however, opposes fracking, period. “There’s no question, I’m in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said in a CNN presidential town hall in September 2019.

Of course, I’m hardly alone in noticing this. “Fracking has turned Pennsylvania into the nation’s second- largest producer of natural gas,” reported The Wall Street Journal, “making energy a jobs issue that could hinder Joe Biden’s path to the White House — with the choice of fracking-foe Kamala Harris as running mate adding yet another potential hurdle.”

It took Donald Trump less than two hours after her pick to make that point. “She is against fracking,” said Trump at the White House.

“I mean, how do you do that and go into Pennsylvania or Ohio or Oklahoma or the great state of Texas? Fracking’s a big deal.”

Sure is.

Biden is counting on taking Pennsylvania from Trump in 2020. To do that, he wants to run as a moderate in Pennsylvania, but adding Harris hurts that ability.