Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz sat for a joint interview at Kim’s Cafe in Savannah, Georgia on August 29, 2024. It was Harris’ 7th trip to Georgia and it is 68 day from the presidential election.
The Republicans have been making a Big Deal out of the fact that Harris (and Walz) had done no sit-down interviews, despite the fact that she just spoke about her vision for America from the DNC stage in Chicago and has been vocal about her views for a long time. One might point to the fact that Donald J. Trump goes off-script and offers bromides about windmills and toilets when he is onstage, which is not particularly helpful in trying to determine his true mind-set about a second term. It appears that his policy playbook would be “All Retribution All the Time.” He has grudges against a lot of people and is still proclaiming the untenable position that the 2000 election was stolen from him, Only his most loyal and blind-to-the-truth supporters even attempt to repeat that falsehood—the Kari Lakes of the party.
For the rest, it is a given that Trump lost in 2020 and Joe Biden has been President of the United States ever since. Only his decision to step away from the Oval Office at the end of his term and pass the torch to a new generation has vaulted Harris to the national prominence that she now enjoys, but she has been the acting Vice President (and the pivotal key vote in the Senate to break ties) ever since 2020. The GOP seems intent on painting a gloomy picture of the future and of being personally insulting to the woman who once served as Attorney General of the State of California. Trump has even gone so far as to say his 78-year-old orange out-of-shape self is “better looking” than the attractive Democratic candidate.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Kamala Harris:
ON DAY ONE?
Tim Walz at the DNC in Chicago
- If you are elected, what would you do on Day One in the White House? (Some of her answer is paraphrased below):
“I would do what I can support the American middle class….People are ready for a new way forward. .People are fueled by hope and optimism, but the former President is pushing an agenda that is about diminishing the character and strength of Americans. I would be implementing my plan for an opportunity economy (bring down the cost of daily goods, invest in families, extend family tax credit to $6,000, investing in the American family on affordable housing.)
Walz, asked about his agenda for a term as Vice President said his goal would be: “Inspiring Americans to what can be. We did it in Minnesota and diminished childhood poverty by 1/3.”
WE’RE NOT GOING BACK
- “We’re not going back.” What if some of the Americans want to go back to DJT’s presidency when things were cheaper? (Bash’s second question.)
“When Joe and I came in our highest priority was to rescue America. Inflation is now under 3%. I have been dealing with price gouging. We need to bring down the cost of housing. (Credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers.) First of all, we needed to recover as an economy (which is why, she says, she has not done more of this program previously). We capped insulin at $35 a month. When we do the work of bringing down the cost of prescription medication in the first year of being in office, cut child poverty down by as much as 50% this will benefit the American middle class. There’s more to do, but that’s good work.”
FRACKING
- Banning fracking. Energy. “Do you still want to ban fracking.” Harris’ answer: I made that clear on the debate stage.” In 2020 she was against fracking. However, in 2024, she says, ” I will not ban fracking.” She also spoke out about the need for work on climate change:
“We have a clear crisis in terms of the climate. We created over 300,000 new energy bans.”
THE BORDER
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Democratic party.
- Why did the Biden/Harris wait 3 and ½ years to enforce sweeping border restrictions?
A: “The number of immigrants coming from that region (Central America, Kamala’s chief job as VP to negotiate with leaders of those countries to reduce the flow) has actually been reduced. Joe Biden and I worked with members of the United States Congress and a bill was crafted by some of the most Conservative members of Congress. The bill would have put 1500 new border agents on the border. That bill would have allowed us to seize more shipments of fentanyl. I will make sure it comes to my desk and I will sign it.”
Decriminalizing the border? “We have laws that have to be followed and enforced. I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as Attorney General.”
CHANGES ON POLICIES
- How did you come to change your mind on policies?
A: “The most significant part of my policies is that my viewpoints and values have not changed. Climate change: Set deadlines and goals. We need to set certain goals and meet them. My values have not changed and 4 years of being VP…traveling the country…I believe it is important to build consensus and to find a common point on which we can build agreement. …I would put a Republican in my administration.” (*This is not particularly revolutionary. After all, Ray LaHood—my former neighbor—served as Secretary of Transportation in Obama’s administration and has endorsed the Harris/Walz ticket, although his son, Darren, spoke glowingly of DJT.”)
TO TIM WALZ:
Hope, Gus and Tim Walz at the DNC.
- Service in the National Guard: “I’m incredibly proud of my 24 years in uniform. ..I’ll never demean another member’s service. I never have and I never will.” Walz spoke of his son Gus’ emotional outburst at the DNC in a positive way and only GOP nay-sayers have demeaned the 17-year-old who proudly declared “That’s my Dad” when Walz was onstage.
Walz was asked about his 1995 arrest for DUI: “I’ve been very public. My students come out and vouch for me. I think people know who I am. I’ve taught thousands of students. The contrast could not be clearer between us and our opponents.”
When Kamala Harris was asked about the non-issue of whether she had identified as Black before now, she simply dismissed the comment as being “Same old tired playbook.”
GAZA ISSUE
Gaza: would you do anything differently. “I am unequivocal in Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself. 1200 people were massacred. Women were horribly raped. Israel has a right to defend itself and so would we. How they do so matters. We have to get a deal done about getting the hostages out, get the cease fire done. We have to get a deal done…the significance to the families, to the people living in this area. I remain committed to a two-state solution.”
JOE BIDEN’S CALL TO HARRIS
Just 39 days ago that Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Before he told the world, he called his VP as she was making pancakes and bacon for her nieces. She spoke very positively of President Biden.
CNN Discussion Post-Interview:
DAVID AXELROD (DNC STRATEGIST)
David Axelrod. (Photo by Lauren Gerson.)
“Kamala exuded a sense of confidence and calm. She was very connected to her words She seemed like someone who could be President of the United States. She handled the issue of her changes or perceived changes in policy pretty well. The idea that her values were the thing that has remained constant was a good one. As she spoke, I thought it showed a certain character. She didn’t run away from Joe Biden. She gave him his due. It was elevating to me in a way that was unexpected. Today, it showed that she can really do it. Hers is a consistent story of growth.
I think Biden deserves a lot more credit for guiding the country through the pandemic and the economic disaster he walked into,. To the degree that they are saying that she is going to continue to do exactly the same thing that Biden did, it is going to be a challenge for her. (But. he noted, it is the President who has the final say on policies, not the VP.)
If I were advising her, I would say make him (Trump) seem small. We know what his habits are. She should have a conversation with the American people about the way forward she sees, not engage with DJT.”
SCOTT JENNINGS (GOP STRATEGIST)
Scott Jennings,
Scott Jennings, Columnist, LA Times, Daily Mail, Gannett: “If I were the Trump people I would be salivating over her failure to show remorse” (for things she and Biden achieved or in Jennings’ opinion, botched.) (*He was critical of the Afghanistan withdrawal, but, finally, a President got us OUT of Afghanistan after many years of hearing it as a goal from others.)
Jennings claimed Harris said she was the last person in the room on Afghanistan. A disagreement arose between Axelrod and Jennings on what that meant. Axelrod pointed out that Harris was the Vice President, not the President, and the policy decisions were ultimately the President’s, not hers.
Others, such as Astead Herndon of the Podcast “The Run-Up” commented that Harris “is a homework do-er. You can see this in her preparation” and, also, that she is ready to be on the defense. Trump is preparing using Tulsi Gabbard who has debated against Kamala Harris.
First, Barack paid tribute to Joe Biden, mentioning their “common Irish blood.” To wit:”His empathy and his decency and his hard-earned belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot impressed me. And over the past 4 years those are the values that America has needed the most. At the time when Americans were dying, we needed a leader with empathy and a leader who led the strongest economic recovery in the world. At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality we needed a leader who did the rarest thing in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the good of the country. History will remember Joe Biden as a man who, in a moment of peril for this country, did the right thing.”
Barack Obama—one of the most gifted orators to ever hold the office—and his wife Michelle held the audience within the United Center in rapt attention tonight. They made a plea to be patient with voters who might be on the other side and summed up the choice by saying, “Trump’s act has gotten pretty stale.”
Kamala Harris Accepts Democratic Presidential Nomination; DJT Phones In on Fox
By Connie Wilson
On August 23, 2024
In Books, Editorial, Essays on Politics: Best Political Essays & Ideology, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics, Television
I had planned to write a piece commenting on Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech on the final night of the DNC in Chicago, Then, (following the dry cycle of my laundry), I moved to the bedroom to change the now clean sheets and put them back on the king-sized bed. In the bedroom, Fox News was carrying the DNC.
While I changed the sheets, I listened to Donald J. Trump phone in and rebut Kamala Harris’ speech. I will insert the complete 37-minute content of Kamala’s acceptance speech (in case you missed it), but I have to assume that most of you were watching it, so suit yourself. Unlike Trump, who rambled his way through a basically unlistenable litany of untruths at the RNC, Harris hit most of the issues and delivered her speech with sincerity and enthusiasm. She looked and sounded presidential (because she IS presidential.)
Then I watched 8 voters in Allentown, Pennsylvania say that her speech had sold her to them (auto workers all) and they would be voting for her (they had been unsure in a previous meeting). One woman retained the right to decide later. One Black male (in real estate) said he’d vote for Trump. Listen to Trump’s remarks about how the auto workers are all supporting him in the phone call above. [*Apparently not the 8 that just spoke to a reporter in Allentown, PA.]
Trump’s illusion that he is “strong” (Macho Macho Man) was consistent with why Black males were supporting DJT over Biden before July 21st. It also explains why Black males find it difficult to get behind the idea of a female president, even if she is half Black (and half Asian).
CHANGE
People want change for the better. This was emphasized by John King, Chief National Correspondent for CNN, who has been traveling the country gauging the temperature of the nation. Coming into the convention, Trump had 55% of voters selecting him on the economy versus 43% for Harris and 53% on the immigration issue versus 44% for Harris. Harris led only on the abortion issue (55% to 40%.) [This was from the New York Times Siena Poll. ] In the next 75 days Harris and Walz must change these perceptions.
CONVENTION BUMP
There are 75 days during which Kamala has to convince voters that she, the current vice president, represents change for the better. That will not be simple, since Harris has been in office as Vice President for 4 years and the GOP will attack her on that basis. (as DJT already did in the phone call above).
The Siena poll showed that 56% of voters disapproved of Biden. Only 41% approved of Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and the other swing states. Now, the Republicans are going to try to give Kamala “Biden Baggage.” It started tonight with DJT phoning in to Fox & Friends. (*Did Fox & Friends, who claim to be so “fair and balanced” offer Kamala Harris the opportunity to phone in and rebut DJT’s RNC acceptance speech? No.)
John King, who has been doing political reporting for 40 years, says that Kamala did well. I agree. He pointed out, however, that in 1988: Bush won over Dukakis, but Dukakis had left the convention enjoying a convention bump that put him 17 points ahead in the polls. Despite the post-convention bump, Dukakis lost “bigly” to George Herbert Bush. This was partially because people wanted change and partially because of the Willie Horton dirty tricks that depicted Horton as practically Dukakis’ running mate. (*For those of you who don’t remember Willie Horton, he was a convicted murderer and rapist, who was released on a weekend furlough from a Massachusetts prison in a trial program and committed a rape and murder while temporarily free. Dukakis was the Governor of Massachusetts. The Bush campaign used Horton’s case to tar and feather Dukakis in a textbook example of what is known as “dog whistle politics,” which is what Harris and Walz are about to encounter, if I were to take an un-wild guess.)
John King was born in 1963, which means he is 61. I haven’t followed politics for as long as John King, but I am close to 20 years older. I go back to every President since Truman. I’ve also written 3 books on politics (the campaign of 2008) and was named the Content Producer of the Year for Politics by Yahoo in the wake of my coverage of the 2008 election of Barack Obama. (See my books on that topic, “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.”)
Taken during a McCain rally at the Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport during the 2008 presidential campaign. Cover of Volume II of “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.” (Available on Amazon in paperback and e-book).
LIKEABILITY
I agree with the white-haired CNN commentator with the 40 years following campaigns, and I agreed with Geraldo (whom I watched on News Nation) who stressed that “likeability” was key to electing anyone. It was likeability that doomed Hillary Clinton and, to a certain extent, John Kerry, who always seemed a little bit too patrician. We’ve all heard the remarks about how “W” seemed like a guy you would enjoy sitting down and having a beer with (*I don’t drink beer, so that’s a no for me.)
TAX INCREASES
Bogus. Tax increases on the rich, yes. On the middle class, not so much. Trump’s point on companies taking their business to another country (increasingly Mexico, not China) is fair, but THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES. Companies moving to cheaper countries is not a Kamala Harris thing; to say it is is unfair. It is far likelier that DJT will raise taxes on the middle class to give tax breaks to people like himself.
BORDER
Trump said, of the bi-partisan border bill, “It was a horrible bill. It was a joke.” It was a bi-partisan bill that was said by those who worked on it long and hard to be quite good. Trump told his allies not to vote for the bill, because it was to be his border issue. If you really don’t know what was in the bill, click on the link above and it will tell you. Don’t just trumpet things that either candidate says; research it. (Anthony Fatone: that is for you, Dear Heart. And thanks for saying I’m “smart as a whip” because that should tell you that, if I’m saying you need to do more “reading up” on these things, maybe I’m right.)
MARXIST ACCUSATIONS
First of all, as our old friend Wikipedia tells us, “There is no single, definitive Marxist theory.[1]
It is likely that the “Marxist” accusations are a legacy from Kamala’s economics professor father, who taught at both Stanford and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He has advised his country (Jamaica) on economic issues and some aspects were derived from Marxist writings of various sorts, but her father has remained completely out of Kamala’s career, refusing to be involved in her 2020 campaign and making a rather brusque rebuttal to a lighthearted comment that Kamala herself made (about smoking pot) on a radio show. She said something about smoking pot to the effect of, “Are you kidding? Half of my relatives are Jamaican.” Dad did not like it much, issued a rather public reprimand (Kamala did not respond) and has not had much involvement in his daughter’s career (or her life before that) since the couple split when she was in elementary school.
Jamal Simmons, political commentator on CNN, compared DJT to Midnight Elvis, calling in to talk shows, rambling around in Mar-A-Lago. Jamal mentioned Trump’s recent appearance in Howell, Michigan. White supremacists held a march there recently and voiced support for Trump, Hitler, Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan. So, Trump’s strategy is to cater to THAT demographic. Roger Stone, a big Trump supporter, has a yearslong relationship with Proud Boys leaders, Enrique Tarrio in particular, and would regularly use members of the group as his personal security detail at political events.
Roger Stone.
I seriously doubt that DJT has much of an idea what Marxism is (and, quite frankly, it is difficult to pin it down as there are many offshoots.) There is actually a book on Amazon entitled “Marxism in Plain and Simple English.” It’s 62 pages. If Donald J. Trump really thinks that Kamala Harris is a Marxist simply because of her estranged father (a professor of economics), that is really reaching. I think The Donald needs a copy of that book. (*After all, Steve Bannon, his brain trust, is currently in jail until 2 days before the election, so the Wizard of Odd is having to rely on people like The Mad Hatter, Roger Stone, for intellectual guidance.) Another thing that his insult brings to mind are recent put-downs that DJT has made about Kamala Harris’ intelligence; she is quite obviously the child of two very bright people (while Trump’s own intelligence is often questioned, despite the supposed expertise and education that led to multiple bankruptcies.)
Here’s a snippet from “How to Compare Marxism to Capitalism.” It is quite clear that Kamala Harris is no Marxist. To wit: “Marxism, oftentimes interchangeable with communism, emerged from the writings of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in the 19th century, and is based on the theory that class conflict will eventually result in the establishment of a society where the public owns the means of production. The two theories are historic enemies, and their differences are most acute when examining their attitudes toward individualism, private property and profits.”
At no time has Kamala Harris sounded like she is not supportive of capitalism simply because she has argued for everyone in our society having a fair shake and an equal chance at making a life where they each of us has the freedom to make choices for themselves (as, for instance, in reproductive rights.) Trying to paint Harris as a Marxist or Communist is a page right out of the “dirty tricks” playbook of the GOP going back to 1988.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D. New Mexico), commenting after Harris’ speech, said she “showed us tonight what leadership looks like.” It is up to every woman of voting age in America to ask themselves whether they want the freedom to decide about their own health care and to decide if they do (or do not) want to have a child. Women need to mobilize like our grandmothers to gain us the right to vote. Only, this time, it is the right to live free (and not die) under an autocratic ruler who simply wants power for himself and his cronies.
IN CONCLUSION
As D.L. Hughley said at the convention, “The only way that Trump can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent to Black people.”