Forty full days after Joe Biden was shoved out of the race by his party, Biden's replacement is finally sitting down for an interview. CNN's joint interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz will air at 9pm ET tonight, heading into a holiday weekend. Harris has taken fewer than a dozen questions on any subject since becoming her party's de facto, then official, nominee. By my count, only one of them pertained to policy substance. Her minute-long response to that single inquiry employed the term "return on investment" four times, in the process of claiming her new trillion-dollar-plus spending proposal would 'pay for itself.' Tim Walz has answered zero questions since joining the ticket, unless you count his rhapsodizing about gutters in a TikTok "interview."
Harris staked out a dramatically left-wing vision for the country in her presidential campaign last cycle, and her team has been slowly walking back nearly that entire agenda via press release over recent weeks. She has explained exactly none of these changes, none of which she's even announced with her own voice. In addition to a breathtaking reversal on the Trump border wall, Harris' team also seems to be stiff-arming her longstanding support for electric vehicle mandates, which reflects both the Biden-Harris administration's existing policy, as well as her positions as a Senate sponsor of Green New Deal legislation:
The Harris campaign is now claiming that she doesn't support an Electric Vehicle (EV) mandate.
— Amber Duke (@ambermarieduke) August 27, 2024
When she was a senator, Harris cosponsored the Zero-Emissions Vehicle Act of 2019, which contained a requirement for car manufacturers to sell only zero-emission vehicles by 2040. pic.twitter.com/nx7BhFfvQz
She is also CO-SPONSOR OF THE GREEN NEW DEAL, which she has endorsed as a presidential candidate. https://t.co/X39sl75i2o
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 27, 2024
A joint interview presents a challenge for the interviewer, given the target-rich environment and the weeks-long backlog -- as there are numerous subjects that require serious scrutiny for both members of the revamped Democratic ticket. Two subjects reduces the moderator's time to drill down and follow-up on any one answer, which I suspect is the play here. As it stands, the large majority of Dana Bash's questions should go to the woman who wants to be president, who should really be doing a solo interview. So should her running mate, separately, but the campaign reportedly hasn't allowed Walz to do so because, well, he doesn't know what Harris' positions actually are. This detail, per Politico (in fairness, nobody knows what they are, including Harris herself):
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Kamala Harris's campaign is apparently afraid to put Walz on TV because even he doesn't know what their policies are pic.twitter.com/ZUTDgBJgGX
— Philip Letsou (@philipletsou) August 27, 2024
The story also reveals that Harris officials sought reporters' for advice regarding the venue and conditions for her first interview. It seems that meeting of Democratic strategists' minds resulted in a verdict of CNN, with the candidates appearing side-by-side. Here are just a few questions that need to be asked of these people, after well over a month of ducking any real questions. For Harris, for starters, in no particular order:
(1) You have voiced support for decriminalizing illegal border crossings, and providing taxpayer-funded healthcare plans to illegal immigrants. How do those positions align with your new campaign ads portraying you as tough on the border and illegal immigration, given the incentives those policies would create?
(2) As a co-sponsor of Bernie Sanders' legislation, you are an outspoken supporter of 'Medicare for All,' which would end private health insurance, directly impacting an estimated 177 million Americans. On this network, you said the country should "eliminate" private health insurance and "move on." How would you pay for the estimated $3.2 trillion annual price tag, and why should Americans who are satisfied with their existing plans and arrangements have to forfeit them?
(3) [If Harris confirms her campaign's rumors that she no longer holds her position on this] When and why did you decide Medicare for All -- a centerpiece of your own presidential campaign -- was unworthy of your continued support?
(4) Energy independence and affordability is a major issue for many Americans, especially in states like Pennsylvania. You've repeatedly and emphatically promised to ban fracking if elected president. On this network, you described the practice as having an "enormous" negative impact on the "health and safety of communities." Your campaign now says you no longer hold that view. When and why did you decide fracking is safe, and that you no longer want to ban it?
(5) In that same CNN forum, you said you support banning plastic straws, and using government guidance to discourage red meat consumption. Are those still your views?
(6) You have stated that so-called "Bidenomics" has been a success, and that you and President Biden are "very proud" of Bidenomics. President Biden is 20 points underwater on economic approval. Do you still believe Bidenomics has been a success?
(7) One of the accomplishments highlighted at the DNC were your tie-breaking votes in the Senate, as Vice President. One of the most consequential of those votes guaranteed passage of a nearly $2 trillion spending plan, along party lines, that even economists like Obama Treasury Secretary Larry Summers warned would fuel inflation. Inflation raced up, and even though the rate of inflation has come down since, average prices are still 20 percent higher across the board than they were when you and President Biden took office. You claimed at the time your vote would reduce prices, which has not happened. Why should voters believe your new assurances that you will reduce prices?
(8) You said you were the last person in the room advising President Biden on the Afghanistan withdrawal. You supported that policy. He's called it an "extraordinary success." Do you agree? Have you spoken to any of the families of the 13 Americans killed in the Abbey Gate attack three years ago this week?
(9) As the Biden administration's point person on the root causes of the illegal immigration crisis, which some have termed a 'Border Czar' role, ten million border crossings have occurred on your watch -- including millions stemming from the handful of countries on which your portfolio was particularly focused. Do you believe your administration's border and immigration policies have been successful?
(10) Tragically, some of the illegal migrants who've entered the country during your administration have committed violent crimes. As a former prosecutor, you've talked about speaking on behalf of victims, and representing the people. Have you spoken with the families of any of these victims? Are you familiar with any of their names?
(11) When the largest city in Gov. Walz's state was being burned and looted by rioters in 2020, you urged your supporters to bail rioters out of jail, and linked to a bail fund on your Twitter page. Was that the sort of leadership that moment required?
(12) Do you still support the Green New Deal legislation you've endorsed and co-sponsored?
(13) Please explain your new anti-price-gouging proposal -- how, specifically, does it differ from price controls? Are grocery chains with 1-2 percent profit margins "price gouging"?
(14) President Biden recently stated that "yes, yes, yes" the Biden-Harris administration has beaten inflation. Do you agree?
I could go on, but that's at least a start. Here are a few for Tim Walz (though I think Bash should focus overwhelmingly on Harris):
(15) What was your official rank at retirement from the Minnesota National Guard? If that rank differs from what has been listed in your various biographies over the years, why would you persist with that inaccuracy, even after people with who you served -- up and down the chain of command -- drew this discrepancy to your attention, both publicly and privately?
(16) Did you ever 'carry a weapon in war,' as you claimed in a statement about Second Amendment restrictions?
(17) One of your common refrains on the campaign trail is that a golden rule within your worldview is to "mind your own damn business." Critics have noted that your administration set up a state system to report on neighbors for violating your COVID-era restrictions and orders. You also endorsed a state registry system for so-called 'hate speech.' How do you square those policies with the "mind your own business" ethos?
(18) You signed legislation providing healthcare, in-state tuition, and drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, whom your administration called "new Americans." Are those rewards for violating our country's immigration laws?
(19) In your 2006 Congressional race, your campaign made multiple false statements about a previous DUI. Do you acknowledge that you were driving drunk while going 96mph, that you did not drive yourself to the police station, and that your failed field sobriety test was not the result of a hearing issue? Do you regret those actions, or your campaign's characterizations of them? Your campaign contradicted the official record on all of that, as subsequently confirmed by CNN, at the time.
(20) Is it a "pro-choice" policy to repeal existing laws against coercing women into abortions, as you did as governor of Minnesota? Is there any restriction on abortion that is appropriate, in your mind?
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