I never thought I’d be writing this much defending Barack Obama: some things are true about the man despite his abysmal stances on public policy. Obama was a great orator; his communications skills were an asset in winning two national elections. You can still believe this while thinking his domestic agenda, especially on health care, wrecked the country. I say this because now we have some clowns saying that Kamala Harris’ skills in this same area are like that of the former president. I’m no kidding. Molly Jong-Fast decided to test this talking point on MSNBC over the weekend, the only network that would nod at this nonsensical point (via RealClearPolitics):
MSNBC’s @MollyJongFast: @KamalaHarris is a “really gifted, Obama-level orator” pic.twitter.com/BCvInRIQ6T
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 10, 2024
MOLLY JONG FAST: I think it is a really good campaign. People really like her. She has gotten to be a really gifted, Obama-level orator. You know, she was very much underestimated by the mainstream media.
Quite frankly, she has command. You hear her up there and she is confident. She is calm. She is commanding.
For whatever reason, America is ready for her, which is very exciting.
I would also say, Trump has been using these same attacks against three different residential candidates. Against Harris, against Biden, and against Hillary. They just don't-- you can do it once or twice, but the third time, it really feels recycled.
How much are they paying Ms. Fast to spew these falsehoods? Harris is the queen of word salad, her tenure is one that’s more comparable to that of Selina Meyer, and this isn’t a good campaign. She’s buoyed by “irrational exuberance,” to quote David Axelrod. There’s a reason why she won’t do interviews—she’d bomb it. Just as she’s been a trainwreck every time she’s interviewed with a major network.
Someone who says, “It’s time for us to do what we have been doing, and that time is every day,” does not possess Obama-like oratory skills. As for recycling, Ms. Fast, we’re tired of Democrats peddling the long-debunked ‘fine people’ lie and the notion that Trump will only help billionaires through his tax policy. The Trump tax cuts weren’t rolled back under Biden since most benefitted working Americans. Even Bernie Sanders admitted that on CNN in 2017, and there’s talk that the lion’s share will be made permanent. It’s funny—the same thing happened to the much-maligned Bush tax cuts in 2013.
.@jaketapper: “Next year, 91% of middle income Americans will receive a tax cut. Isn’t that a good thing?”@BernieSanders: “Yeah, it is a very good thing. And that’s why we should’ve made the tax cuts for the middle class permanent” #CNNSOTU https://t.co/ei8xTHGo1E
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 24, 2017
Left-leaning tax policy center finds that 80.4% of Americans would see a tax cut in 2018. The average decrease would be $2,140. Only 4.8% would see a tax increase.https://t.co/2UVcvrom6d pic.twitter.com/52F9uDx90Z
— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 19, 2017
Same analysis finds that 75.5% would see a tax decrease in 2025 compared to current law. The average decrease is $2530. 8.9% would see a tax increase. https://t.co/RopZNFqZPW pic.twitter.com/ewdM4vLtUd
— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 19, 2017
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