Tipsheet

Kamala Harris: 'I Truly Believe That They Are Our Children'

Vice President Kamala Harris had another particularly dumb moment where she said the quiet part out loud about what Democrats think about children and parents' rights during her Monday night appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

Meyers had discussed Harris' visits to elementary schools, during which she mentioned "when you see our kids, and I truly believe that they are our children, they are the children of our country, of our communities, I-I mean our future is really bright if we--if we prioritize them." She then used this to reference another Democratic priority, adding "and therefore prioritize the climate crisis and the need to address it." Harris also used these children as a political ploy when referencing "prioritizing the need to bring our country together," despite how the Biden-Harris administration has doubled down on demonizing their political opponents as "MAGA Republicans" and "extremists."

President Joe Biden made a similar admission about children in April of last year when speaking at the 2022 Teacher of the Year ceremony in which he claimed "they're all our children." He told the teachers there that "the reason you’re the teachers of the year is because you recognize that. They’re not somebody else’s children. They’re like yours when they’re in the classroom."

Such a concept that Democrats think they can co-parent with children's actual parents is even more disturbing given how much this administration emphasizes gender transitions for minors. Similarly, powerful teacher unions have also been making it so that parents are kept out of decisions of what pronouns for their children to use, and even if that child will undergo a gender transition. 

The issue played a particularly big one in Virginia's statewide races last year, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) won after prioritizing education and parents' rights. At an event in late August, he told Townhall that he believes education will be a big issue at the federal level as it was in his race. 

Wen it comes to the federal level, House Republicans late last month released their "Commitment to America" plan, which included a Parents Bill of Rights

Nearly a year since he was elected, the issue continues to play out. Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest district in the commonwealth and one of the largest in the country, was one of those districts keeping such key information from parents. Youngkin last month introduced updated guidelines to involve parental involvement, but districts in Northern Virginia appear to not be willing to comply. Earlier this week, as Madeline covered, Youngkin appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" to defend his handling of this key issue that got him elected.

"Unlike Democrats, Republicans know that parents--not liberal politicians--know best when it comes to their own children. In 28 days voters will put a stop to Democrats’ war on parents and make it clear they aren’t about to co-parent with the government, Andrew Brennan, the RNC Director of Faith Communications said in a statement for Townhall about the segment. 

On the other issue that Harris got into, climate change is also not as much as a priority that Democrats make it. Depending on the poll, it's just not one at all, or it matters to the Democratic base.

Speaking of priorities, Vice President Harris earlier in the segment seemed to be disabused, along with Meyers--who couldn't have given any more of a softball interview if he tried--about what issues matter to voters. She, like the Democratic Party overall has done, focused on abortion. 

When Meyers asked Harris what she hoped to accomplish if more Democratic senators were elected, in the context of what they may not have been able to accomplish in a 50-50 Senate, the vice president advocated for passing the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA), saying they need just two senators on their side to do so. Biden himself has made clear he's in favor of nuking the filibuster in order to pass such legislation, which hasn't even gotten a simple majority in the Senate. Such legislation would not merely codify Roe v. Wade, it would expand it and invalidate pro-life laws passed at the state level. 

Speaking about the U.S. Supreme Court having overturned Roe in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, Harris mentioned that "what it means for the next 29 days is, if we keep our numbers in the Senate and elect two more United States senators, then the president can sign into the law the Women's Health Protection Act, which would put into the law protections of Roe v. Wade."

She went on to emphasize that it's "critically important" and add that "it's gonna take an effort to make sure that you vote on the other hand, these House seats, they're two-year terms," also calling on people to elect Democrats in the House, which Republicans are even more favored to win than when it comes to the toss-up Senate. "These Senate seats, six-year terms. So think about it. Whether we let it go with status quo the way it is now for the next two years or six years, or in the next 29 days. Make a plan to vote and actually vote on this issue." 

Meyers in response claimed that "I think that -- I think correctly, you know, a lot of people think about abortion as an important issue."

Multiple polls show that abortion is not just so much a top issue, especially compared to economic issues like inflation, which Republicans enjoy a healthy edge on. National polls, such as last month's Monmouth University poll, show abortion comes in seventh out of 12 top issues. State polls, such as in Nevada and Ohio, show that while abortion comes in second, it's a distant second to economic issues.

NewsBusters' Alex Christy highlighted that part of the segment and clipped it.