The latest piece by the Washington Post editorial board may be a sign that Vice President Kamala Harris’s honeymoon phase is coming to an end.
Since taking the top spot on the Democratic Party ticket, Harris has neither given a sit-down interview nor held a news conference, the editorial board begins, adding that even on her campaign website, there is no hint of where she stands on important policy issues.
But she can’t remain vague on her positions forever, they note.
“If she hopes to prevail, Ms. Harris needs to present her ideas,” the editors write in a piece titled, "Questions we'd love to ask Kamala Harris."
“The media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them," the editors continue. "This is a political necessity — Mr. Trump is already turning her avoidance of the media into an attack line. And elections aren’t just about winning. They’re about accumulating political capital for a particular agenda, which Ms. Harris can’t do unless she articulates one.”
So far she’s flip-flopped on fracking and border security, her campaign said she’d continue President Biden’s pledge to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000, and she ripped former President Trump’s no-tax-on-tips plan. It's time for her to explain her positions to voters.
"[I]t’s a lot of mind-changing for the public to absorb without further explanation," the editors note. "Without hearing Ms. Harris articulate her thought process, she runs the risk of leaving voters to wonder whether she is just shifting with the political winds, or, indeed, planning to revert to previous positions after she’s won the presidency. Why, for instance, did she embrace Mr. Trump’s idea to exempt tips from taxation?"
The editorial board closes by pointing out that Harris can’t bask in the “vibe” around her campaign forever.
“The more substance Ms. Harris can offer before the election, the more control she will have over what voters think of her and the more of a mandate she would have to govern should she prevail in November,” they argue.