Janice R. Andrews
Vice President Kamala Harris talked to CNN’s Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, for her first in-depth interview since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate. With less than 70 days to go until the election on November 5th, this conversation gave Harris a big chance to talk about her policy views and answer important questions. Here are seven important things I learnt from the interview:
A focus on the middle class from the start
In the interview, Harris talked about how her commitment to helping the middle class is one of the main ideas behind her campaign. If you asked Harris what she would focus on on “day one” as president, she said her plan for a “opportunity economy.” Among these are steps to lower the cost of living, help families, and invest in small businesses. She specifically talked about raising the child tax credit to $6,000 for the first year of a child’s life to help families pay for things like cribs, car seats, and baby clothes. Harris also stressed that she wants to solve the housing problem by building more cheap homes all over the US.
Promise to Stick to Core Values
Harris was asked about how her views on issues like the Green New Deal and fracking have changed since she ran for the Democratic presidential ticket in 2019. She said again that her core ideas will not change, even if some of her tactics do. Harris stressed how committed she was to fighting climate change and handling immigration in a responsible way. She said again that she agreed with the goals of the Green New Deal and that she wanted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Harris said, “My values have not changed,” which showed that she has always taken the same method to running the government.
What Harris Thinks About Israel and Palestine
Bash also asked Harris what she thought about the current war between Israel and Hamas, especially about giving the US military help to Israel. Harris said she would always back Israel’s right to protect itself. She did, however, say that she was worried about the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza and urged Israel to take responsibility. Harris did not suggest any changes to U.S. policy, but he did stress how important it was to reach a ceasefire deal and eventually back a two-state solution to keep the peace for good.
Reforming immigration laws and making the border safer
Immigration is still a big problem in the 2024 election, and Harris used the talk to make her point more clear. She said that former President Donald Trump was wrong to stop a deal in the Senate that would have made the border safer and changed the way protection is processed. She said that the plan would have added 1,500 agents to the border police, which supported her claim that she is dedicated to keeping the border safe. Also, Harris changed her mind when asked if she still supports making crossing the border less of a crime, which is something she said in a 2019 debate. She said that people who cross the border illegally should face consequences, stressing the need for law enforcement and responsibility.
A two-party approach to government
In a surprise move, Harris said that she might choose a Republican to work in her Cabinet if she wins the election. “When making important decisions, it’s important to have different points of view,” she said, emphasising her desire for unity. Harris’s promise is part of a larger plan to win over moderate and independent voters who may feel left out by the current political atmosphere. This strategy might help her get support from people who are fed up with how divisive politics have become lately.
“Tim Walz Talks About the Military Service Controversy”
Gov. Tim Walz, who is running with Harris, was also questioned during the interview. Bash asked Walz about things he had said in the past about his time in the military that made it sound like he had battle training when he didn’t. Walz was clearer about what he said, saying that he had used the wrong words and supporting his record. He knew people were saying bad things about him, but he insisted that his service was honourable and shouldn’t be politicised. Walz’s answer was meant to dispel claims of “stolen valour” and bring attention back to the campaign’s main problems.
“Rejecting Attacks Based on Race”
At the end of the talk, Harris was asked to react on recent offensive comments made by Donald Trump. The former president said that Harris was making up parts of her ethnicity, which Harris flatly denied. Harris wouldn’t back up what she called “the same old, tired playbook” of insults based on race. She chose to stay out of the fight and focus on her policy goals instead of getting sidetracked by divisive language by refusing to take the bait.
Conclusion
Kamala Harris’s CNN chat gave us a look into how she plans to run her campaign as the election in November draws near. Harris is presenting herself as a candidate who is both radical and practical by focussing on support from the middle class, restating her core values, and calling for a bipartisan Cabinet. When she talks about controversial topics like immigration, Israel, and race, she does a careful balancing act to win over a lot of people. As Harris’s discussion with Trump was coming up, this talk was a key time for her to define her message and set the tone for the last few weeks of the campaign.
