OPINION:
Ignorance is bliss. It is also Kamala Harris’ secret weapon.
Americans can make wise decisions, but only when they have enough information.
Alas, an Aug. 14 Media Research Center survey confirms that most 2020 Biden-Harris voters know little about her far-left record.
Staggering majorities of the 800 registered Democrats and 400 independents in McLaughlin & Associates’ poll were stunningly unfamiliar with Ms. Harris’ neo-Marxist words and deeds. Last week’s Democratic National Convention taught Ms. Harris’ voters far more about her passion for cooking than about her extremist statements and actions:
Ms. Harris would consider enfranchising death row inmates. Don Lemon asked her at an April 22, 2019, CNN town hall if imprisoned felons “like the Boston Marathon bomber, on death row, people who are convicted of sexual assault, they should be allowed to vote?”
Rather than laugh at this concept, Ms. Harris said: “I think we should have that conversation.”
Among those surveyed, 86% were unaware or unsure of her views on turning every death row into a voting precinct.
Then-Sen. Kamala Harris, California Democrat, approved banning private health insurance: Ms. Harris advocated Medicare for All, or British-style socialized medicine. When NBC’s Lester Holt asked Democratic presidential contenders, “Who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan?” Ms. Harris raised her hand.
Of those polled, 81% were unacquainted with Ms. Harris’ desire to junk their private medical policies.
Ms. Harris promoted freedom for violent protesters in the 2020 George Floyd riots. She urged supporters on social media to chip in donations for the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which bailed out rioters. Some of them then attacked and killed people. This was news to 78% of those polled.
And 71% were astonished that Ms. Harris backed cutting funding for police departments. She told Nick Cannon of Power 106-FM in Los Angeles: “We have to redirect resources” from law enforcement to schools and small businesses. “For too long, people have confused achieving public safety with putting more cops on the street.”
Ms. Harris suggested abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On June 24, 2018, MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt asked if she agreed with a supporter’s “Abolish ICE” placard. Ms. Harris said, “We’ve got to critically reexamine ICE,” adding that “we need to probably think about starting from scratch.” This surprised 77% of Biden-Harris voters.
In 2019, GovTrack ranked Ms. Harris the most liberal and least conservative U.S. senator — left of Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. GovTrack gave her a 0.00% conservative rating and Mr. Sanders a slightly more right-wing 0.02%. GovTrack censored its scorecard, but the internet archives preserved it. Among participants, 75% were new to Ms. Harris as the Senate’s No. 1 leftist. Her co-sponsorship of the progressives’ Green New Deal escaped 73% of respondents.
Ms. Harris disagrees that aliens who enter the United States illegally are criminals. “I know what a criminal looks like who’s committing a crime,” she told CBS News. “An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” Of those asked, 74% had not heard that statement.
So, why do so many know so little about Ms. Harris’ record? The Media Research Center’s subjects rely chiefly on broadcast and cable TV news. The center says that its “examination of ABC, CBS and NBC evening news coverage in the three weeks since Harris became the leading Democratic candidate (July 21 to August 10) shows eight of these ten issues received ZERO attention from these newscasts, while two others received only minor coverage.”
That’s right: No airtime — positive, negative or neutral — on eight of the Democratic presidential nominee’s relevant positions. Two other policies earned cursory coverage: Ms. Harris endorsed slavery reparations and briefly visited the U.S.-Mexico border — once.
This is media malpractice.
Republicans and conservatives must use rallies, speeches, broadcast and digital ads, print, social media, email, text messages, billboards, one-on-one discussions, dormitory debates, smoke signals and carrier pigeons to educate Democrats and independents on what they do not know about Ms. Harris, starting with these 10 frightening facts.
Ignorance is bliss, but the truth will set America free.
• Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor.
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