OPINION:
In television, the first thing you notice is what you see, not what you hear. It’s called optics. And in the CNN interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz, what I first noticed was how small Ms. Harris appeared. The Minnesota governor towered over her. When you’re running for president, the last image you want to project is a small one.
The camera angle was bad. And who decided Ms. Harris should sit behind a table, which made her look like a customer waiting for service at a restaurant? Dana Bash tossed fairly softball questions, did few follow-ups and let Ms. Harris get away with her answers on the border and the economy, the two biggest issues in the race.
“I haven’t changed my values,” Ms. Harris asserted.
Maybe not, but she sure has changed her positions to attract the independent voters she must have to win the all-important swing states.
Anyone should be allowed to change their positions if that change is credible (such as when new evidence has come to light) rather than political. Commentators who say she is “racing toward the middle” mean she is making a pragmatic journey to get votes, not something born out of conviction. If Ms. Harris can change her mind on issues important to voters, who believes she won’t change her mind again should she become president? That’s the path President Biden took, projecting a middle position but governing as a left-wing politician, many of whose policies were endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Ms. Bash let Ms. Harris get away with not answering the big question. Was she part of a cover-up about Mr. Biden’s mental decline? She was testifying until recently, along with virtually every other Democrat, that the president in private was engaged, in control and knowledgeable. The pictures and the disastrous debate Mr. Biden did with former President Donald Trump don’t lie. Few bought the jet lag and “I have a cold” excuse.
In the interview, Ms. Harris tried to claim “Bidenomics” has been successful, while admitting prices are still too high (no question about her recent promise to slap price controls on food and housing) and she was allowed to get away with claiming inflation is now under 3%. That is a cumulative number. Under the Biden-Harris administration, inflation soared to more than 9%. And while the inflation rate has declined, the prices for just about everything remain stubbornly high.
Ms. Harris wants a $6,000 tax credit for each newborn because parents need child care. My parents had child care. They cared for me and didn’t ship me off to day care. Same with my kids.
There was no question about the more than $35 trillion debt, which Ms. Harris’ proposals would increase. No nation has ever been able to survive with such debt and an open border. Ms. Harris vaguely promised to enforce new laws on the border, but never explained why she and Mr. Biden are not enforcing current laws. Nor was she asked.
On the Israel-Hamas conflict, Ms. Harris defaulted to the unworkable “two-state solution” that has characterized several administrations and won’t work because Israel’s enemies are driven by religious fanaticism. They believe they have a mandate to destroy the Jewish state and kill Jews.
There were no questions about China, Russia or Ukraine.
Ms. Bash didn’t ask about Ms. Harris’ proposed tax increases, or why government never seems to cut spending, even on outmoded or failed programs. As Ronald Reagan used to say, “The closest thing to eternal life on Earth is a government program.”
Ms. Harris should be an easy target for Mr. Trump in their Sept. 10 debate — if he has the discipline and sticks to the issues and the Biden-Harris record. That could be problematic, given Mr. Trump’s narcissistic tendencies and corrosive personality.
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
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