A month ago, after Kamala Harris had informally locked up the votes to become the Democratic Party nominee, one of our columnists wrote on these pages that Harris was like a Junior Varsity team member on a high school sports team.
Appearing along with her running mate Tim Walz before Dana Bash in a Thursday night interview that CNN dishonestly labeled LIVE, although it was pre-recorded hours before (and probably edited), Harris proved yet again that she was hopelessly unprepared to occupy the White House.
Bash started the interview with a simple question: If you were elected, what would you do on Day One in the White House?
We would have expected the Harris handlers to anticipate this question, but perhaps their hubris got in the way. Harris gave a rambling 129-word answer full of generalities and word salads.
Well, there are a number of things. I will tell you, first and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by — by hope and by optimism. I think sadly in the last decade, we have had in the former president someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that.
Watching this response, we went, “Huh?” “This is the leader of the Free World?”
Fearing that Harris would keep going on and on and on, Bash helpfully interrupted: “What would you do on Day 1?”
Harris responded:
Day One, it’s going to be about implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy. I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we’re going to do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we’re going to do to invest in America’s small businesses, and what we’re going to do to invest in families. For example, we are extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child’s life to help them buy a car seat, baby clothes, and a crib. There’s the work that we’re gonna do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on Day One.
Again, Harris missed the question entirely. As a former United States Senator from California and the Senate’s presiding officer as the current Vice President, Harris showed a profound lack of understanding of basic high school civics. Each item on her $1.7 trillion wish list requires new money to be appropriated by Congress, something that she doesn’t control. If the House and the Senate don’t agree to every word, the bill would never become law.
Bash was clearly referring to any executive action that Harris would take on Day 1. Harris never understood the question. [In contrast, when asked what he would do on Day 1, Trump has repeatedly said he would “Drill, Baby, Drill,” end the Russia-Ukraine war and sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory and transgender insanity.]
Later, Bash, afraid that Harris would go into another word salad response, asked a loaded, multiple-choice question about how Harris is positioning herself as a moderate. “How should voters look at some of the changes that you’ve made?” “Is it because you have more experience now and you’ve learned more about the information? Is it because you were running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you’re saying now is going to be your policy moving forward?”
Harris’s response was the most revealing of the night. “Dana, I think the most important and significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is that my values have not changed.”
So, there you have it. In Harris’s own words, she wants to bring her San Francisco liberal values to the White House. For the record, we now revisit some of “her values” from her 2020 presidential run.
Medicare for All. In a CNN town hall on January 28, 2019, as a presidential candidate, Harris expressed her backing for Medicare for All, describing it as a goal to ensure comprehensive and affordable healthcare for all Americans. “I believe we need to move toward Medicare for All. It’s a vision of healthcare that I think will bring us closer to the goal of ensuring every American has access to quality and affordable healthcare.”
Pay inequality. Kamala Harris proposed using fines or taxes to reduce wage disparities and compel companies to pay women and people of color the same as white men for the same work. Vox disclosed shocking details of Harris’s Big Government proposal, which showed a callous disregard for capitalism and free markets. Companies with 100 or more employees would be required to reveal pay data to the government. Then, companies would have to certify that they are paying men and women equally “after accounting for differences in job titles, experience, and performance.” If companies don’t do this, they would be fined one percent of their annual profits for every one percent of the wage gap that still exists.
The EV mandate. Harris, who cast the tie-breaking vote to help pass the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, doubled down on the clean energy economy. The IRA promotes the adoption of electric vehicles through tax credits for new and used EVs. If she were to force an EV mandate, an absolute no-no in Michigan, Wisconsin, and the Midwest, automakers would be forced to lay people off. It takes fewer workers to build an electric car than a traditional vehicle.
America does not need four more years of the Biden-Harris failures. During the Bash interview, Harris failed to answer why, under her watch, more than 18 million illegal aliens flooded the country. She tried the same old trick of holding Trump’s opposition to a bill when she allowed through executive action a complete invasion of America.
Regarding the situation in Israel, she insisted that she wanted a peace agreement and the release of the hostages. Who doesn’t want this? She never answered why, now approaching 11 months, she has not made any progress in the region.
On one of the most critical questions impacting the world, Ukraine, Harris gave no answer because Bash never asked her, afraid she would commit a gaffe and bring geo-political instability overnight. CNN was playing heavy defense for Harris, not broaching a topic that has cost taxpayers $200 billion in under three years, killed and wounded nearly a million, and brought America closer to a nuclear conflict than at any time in the last 62 years.
Harris concluded the interview by leaning into a well-rehearsed point. “Listen, I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender.”
We’re sorry, Madam Vice President. You’re clearly not the best-qualified person. You couldn’t articulate your pitch under the most favorable circumstances when CNN yielded to every demand of yours. What would you do in front of President Putin or President Xi?
Branding your famous laugh as joy and selling it as an anodyne for Americans’ miseries is not just wrongheaded—it’s pure humbug.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Israel, Hamas Agree To Zoned Three-Day Pauses For Gaza Vaccination Drive: WHO – Reuters
Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s senior official for the Palestinian territories, said the first round of vaccination of 640,000 children against polio will start on Sunday, with pauses scheduled between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.
He said the campaign would start in central Gaza with three consecutive daily pauses in fighting, then move to southern Gaza, where there would be another three-day pause, followed by northern Gaza.
2. Ukraine F-16 Destroyed During Russian Attack – BBC
One of the F-16 fighter jets sent from NATO allies to Ukraine has been destroyed, a Ukrainian military source has told the BBC.
The aircraft went down amid a barrage of Russian missiles on Monday, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes, Ukraine’s military said. It marks the first loss of its kind since the planes were delivered earlier this month.
3. Russia Conducting Two-Pronged Attack In Effort To Capture Strategic Ukrainian City – RFE/RL
Russian forces are conducting “two key tactical operations” as part of their offensive to capture the strategic city of in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.
The first is along the east of Pokrovsk to advance to the outskirts of the city. The second is along the southeast to ” eliminate vulnerabilities to Ukrainian counterattacks.”
4. Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Meets With Xi To Manage U.S.-China Bilateral Relationship – UPI
The White House said that both sides “welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication,” a focus of Sullivan’s visit. The United States and China are also planning a call between President Joe Biden and Xi “in the coming weeks.”
According to a White House readout of the meeting, Sullivan and Xi discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine, the South China Sea, and cross-strait issues.
5. U.S., China Rebuild Military Contacts Even As China Warns On Taiwan – RFA
The U.S. said a Chinese military leader and President Joe Biden’s security adviser agreed to theater-level contact between their militaries.
This comes even as China warned that Taiwan independence “is incompatible with peace” and an “insurmountable red line” in relations.
China froze top-level military talks and other dialogue with the U.S. in 2022 after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.
6. Philippines And Vietnam To Sign Defense Agreement – Reuters
The agreement comes amid simmering tension in the South China Sea and international concern about an escalation in the conduct of China’s vast fleet of coastguards and its activities in its neighbors’ exclusive economic zones.
Vietnam has a tricky balancing act of opposing actions by China that it deems infringements on its sovereignty while needing to maintain close relations with its giant neighbor, forged over decades by their ruling Communist Parties.
7. Antimony, Gallium Prices Soar As China Widens Rare-Metal Export Curbs – Nikkei Asia
Rare metals prices have jumped dramatically since China instituted export restrictions on critical resources, and the tightening controls threaten to drive prices further.
Earlier this month, Chinese authorities said they would introduce export licenses on antimony, a mineral used mainly as a flame retardant in vehicles and electronics. The new measures will go into effect on Sept. 15.
8. Over 1 Million Chinese Restaurants Close Amid Economic Downturn – RFA
Catering industry news service Canguanju reported that more than a million food and beverage outlets, including 30,000 noodle shops, shut down in the first half of this year, close to the total for last year.
Figures showed that while overall earnings in the catering sector fell by 2.9% in the first half of 2024, year-on-year, profits plummeted by 88.8% over the same period.
9. Iran Further Increases Stockpile Of Uranium Enriched To Near Weapons-Grade Levels: UN – A.P.
The confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Aug. 17, Iran has 363.1 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60 percent. That’s an increase of 49.8 pounds since the IAEA’s last report in May.
Uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. By IAEA’s definition, around 92.5 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possible – if the material is enriched further, to 90 percent.
10. Sullivan To China: U.S. Committed To ‘Complete’ Korean Peninsula Denuclearization – RFA
“In all of my meetings, I stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait; emphasized the United States’ commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Sullivan said in the press briefing.
His remarks came amid the absence of references to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in the policy platforms of the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties as they prepare for November’s U.S. presidential election.
11. U.S. Again Calls For Proof Of Maduro’s Victory Claims One Month After Election – UPI
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the country’s National Electoral Council claimed the strongman ruler beat democratic opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez in the July 28 poll.
Washington says there is “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez easily received the most votes. Domestic and international critics have called on the council to release original tally sheets from the election, but the body has so far refused to do so, sparking widespread unrest across the country.
12. Afghan Women Filmed Singing To Protest Voice Ban – AFP
Taliban authorities last week announced the law, which includes rules that women’s faces, bodies, and voices should be “covered” outside the home, among 35 articles dictating behavior and lifestyle.
In response, Afghan women inside and outside the South Asian country have posted videos of them singing on social media, along with hashtags such as “My voice is not forbidden” and “No to Taliban.”
13. Catch-Up Sleep On Weekends Might Benefit Heart – HealthDay News
Weekend “catch-up” sleep can lower a person’s risk of heart disease by up to 20%, according to findings to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting in London.
Results show that after an average of 14 years of follow-up, the study participants who got the most catch-up sleep on the weekends were 19% less likely to develop heart disease than those who got the least. Because these findings were presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
14. FDA Mandates Photo ID For All Under 30 To Buy Tobacco – UPI
The new rule, which goes into effect Sept. 30 and also affects e-cigarettes, changes the current mandate for retailers to check the ID of anyone under 27.
It further mandates that starting Sept. 30, retailers may not use vending machines to sell tobacco in facilities where those under 21 are permitted to enter at any time, increasing the previous age limit from 18.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
