Just One Question
Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris has not done a sit-down interview since well before she inherited the nomination. Her team has said she would do one before the end of August; obviously, they wanted to focus on the convention without distraction.
To me, the entire interview should come down to a single question: “You have served as vice president in the Biden-Harris Administration for more than three and a half years. What actions, decisions, or policies of the Administration do you not agree with?”
Pretty simple. If your best claim for the job is that you have been the last-to-leave-the-room when decisions are made, that you have been a strong partner to the president, and an integral part of the team…then tell us what—if anything—you want to separate yourself from. That gives voters an idea of how a Harris-Walz Administration would govern. And if Harris says there is nothing she’d shy away from…then it means she owns everything—good and bad—since January 20, 2021.
I know, I keep trying to drive this conversation back to issues, past performance in office, and specific proposals rather than personalities. And it’s difficult for a vice president, any vice president, who is also a candidate; you have to stake out your own positions while not seeming like a turncoat or ungrateful to the president who gave you the job.
But at the very least, Harris owes voters an answer to that very simple question. Hopefully we’ll have that answer sooner than later.
Separately, speaking of time, this segment is taking a two-week hiatus; the next Iowa Politics report will be on Monday, Sept. 9.
