Harris during the CNN interview
Vice President Kamala Harris found herself under fire Thursday after telling CNN that her “values have not changed,” despite accusations of flip-flopping on key policy issues.
The comments were made during her first sit-down interview as a 2024 presidential candidate, where she was joined by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The VP was pressed by CNN host Dana Bash to clarify her evolving stances on major policies.
Bash questioned, “Generally speaking, 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 responded by emphasizing her consistent values, saying, “I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed.”
In her defense, Harris specifically cited her commitment to addressing the climate crisis, referring to her work on the Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act.
“I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time. We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act,” she explained.
Harris also reiterated her stance on border security, drawing on her experience as California’s Attorney General.
“My value around what we need to do to secure our border, that value has not changed. I spent two terms as the Attorney General of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage, illegal passage, of guns, drugs and human beings across our border. My values have not changed,” she stated.
Despite Harris’ assertions, her comments sparked widespread criticism online. Many commentators argued that her claim of consistent values implies she remains just as radical as she was during her 2019 presidential bid, even as she attempts to present herself as more moderate to win over voters in the 2024 election.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kans., took a jab at Harris, remarking, “Kamala Harris’ San Francisco progressive values have not, and will not ever change. A zebra doesn’t change its stripes.”
Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald criticized Harris’ lack of explanation for her policy shifts, saying, “Kamala didn’t even remotely pretend she was explaining why the things she pretended to believe when running in 2020 are now things she pretends she no longer believes. And from all appearances, there was zero attempt to insist on an answer. They picked Dana Bash for a reason.”
Conservative voices suggested that Harris’ remarks were an attempt to feign moderation in a bid to secure the presidency.
Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks commented, “When @KamalaHarris says, ‘My values have not changed,’ what she means is ‘I’m only pretending to moderate to win the election.’”
Conservative commentator Vince Dao echoed this sentiment, tweeting, “KAMALA HARRIS IN HER OWN WORDS: ‘My values have not changed.’ So yes, EVERY 2020 policy she has proposed is fair game in the 2024 Election.”
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