From the Right

/

Politics

Previously Unchallenged, Harris Had to Answer to '60 Minutes'

Debra Saunders on

WASHINGTON -- Asking Kamala Harris about the historic surge at the southern border during most of President Joe Biden's tenure, "60 Minutes" anchor Bill Whitaker wondered if it was "a mistake to loosen the immigration policies as you did."

Harris has this way of talking when she knows she can't say what she really thinks. So when Whitaker remarked that border arrivals quadrupled during the first three years of the Biden/Harris administration, she responded, "Solutions are at hand. From day one literally we have been offering solutions."

And: "The policies that we have been proposing are about fixing a problem, not promoting a problem." Short word salads with no nutritional value.

If you were hoping for the vice president to admit that Biden's border policies were a colossal blunder during the CBS interview, which was televised Monday night, well, your best move would have been to change the channel.

When Harris tried to blame Republicans for failing to pass a big immigration package, Whitaker pointed out that Biden invited a "historic flood" of migrants when he took office.

For once, a major journalist pushed back on Harris' lame finger pointing. I exhaled.

"60 Minutes" made a big deal about Trump turning down its interview request. Be it noted, Harris turned down an invitation to a Fox News sit-down. But I guess that's different.

My one big beef: There is no question Harris knew about Biden's declining cognitive abilities before he halted his reelection campaign. It becomes ever more important that Harris is asked about this because Biden is supposed to occupy the Oval Office until Jan. 20.

At one point, Harris reminded Whitaker: "This is an election for president of the United States." Then she added, "No one should be able to take for granted that they can just declare themselves a candidate and automatically receive support."

It was an odd statement coming from a Democrat who was handed the top of her party's ticket without a single ballot cast.

When Whitaker asked Harris why she completely flipped her positions on the border, fracking and Medicare for All, Harris responded that she has spent the past four years going across the country and talking to people from various backgrounds, so she came to value compromise. Short, truer version: "We're not just in California anymore."

 

Politically, that's a good thing.

Yet when Whitaker asked Harris how she accounted for the fact that millions of Americans support Trump, whom she calls a racist, Harris had no answer, only talking points.

"I believe that the people of America want a leader who's not trying to divide us and demean. I believe that the American people recognize that the true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down, it's based on who you lift up," she said.

Across America, eyeballs rolled.

The "60 Minutes" segment included a cameo appearance by Liz Cheney, who actually spoke at a Harris/Walz rally. Cheney and her father (former Vice President Dick Cheney) are part of the Republicans for Harris movement. That makes Cheney the latest winner in the race for irrelevancy.

Don't get me wrong, I respect Republicans who won't vote for Trump because of his election denial that led to Jan. 6. I just wish they understood that their vote isn't about their rectitude; it's about who the next president will be. It's about the country.

So when a Cheney argues Trump does not represent the family's conservative values, that just tells the base the Cheneys are willing to sabotage the very platforms they used to hold dear. I'm thinking about free speech, a tough border and truly fair tax policies.

It's impossible to watch the Cheneys and not suspect that they climbed aboard the Kamala train because they thought they owned the GOP and they'll never forgive Trump voters for proving them wrong. Team Trump must love her.

Contact Review-Journal Washington columnist Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com. Follow @debrajsaunders on X.

----


Copyright 2024 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Mike Luckovich Bill Day John Cole Pedro X. Molina RJ Matson Clay Bennett