Kamala Harris cant keep her stories straight.
The California senator and candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination has been enjoying a moment in the sun after Thursday nights Democratic debate, where she locked horns with front-running Joe Biden.
But with questions cropping up about how truthful Harris has been on a key issue in the Democratic primary, it didnt take long for her words to catch up to her again.
At issue is Harris decision on Thursday night to take a very public stand in pledging to end private health insurance in the United States, in favor of the Medicare for All idea championed by Vermont nutcase Bernie Sanders.
In fact, Harris was the only candidate besides Sanders to raise a hand Thursday when moderator Lester Holt asked: Who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan?
That seems like a pretty straightforward position if morally, intellectually and financially indefensible.
But it turned out Harris really didnt mean to be so straightforward after all.
In an interview with MSNBCs Morning Joe on Friday, Harris said she didnt hear the same question everyone else did.
Once and for all, do you believe that private insurance should be eliminated in this country? Morning Joe co-anchor Willie Geist asked.
No, Harris responded sharply.
But you raised your hand last night, Geist said. But the question was, would you give up your private insurance for that option and I said yes, Harris clarified.
I think you heard it differently than others, then, Geist responded. Probably, Harris said.
Sure she did.
To be fair, Holt did say their private insurance, but he also said abolish.
Which is not something most people think of doing to their own insurance plans.
Its what Democrats think of doing to all kinds of private industries, though. That makes it more likely than not that Harris isnt being quite honest in her recollection of events.
And the stories didnt stop changing then.
In the Democrat-friendly confines of CNN on Friday, as The Washington Free Beacon reported, Harris campaign spokeswoman Lily Adams insisted that Harris is clear on the subject and has been since she launched her campaign.
And Harris position, Adams said, is that Medicare for All still allowed for supplemental private insurance. OK.
Americans should have heard enough about the horrors of socialized medicine to know they dont want to follow the examples of the United Kingdom or our Canadian neighbors to the north.
(When Mick Jagger needed a heart operation, he didnt stay in London or fly to Montreal.)
But if Democrats want to pick that hill to fight on, thats their business.
In the 2020 primary context, that wont even be the most insane thing theyll be talking about. At this early point in the process, they have loads of time to come up with things that are even crazier.
The real point here is that Harris performance on Thursday night pushed her at least for now into the front seat of the Democratic clown car.
(The reliably liberal Mediaite website declared that the media had crowned Harris the undisputed winner of the affair.) And on one major measure of Democratic purity, she is all over the map.
No sensible person will trust a word any Democratic contender for the presidency says in the next 17 months, but there are many, many Democrats and liberals for whom sensible doesnt apply. For those people, as well as the media thats trying desperately to find a Democrat who can seriously challenge President Donald Trump in 2020, Harris owes at least a minimal level of respect on a key party issue.
She stood on a national stage and raised her hand to say she wanted to abolish private insurance; then she only would give up her own insurance for a government program; then her spokeswoman said she was really for a form of supplemental insurance all along and always has been.
And all in 24 hours.
She could at least get her stories straight.
#1: noone222 To: Horse (#0)
noone222 posted on 2019-07-01 10:04:05 Reply Private Reply
#2: Lod To: Horse (#0)
Lod posted on 2019-07-01 10:05:03 Reply Private Reply