Why Kamala Harris and Dana Bash get a mixed grade in VP’s first media sit down

Kamala Harris handled herself reasonably well in her first interview as the Democratic nominee, though she deflected a number of questions and said some untrue things.

It makes you wonder why her advisers refused to allow her to talk to journalists, building up the pressure before last night’s CNN sitdown.

Anchor Dana Bash did a fine job of pressing the vice president and following up–she does it in a low-key style–though she frittered away many moments with softer, how-does-it-feel questions.

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Bash’s first pitch was a routine softball. What would you do on day one?

That enabled Harris to take shots at Donald Trump and rattle off such phrases as “opportunity economy” – which she hasn’t really detailed  – and a $6,000 tax credit for children (just a thousand over the GOP plan). 

The vice president looked comfortable. But the optics. Why do your first interview looking like you’re crammed into a low-rent diner? And Harris appeared shorter than Bash and Tim Walz.

Harris mixed in such stump-speech proposals as $25,000 for first-time homebuyers. A good followup: After 3-½ years in office, Bash said, “Why haven’t you done that already?”

The anchor’s strongest moments were when she challenged Harris on her drastic change in positions since her presidential campaign imploded last time. It is the first time, remarkably, that Kamala has had to address that.

Do you still oppose fracking, as she had said in the last campaign, Bash wanted to know. (Harris is on tape saying that.) 

No, the VP said, “I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020.” That’s simply not true, and Bash, to her credit, wound up asking about fracking four times.

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“My values have not changed,” Harris said twice, though her positions obviously have.

Asked about immigration–and the record surge in illegal crossings during this administration–Harris said the numbers have actually gone down, meaning since President Biden took executive action. Bash’s retort: “Why wait 3-½ years?”

The former senator said Trump had killed a tough bipartisan compromise.

Vice President Kamala Harris in her first sit-down interview with the media since rising to the top of the Democratic ticket.  (CNN)

Does Harris still support decriminalizing the border, as she once said?

We have “laws,” she responded, there are “consequences,” and she handled related cases as a prosecutor. But again she ducked her change in position.

Would you name a Republican Cabinet member? Wasted question. That was a bipartisan tradition for decades. Who cares?

Bash asked about Trump’s assertion that she happened to turn black for the election.

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Harris didn’t take the bait: “Same old tired playbook. Next question, please.”

When asked about Gaza, Harris reminded viewers that Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 and that she supports a cease-fire and hostage release.

Also, I am THE best person for the job. 

Then there were a couple of tough questions for Walz: Did he misspeak about his National Guard service? What about using IVF? What about his DUI arrest? Can people trust what he says?

(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Minnesota governor said he sometimes used inexact language but was proud of his service.

Harris totally sidestepped a Bash question about whether she had any regrets for reassuring the public that President Biden was sharp and fit for another four years. “Not at all,” she said, pivoting to how she was “proud to serve.”

In the feature category, Harris, who doesn’t campaign on race or gender, was asked about a viral photo of her (Harris’) grandneice watching her on TV. Her stock response: She’s running because “I am best person to do this job.”

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But she admitted being “deeply touched” by the picture.

Now Kamala Harris needs to do more interviews. It was a mistake to wait so long that the pressure reached a boiling point.