Kamala Harris in 2020 Vice Presidential prospects
On Principles & Values:
OpEd: Checks gender and race boxes, but not a progressive
Joe Biden's pick of Kamala Harris as his running mate will surely satisfy Democratic Party insiders who were hoping for him to balance the ticket. As a woman of color, Harris kills two birds with one stone by ticking both the gender and race boxes.
But the prospect of her becoming vice president is nothing to look forward to. She's overwhelmingly spent her career, both before and after entering politics, fighting for reactionary policies that completely obliterate the credibility of her claim to
be any kind of progressive.But there's something deeper going on here. Because Harris represents not just the center-right policy positions of the Democratic establishment.
She is also an illustrative example of the kind of empty, tokenistic brand of identity politics that this establishment uses to give its major figures political cover.
Source: Counterpunch.org political e-zine on 2020 Veepstakes
Aug 17, 2020
On Abortion:
A staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion
Harris is a staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion. As California attorney general, she drew the ire of the state Catholic conference by sponsoring a bill compelling pro-life pregnancy centers advertise for "free or low-cost" abortion
services. That law was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018. Harris has confronted Biden over his own record on abortion--challenging the former vice president for not being "pro-choice" enough for the modern Democratic party.
Source: Catholic World Report e-zine on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 28, 2020
On Abortion:
Hyde Amendment denies poor women reproductive health care
Harris lambasted Biden's long support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services. She accused Biden of "withhold(ing) resources to poor
women to have access to reproductive health care, including women who were the victims of rape and incest." Biden told Harris that he believes abortion to be a constitutional right.
Source: Catholic World Report e-zine on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 28, 2020
On Civil Rights:
Challenged Biden's opposition to busing
Ms. Harris confronted Mr. Bidenÿabout his fond recollections of working with segregationists in the Senate and then opened up about her personal history. Mr. Biden, she said, had opposed school busing mandates to integrate schools in the
Source: New York Times on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 21, 2020
On Crime:
Tough prosecutor; but for reform as candidate
She is a former prosecutor, and her handling of cases involving police shootings of civilians while she was California's attorney generalÿdrew criticism from activists on the left, who argued that she was not aggressive enough in stepping in to overhaul
rogue police departments and that she sided too frequently with police unions. Ms. Harris has said she was trying to effect change from "inside" government. "When we want to reform systems, it shouldn't and it can't only be from the outside on bended
knee or trying to break down the door." As a Democratic presidential candidate, Ms. Harris released plans outlining her vision for criminal justice reform and how to "stand up for Black America." As part of the plans, Ms. Harris called for ending mass
incarceration, cash bail and the death penalty; creating a national police systems review board; making attending historically Black colleges and universities debt-free for students; and many other measures.
Source: New York Times on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 21, 2020
On Health Care:
Supports single-payer without private insurance
Ms. Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanders's Medicare-for-All legislation, and at a CNN town hall, she responded to a question about private health insurance by saying,ÿ"Let's eliminate all of that."
Sheÿcame under fireÿfor the statement, and the blowback was a signal of the political sensitivity surrounding the issue of abolishing private coverageÿunder a single-payer system.
On the debate stage, the Democratic candidates were asked who would abolish private health insurance. Ms. Harris was among thoseÿwho raised their hands.
Mr. Biden -- who wants to build on the Affordable Care Act -- did not raise his hand.
Source: New York Times on 2020 Veepstakes
Jul 21, 2020
On Civil Rights:
Must speak the truth about racism & other forms of hate
Racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, these issues are real in our country. We have to speak truth about it. We must point out and never condone anyone who uses their power in a way that fans it. But the reality is that these
forms of hate are not new to our country, which have in the history of our country, and still today, take on lethal proportion. The conversation has to be about how we are going to speak truth about the history, and then address it.
Source: Meet the Press interview for Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
Aug 11, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Russian election interference exploited racial divide
One of the almost intangible strengths of America is that we can hold ourselves out as a democracy, imperfect though we may be. So they decide to attack what is the strongest pillar of a democracy, which is free and open elections. And you know what
caught heat? The issue of race. So Russia exposed America's Achilles heel. Now it is also a national security issue. And we need to deal with it.
Source: Meet the Press interview for Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
Aug 11, 2019
On Immigration:
Hold companies liable for hiring non-citizens, not workers
Q: How to stop companies hiring illegal aliens?HARRIS: Of course, the employers have to be responsible. They have to do whatever is required by law. But there's another point here, which is that this administration has directed DHS to conduct these
raids as part of what I believe is this administration's campaign of terror, which is to make whole, whole populations of people afraid to go to work. Children are afraid to go to school for fear that when they come home, their parents won't be there.
Source: Meet the Press interview for Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
Aug 11, 2019
On Technology:
We're very vulnerable to cyber threats
The previous head of the Department of Homeland Security designated our elections infrastructure as critical infrastructure of the United States. As critical as our electrical grids, as critical as our financial, right? And it has been attacked.
We have got to do a better job of securing our infrastructure as it relates to our power grids, as it relates to what is going on in terms of our medical systems, what is going on in terms of our financial systems. We're very vulnerable to cyber threats.
Source: Meet the Press interview for Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
Aug 11, 2019
On Government Reform:
New voting rights act; make Election Day a holiday
[Harris Supports] a new voting rights act that would automatically register people to vote; make election day
a national holiday and fight back against Republican efforts to suppress the vote.
Source: Detroit Free Press on Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
May 5, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Tax break for people unable to pay unexpected expense
[Harris Supports] a tax cut for the middle class and working-class Americans who can't afford to pay for an unexpected expense. Families making less than $100,000 a year, would receive
$6,000 that they could access at up to $500 a month. She will pay for it by repealing Trump's tax cut that benefited the wealthy and corporations.
Source: Detroit Free Press on Democratic 2020 Veepstakes
May 5, 2019
Page last updated: Nov 01, 2021