3 things I liked and 3 things I didn't like from the Kamala Harris CNN interview(NOW WITH SOUND!)

Let me say this first: Kamala Harris’ interview Thursday night with CNN’s Dana Bash is not going to fundamentally alter the trajectory of the race.

If you went into the interview liking Harris, you left it feeling the same way. If you went into it not liking her, you also left it feeling the same way.

As for the small group of undecided voters, who knows?!?! I doubt they watched the interview at 9 pm on a Thursday night — with college football on! — but do they catch snippets on social media or YouTube tomorrow? Or over the weekend? And what do they make of what they see? I do not know!

I watched the whole thing and jotted down some things I liked and some things I didn’t. They’re below.

What I liked

1. I think it is VERY smart to say for Harris to say she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. And this was a good quote from her on it: “I have spent my career inviting a diversity of opinion.” That’s a very stark contrast with Donald Trump.

2. Her answer on Trump’s claims that she has only said she was black recently was terrific. “Same old tried playbook. Next question please.”  It’s a ridiculous attack and she gave it as much time and attention as it deserves: None

3. Her defense of Biden and his presidency.  I don’t think it would work — politically speaking — for Harris to try to run away from Biden. And it wouldn’t be a good look — loyalty and all that — for her to try. She defended Biden on policy, age and competence — with conviction and confidence. (My guess is that Republicans will call BS on her answer that she never saw any signs of Biden slowing mentally and physically while in office.)

What I didn’t like

1. Her answers on her flip flops on things like banning fracking, immigration etc. On banning fracking, Harris tried to make a distinction between what she said in 2019 (she supported a ban on fracking) and what she said in 2020 (when she said she didn’t).  She didn’t explain why she changed positions.  And it felt like she was splitting hairs.

2. “My values haven’t changed.” Harris said this twice when she was asked about changing policy positions.  Meh.  I don’t totally get what that means.  Like, she supported Medicare for All. Now she doesn’t. She supported a ban on fracking. Now she doesn’t.  How do consistent values explain that?

3. Her answer on why she was running — “We need to turn the page on the last decade” — doesn’t make sense.  Biden has been president — and Harris has been VP— for the last four years! That’s almost half the decade!

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