Harris interview shows what this race is about
A calm, thoughtful adult vs. a vile insult artist
The much-anticipated first sit-down interview by VP Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz was a rather low-key affair that won’t likely produce big headlines, other than to state it was her first interview.
The empty diner in Savannah, Georgia, with Harris, Walz and CNN anchor Dana Bash sitting close together lent itself to a quiet conversation in hushed tones. There was not much energy in the room. But Americans got to see Harris in a setting other than where they’ve seen her the past month – addressing enthusiastic crowds at campaign stops or at last week’s DNC convention. Those venues provide enthusiasm, and an opportunity to work the crowd.
No such opportunities for that in the CNN interview. We all got to see what Harris is like probably 95% of the time when she’s in meetings or talking one-on-one. Calm, measured, a bit cautious – but firm in what she believes.
Too many gotcha questions
I like Dana Bash, but I felt there were too many “gotcha” questions, trying to nail down Harris and Walz on their past statements on fracking, the green new deal, or Walz’s military record. No question, it’s journalistic fair game to challenge a candidate on how their position may have changed. I just thought it was overdone in this interview.
We all change our minds. Circumstances change. We learn new information. Our positions evolve.
I spent 30 years in news management, and it would drive me nuts when I’d be having a discussion with a staff member about a direction I wanted us to go, and that person would say, “That’s not what you said 12 years ago.” Most days, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast much less what I may have said years ago. I’m sure I said a lot. Leaders talk a lot. Nobody wants to be held to account for everything they’ve ever said. What’s important is what’s needed NOW to address the problems we have NOW.
Two answers stand out
Two Harris answers stand out to me. Bash played the Trump sound bite where he says he thought Harris was Indian but then decided she was black. Harris’ response? “Same old tired playbook. Next question.” That is a wise answer that doesn’t dignify Trump’s racist insult, because it really needs no response. She knows who she is and we can see who she is.
Second great answer: Harris said the American people are looking for a “new way forward and to turn the page on the last decade” of what she feels Americans don’t want. Bash responded, “The last three-and-a-half years has been your administration.”
Harris: “I’m talking about an era that started about a decade ago where there is some suggestion – warped, I believe – that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of where I believe most Americans are, which is to believe the true measure of the strength of a leader is who you lift up.”
That answer hits the essence of what this campaign is about. It’s about character. Who do we want setting an example for our children the next four years? Who do we want in a crisis? Who do we want representing us around the world?
Trump has been disgustingly vile this week, posting on social media a misogynistic comment I won’t repeat here but you can read it at this link if you want to. He also referred to Governor Tim Walz as “Tampon Tim” because he supported free sanitary supplies for Minnesota school girls.
There is not a company in America that would keep a CEO who said even one of the vile things Trump has said recently. It would be impossible for that executive to keep the confidence of employees, customers and shareholders. It would be unthinkable. Yet millions of Americans ARE thinking about it, and I do not understand why.
So, the big takeaway for me, and I hope for most Americans, is what we did NOT see in the Harris interview. She didn’t lie. She didn’t exaggerate. She didn’t raise her voice. She wasn’t vile. She wasn’t insulting. She was a calm, thoughtful adult. The difference could not be clearer.
This column marks the two-year anniversary of Dave Busiek on Media. I’ve tried to give discerning news consumers a peek behind the curtain of the news business. Why do journalists do the things they do? What’s the impact of good journalism, as well as sloppy journalism, on our lives? And, with this being an intense period in American politics, it seems like a good time to look at the intersection between media and politics.
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The roster of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative sure has grown in two years. Take a look at some of the wonderful coverage:
Another great column. Congratulations on two years! Here’s to many more!
Excellent analysis, as always.