Kamala Harris Is Another Donald Trump

Here's something that sounds familiar: A prominent politician makes an insulting statement about a political opponent, only to turn around and help that opponent within the year. Said politician never substantiated the earlier charge nor gave a good explanation for the reversal:

We need to quit doing this. (Image by Patrick Tomasso, via Unsplash, license.)

In June 2019, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., tore into former Vice President Joe Biden in a Democratic primary debate. She openly suggested that he was a racist whose past political activity would have kept a "little girl" like her from attending integrated public school.

About a year later, Biden selected Harris for his vice presidential candidate. It followed naturally that some intrepid reporter might ask Harris about why she had joined forces with such a historic bigot.

This reminds me a lot of Donald Trump's "ownings" and public statements about "Crazy Nancy" Pelosi -- often quickly followed by "deals" with her that are massive losses -- as in the coronavirus relief bill that established the de facto $15 an hour minimum wage which is still making it difficult for small businesses to hire.

The account of Harris's Trump-like behavior above is from Ben Shapiro, who rightly calls Harris a "hack" for shamelessly using charges of racism as a cudgel when it is convenient.

It is too bad that so many conservatives have chosen the easy way out of making a case for freedom in the somewhat entertaining form of Donald Trump. He has likewise paid lip service to the idea that America should be prosperous and strong, while cutting horrible deals with Democrats, using Obama's "pen and phone" rather than the bully pulpit, and revitalizing such bad economic policies as tariffs.

In dwelling on Harris's particular brand of insincerity, Shapiro raises a couple of disturbing possibilities: (1) He is so unconfident of Trump's merits that he has to attack such an obvious fraud as the already-unlikable Harris (while hoping we don't notice her similarity to Trump); and (2) He doesn't really care that "his guy" is essentially the same kind of politician as the woman who would almost certainly replace him, if Biden wins.

A better way to recommend voting for either over the other would be to acknowledge this essential similarity while arguing why the one is less dangerous to our country's interests than the other. At the same time, we must demand better from elected officials in the future, and closely scrutinize everything the winner does once in office.

-- CAV