Questions for Kamala

National Review Online

Thursday, August 29, 2024

 

More than a month after she announced her presidential candidacy, Kamala Harris has finally agreed to do a sit-down interview with Dana Bash on Thursday night. She will be appearing with her running mate Tim Walz at her side — an odd move that seems designed to shield her from tougher questioning, as typically joint interviews focus on both candidates’ relationship with each other rather than the finer points of policy. And Walz will be able to dive into the conversation to bail her out if she gets into trouble. That said, this is the first time a member of the media will have the opportunity to ask her about her positions, and Bash should take full advantage.

 

We have offered some ideas below.

 

·        You have called for legislation imposing term limits for Supreme Court justices. The Senate Democrats’ term-limits bill would strip two of the sitting justices of the right to vote in most cases. Do you support that idea?

·        In your previous campaign, you called for banning fracking and offshore drilling. Is this still your position, and if not, what have you learned that has changed your mind?

·        In 2019, you said, “I strongly believe that we need to have Medicare for All” and released your own plan to move every American into a new Medicare system within ten years. Do you still support establishing a single-payer system? If not, why were you wrong then?

·        You supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and “starting from scratch.” Would you still reorganize the government in this way, and if not, what in your experience as vice president changed?

·        After special counsel Robert Hur raised questions about Joe Biden’s age in February, you said the characterization “could not be more wrong on the facts.” But Biden showed signs of his age at the presidential debate that were consistent with that report and that ultimately led him to step down from the ticket. What do you say to those Americans who now question your judgment or your candor?

·        You say you are going to begin lowering prices on Day One of your administration. What would you do that the Biden-Harris administration hasn’t? And why hasn’t it done it?

·        Previously, on immigration, you have said, “We are not going to treat people who are undocumented and cross the border as criminals” and “an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” In your current campaign, you have described yourself as somebody who is going to be tough on the border. How do you square this?

·        In 2021, Biden announced that you would “lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle” and other countries to help with “stemming the migration to our southern border.” Do you accept any responsibility for the mass migration at the border that has happened during the administration?

·        In September 2022, you said, “The border is secure” and “we have a secure border.” Do you think our border is secure right now?

·        You have spoken about price gouging as the cause of higher prices. Is your contention that roughly $24 trillion in federal spending and $6 trillion in new public debt have nothing to do with the high inflation of recent years?

·        The tax increases that you propose are not enough to cover your other spending proposals. Do you believe that the $35 trillion in federal debt is too high? If so, what do you plan to do about it?

·        You now say you want to exempt tips from federal taxes. Why? Aren’t tips income?

·        You have said you support Israel’s right to defend itself. Does that mean you believe that Israel has the right to destroy Hamas? If not, how can Israelis be secure with Hamas still intact?

·        As president, will you continue the Biden’s administration efforts to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal? If not, would you support reimposing sanctions on Iran?

·        Would you provide material, logistical, and intelligence support to an Israeli operation aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon?

·        Should the Ukrainians be allowed to use U.S. weapons to target Russian forces in pre-war Russian territory, and if not, why not?

·        Would you militarily defend Taiwan against an invasion from the mainland, as President Biden pledged to do?

·        In 2020, you said, “I unequivocally agree with the goal of reducing the defense budget” and added that you wanted to send that money to “communities in need.” Do you still believe this?

·        Do you support the elimination of the legislative filibuster in the Senate?

·        Is there any stage of pregnancy in which abortion should be restricted by law?

·        Looking back at the Biden-Harris administration’s record, what would you have done differently if you had been president?

·        The Biden-Harris administration has suspended granting new permits to export liquefied natural gas. Maintaining the supply of LNG is critical to our European allies as they adjust their economies to the absence of Russian gas. Will you end the permitting “pause”?

·        In 2019, you favored spending taxpayers’ money to forcefully confiscate all 20-plus million of the most commonly owned rifles in the United States. Do you still want to do this, and if not, why not?

·        Were any of Trump’s tariffs mistaken? Follow-up: Then why hasn’t your administration moved to repeal any of them?

·        Governor Walz, you like to say your fellow Minnesotans’ motto is, “Mind your own damn business.” Yet you instituted a hotline for people to report on their neighbors during the Covid lockdowns, and you signed a bill that makes it possible to separate parents from their own children who seek “gender-affirming care” in your state. Do these things count as minding your own business?

 

While there are of course time constraints that won’t allow the interview to make up for her long silence, any of the preceding questions would be worth asking Harris.