Yesterday’s New York Times included a feature piece in which fourteen Democrats were asked questions about presumptive presidential nominee and current VP, Kamala Harris and the state of the nation. I have have here linked the article but you need to be a Times subscriber to access it.
Anyhoo I thought that reader(s) of this blog (I’m looking at you Applegate P Pudding of Ithaca, New York) would be curious to see my answers to the same questions. I was right? You are? Cool. Here they are.
Who would you describe Kamala Harris in one word?
Energetic.
What worries you most about America today?
What doesn’t? Global warming is the number one concern in the world which last I checked still includes the U.S. The hatred being spewed from the far right and the continuing popularity of Trumpy is most concerning. The Supreme Court is a major source of worry. They don’t reflect the values of the majority of the American people. I mostly worry if the country can survive a second Trumpy presidency.
Are America’s best days ahead of us, behind us or happening now?
That’s an impossible question to answer. They sure as hell aren't happening now. If Trumpy wins they’re certainly not in our near future. I’m trying to figure out when the best of this country have been. Definitely not during slavery or Jim Crow or before Stonewall or before Roe v. Wade. Maybe they were during the Obama years.
I want to ask about Joe Biden. Tell me how you were feeling about him as the Democratic nominee before the presidential debate in June.
I thought he’d done a good job but very much needed to step aside. He looked and spoke like an old, old man. Not at all inspiring and easily beaten in a general election. The debate confirmed my worst fears. He had to step down.
When you first heard the news that Biden was dropping out of the race, how did you feel?
Elated. I thought that at last there was a chance for the country, that Trumpy could be beaten. Before that I was depressed as hell about the U.S.
Was it a good thing that President Biden dropped out of the race?
It wasn’t just a good thing, it was a necessity.
How do you think Biden and his presidency will be remembered by history?
Too early to say definitively but I can’t imagine it won’t be looked upon quite favorably. For all the concerns I had about his running again he’s done a good job. They’re’ve been a few stumbles — literal and figurative — but that’s true of any presidency.
When President Biden announced that he wasn’t going to be running, what did you think might happen next?
By the time I had time to think about it it was clear that Kamala Harris was going to be the nominee and the party was going to back her. It seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.
Along those lines, were there candidates you were hoping would run, either Vice President Harris or other Democrats?
I liked and still like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg but given the circumstances with the election just a few months away the sitting vice president made the most sense and I’ve been a long-time fan of hers.
Do you think Harris is the best choice to be the nominee?
It would have been nice if Biden had announced he wasn’t running for re-election back in the Winter so we could have had a competitive primary season. I, and the party as a whole, might have seen one of the people I previously mentioned or still another candidate emerge as a preferred choice, but there’s every chance that Harris would have been the pick. She might not be the best choice but it’s a deep field and she’ll make an excellent president.
If Kamala Harris were a car, what kind of car would she be?
That’s a dumb question and I’m not going to answer it — with all due respect.
Is there anything that you’re concerned about with Harris? Weaknesses?
Just that being a person of color and a woman might lose her votes from closet bigots.
Does the fact that Harris is a woman make you more motivated to vote for her or less motivated, or does it make no difference?
More. It’s nuts that we haven’t had a female president yet especially given how many female heads of state there have been in other parts of the world.
To what extent does the fact that Harris is a person of color make you more or less excited to vote for her, or does it not matter?
More. We’ve had enough honky presidents. Seriously, there’s only been one person of color in the oval office.
Let’s say Kamala Harris had taken truth serum so she had to answer any question honestly. What would you ask her?
Does she want to see Trumpy behind bars.
If you could make one suggestion to Kamala Harris, what would it be?
Go for the jugular. Let’s play rough like they do. Expose Trumpy for what he is, a lying, narcissistic, criminal and con artist.
It’s eight years since Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College. Do you think that the country is more ready to elect a woman and have her win the presidency than it was eight years ago?
Yes, the needle has moved on that one. I believe the country is ready to right the wrong of eight years ago.
Is there a kind of person that you would like to see Harris pick as her running mate?
Anyone who’ll help her win the electoral college. Mark Kelley, Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear would all seem to fit the bill.
Is there anything you want to see her stand her ground on, or just generally stand her ground?
I want her to stand her ground on her core values. It’s what I’d expect of any candidate. Be true to yourself and who you are and articulate that to the people.
Putting aside personal preference, who do you think will win in November — Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?
I’m optimistic. All the momentum is with Kamala right now but there’s still a way to go.
How are you feeling about politics in America right now?
One helluva lot better than I did before Biden announced he wasn’t running for re-election. I feel like there’s hope.
Anything that’s impacted you personally or just something that happened in politics that really bugged you?
“Really bugged” me? The list goes on and on. All the lies from the right like about immigrant crime have been really hard to listen. Also the stupidity and ignorance from the right. What a bunch of morons.
So let’s say Trump wins in November and then we do this focus group four years from now at the end of his second term. How are you going to feel? What’s going to be different about how things are going for you or the country?
What country? It probably won’t be anything we recognize as a democracy anymore. Unthinkable.
Let’s say Kamala Harris wins in November and we do this group again four years from now, toward the end of her term. What’s going to be different? What’s going to be the same? How are you going to feel?
We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? So much depends on what happens in the senatorial and congressional races this year and in the mid-terms. You can’t predict these kind of things. If we’ve reformed the Supreme Court things might be really good. If Trumpism dies with his defeat in November it might help things too, though who knows what will take its place. It could be the good old days.
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