Harris first interview – Transcript

This is the ‘First’ anything really, since Kamala Harris was anointed as the new democratic candidate without any of the public’s voice, or consideration.

Here we will give full ‘transcript’ coverage and my ‘JRG’ commentary (in gold) – of all three CNN ‘edited’ interview segments.

Part 1 – Economy

Bash, D. (2024, aug 29). Dana Bash’s interview with Kamala Harris. Part 1. CNN.  8:13

@:00 DB:  Madame Vice President, Governor Walz, thank you so much for sitting down with me and bringing the bus. The bus tour is well underway here in Georgia. You have less time to make case to voters than any candidate in modern American history. The voters are really eager to hear what your plans are. If you area elected, what would you do on day 1 in the White House?
KH: Well there are a number of things. I will tell you first and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. Um, When I look at aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people. I think that people are ready for a new way forward. Um, in a way generations of Americans have been fueled by hope, and by optimism. I think sadly in the last decade, um, we have had in the former president, someone who is really has been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans. Really dividing our nation, and I think people are ready to turn the page on that.

@1:21 DB: So what would you do day 1?
KH: Day one, It’s going to be about 1), implementing my plan for what I call an ‘opportunity economy’. I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard. (‘TELL’ – watch body language here). Which includes what we are going to do to bring down the costs of everyday goods, what we’re going to do to invest in America’s small businesses, what we’re going to do to invest in families, for example, extending the child tax credit to $6000 for families for the first year of their child’s life. To help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib. It’s about investing in the American family around housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one.

JRG – We know that the current administration, where she currently sits in the White House, and has had opportunity to address a lot of the problems facing Americans right now. Why hasn’t she?

@2:04 DB: What about you? (to Tim Walz)
TW: Well I’m excited about this agenda too, as I said, the idea of inspiring America to what can be, and I think many of these things that the vice president is proposing are things that we share in values. And the child tax credit is one we know reduces childhood poverty by 1/3. We did it in Minnesota. To have a federal partner in this, um unbelievable in the impact that we can make.

@2:25 DB:  You talk about, you call it, the ‘Opportunity Economy’… you are well aware, that right now many Americans are struggling. There’s a crisis of affordability. (KH: yeah, yeah) One of your campaign themes is “We’re not going back”. But I wonder what you say to voters who ‘do want to go back’ when it comes the economies, specifically? Because their groceries were less expensive, housing was more affordable when Donald Trump was president.
KH: Well let’s start with the fact that when Joe Biden and I came into office, during the height of the pandemic, we saw over ten million jobs were lost. Uh, people, I mean literally, we were all tracking the numbers, hundreds of people a day were dying because of Covid. The economy had crashed. In large part, all of that because of mismanagement by Donald Trump of that crisis. When we came in, our highest priority was to do what we could to rescue America, and today we know that we have inflation at under 3% percent. A lot of our policies have led to the reality that America recovered faster than any wealthy nation around the world. But you are right, prices in particular for groceries are still too high. The American people know it, I know it. Which is why my agenda includes what we need to do to bring down the price of groceries for example, dealing with an issue like price gouging. What we need to do to extend the child tax credit to help young families be able to take care of their children in their most formative years. What we need to do to bring down the cost of housing. (‘TELL’ – watch body language here) My proposal includes what would be a tax credit of $25,000 for first time homebuyers. So they can just have enough to put a down payment on a home which is part of the American dream, and their aspiration. But do it in a way that allows them actually get on the path to achieving that goal and that dream.

@4:23 DB: So you have been vice president for 3 ½ years, the steps that you’re talking about now, why haven’t you done them already?
KH: Well first of all, we had to recover, as an economy. And we have done that, I’m very proud of the work that we have done that has brought inflation down to less than 3%. The work that we have done to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors. Donald Trump said he was going to do a number of things including allowing medicare to negotiate drug prices, never happened, we did it. So now, as I travel in the state of Georgia, and around our country, the number seniors that have benefitted, I’ve met, I was in Nevada recently, uh, uh a grandmother (‘TELL’ – watch body language here), who showed me her receipts, and before we capped we cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month, she was paying hundreds of dollars, up to thousands of dollars a month for her insulin. She’s not doing that anymore.

@ 5:13 DB: So you maintain Bidenomics is a success?
KH: I maintain that when we do the work of bringing down prescription medication for the American people, including capping the cost of the annual cost of prescription medication for seniors at $2,000 , [when we do what did, in the first year of being in office, to extend the child tax credit so that we cut child poverty in America by over 50%, when we do what we have done to invest in the American people and bringing manufacturing back to United States, so that we created over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs, bring business back to America, what we have done to improve the supply chain so we’re not relying on foreign governments to supply American families with their basic needs, I’ll say that that’s good work. There’s more to do, but that’s good work.

@ 6:03 DB: I want to get some clarity on where you stand on some key policy issues. Energy is a big one. When you were in congress, you supported the green new deal. And in 2019, you said ”there is no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.” Fracking as you know, is a pretty big issue, (KH: sure) particularly in your must win state of Pennsylvania. (KH: sure) Do you still want to ban fracking?

KH: NO, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020. That I would not ban fracking, as Vice President I did not ban fracking, as President I will not ban fracking.

@ 6:39 DB: In 2019 I believe, in a town hall you said, you were asked, “would you commit to implement a federal ban on fracking on your first day in office. And you said, “There’s no question that I’m in favor of banning fracking,” so yes, it changed in that campaign?
KH: In 2020, I made very clear where I stand. We are in 2024, and I have not changed that position, nor will I going forward. I kept my work, and I’ll keep my word.

@7:04 DB: What made you change that position at the time?
KH: Let’s be clear, my values have not changed. I believe that it is very important we take seriously what we must do to guard against what is a clear crisis in terms of the climate. And to do that, we can do what we have accomplished thus far, the Inflation Reduction Act, what we have done to invest, by my calculation over ten, probably a trillion dollars over the next ten years. Investing in a clean energy economy. What we’ve already done, creating over 300,000 new clean energy jobs. That tells me, from my experience as vice president, that we can do it without banning fracking. In fact Dana,  I cast the tie breaking vote that actually increases leasing for fracking (DB: yeah) as vice president, so I’m very clear about where I stand.

@7:57 DB: Was there some policy, or scientific data that you saw, and said, oh ok, I get it now?
KH: What I have seen is that we can, we can grow and we can increase a thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.

Part 2  – The Border and Immigration

Bash, D. (2024, aug 29). Dana Bash’s interview with Kamala Harris. Part 2. CNN. 8:29.

@ :00 DB: Another issue, big one is immigration. As vice president, you were tasked with addressing the root causes of migration southern in countries and (KH: in northern part of Central America) the northern part of Central America that deals with that affects the southern border of the U.S. During the Biden-Harris administration, there were record numbers of illegal border crossings. Why did the Biden-Harris administration wait three and a half years to implement sweeping asylum restrictions?
KH: Well, first of all, the root causes work that I did as vice president that I was asked to do by the president has actually resulted in a number of benefits, including historic investments by American businesses in that region. The number of, immigrants coming from that region has actually reduced since we began that work. But I will say this, that Joe Biden and I and our administration worked with members of the United States Congress, on an immigration issue that is very significant to the American people and to our security, which is the border. And through bipartisan work, including some of the most conservative members of the United States Congress, a bill (S.4361 – 05/16/2024) was crafted which we supported, which I support. 

And Donald Trump got word of this bill, that would have contributed to securing our border, and because he believes that it would not have helped him politically, he told his folks in Congress, don’t put it forward. He killed the bill. A border security bill that would have put 1500 more agents on the border. Let me tell you something. The Border Patrol endorsed the bill and I’m sure, and I’m sure in large part because they knew they were working around the clock and 1500 more agents would help them.  That bill would have allowed us to increase seizures of fentanyl. Ask any community in America that has been devastated by fentanyl what passing that bill would have done to address their concern and the pain that they’ve experienced.

@ 2:07 DB:  So you would push that legislation again? I just want ask about…
KH:  Not only push it. I will make sure that it comes to my desk and I would sign it.

@ 2:14 DB:  Just one other question about, something that you said in 2019 when you first ran. There was a debate, you raised your hand when asked whether or not the border should be decriminalized. Do you still believe that?
KH:  I believe there should be consequences. We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences. And let’s be clear, in this race, I’m the only person who has prosecuted transnational criminal organizations who trafficking guns, drugs, and human beings. I’m the only person in this race who actually served a border state as attorney general to enforce our laws and I would enforce our laws as president, going forward, I recognize the problem.

JRG – So going forward starting in 2024 you want to address the illegal immigrant issue, but you didn’t care to address the 7.5 million illegals that crossed under your term as VP? How do you plan to bring consequences to them and make them accountable under the law?

@ 3:03 DB:  Generally speaking, how should voters look at some of the changes that you’ve made, that you explain some up here, in your policy? Is it because you have more experience now and you’ve learned more about the information? Is it because you were running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you’re saying now is going to be your policy moving forward?
KH:  Dana, I think the the the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed. You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time. We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R.5376 – Inflation Reduction Act of 2022). We have set goals for the United States of America and, by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as an example. That value has not changed. My value around what we need to do to secure our border. That value has not changed. I spent two terms as the Attorney General of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage, the illegal passage of guns, drugs and human beings across our border. My values have not changed. So that is the reality of it. And four years of being vice president, I’ll tell you, one of the the aspects to your point is traveling the country extensively, I mean, I’m here in Georgia. I think somebody told me 17 times since I’ve been Vice President, in Georgia alone, I believe it is important to build consensus. And it is important to, to to find a common place of understanding of where we can actually solve problems.

@ 5:00 DB:  On that note. You had a lot of Republican speakers at the convention. Will you appoint a Republican to your cabinet?
KH:  Yes, I would. Yes I would.
DB: Anyone in mind?
KH:  No. No one in particular in mind. I got, we got 68 days to go with this election, so I’m not putting the cart before the horse. But I would. I think, I think it’s really important. I, I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table and when some of the most import decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences. And I think, it would be to the benefit of the American public to have ‘a member‘ of my cabinet who was a Republican.

Part 3 – Walz and Family

Bash, D. (2024, aug 29). Dana Bash’s interview with Kamala Harris. Part 3. CNN.  10:16.

JRG – overall, this was a fluff segment relating to their families… nothing significant to the American people on policy. The rest covered Mr. Walz public comments on multiple issues that were proved to be untrue. (I did not transcribe this section.)

Tim Walz discusses how he described his service in the national guard as ‘carrying weapons of war’ when it wasn’t how it really went down as shown in 2018 where he said:

“I spent 25 years in the Army and I hunt. And I gave the [NRA’s] money back. And I will tell you what I have been doing. I’ve been voting for common sense legislation that protects the Second Amendment, but we can do background checks, we can do CDC research, we can make sure that we don’t reciprocal carry among states. And we can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place carried are allowed.”

As John Lott states in his video summary: “In just a few sentences, Walz made false claims about assault weapons, background checks, CDC research, and reciprocal carry.“

Lott, J. (2018). Tim Walz’s lies on Gun Control in 2018. 00:48.

@1:23 DB: You had to clarify, you said you and you wife used IVF, but it turns out you used a different kind of fertility in order to have children. And then when you ran for congress in 2006, your campaign repeatedly made false statements about a 1995 arrest for Drunk and Reckless Driving. What do you say to voters who aren’t sure whether they can take you at your word?
TW: I’ve been very public, I think they can see my students come out, and former folks I‘d served with and they vouch for me. I certainly own my mistakes when I make them. The one think I’ll tell you is um, I wish in this country I wouldn’t have to do this. I spoke about our infertility issues cause it’s hell, and families know this. I spoke about the treatments that were available to us that had those beautiful children there. That’s quite a contrast in folks that are trying to take those rights away from us. And so I, I think people know who I am, they know that record, they’ve seen I’ve brought thousands of student that have been out there, and I won’t apologize for speaking passionately whether its guns in schools…

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Thanks to all who took the time to look at real look at the Democratic Nominee with us.

After listening to her interview, I am still in strong support of Robert Kennedy Jr’s. Policies.
When I go down the list, I check every single one!