It has been over a month since Vice-President Kamala Harris became the presumptive and then the actual Democratic nominee for President. During all that time she has not had a single press conference or sit-down interview with a bona fide journalist. Just recently, her campaign announced that she has (finally) scheduled an interview for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, with CNN. The interview will be aired this Thursday evening. The questioner will be the network’s chief political correspondent Dana Bash.
Herewith are some questions Ms Bash could profitably ask the Vice-President and her running mate.
- Up until the moment that President Joe Biden was effectively forced off the ticket, you defended him against the charge that his mental acuity was rapidly declining. Do you now regret doing so? If not, why not? Do you maintain that Mr Biden still has what it takes to do the job for another 4 years? If he is incapacitated, should Mr Biden resign now?
- Your running mate Governor Walz has said just recently that the First amendment does not protect either “hate speech” or “misinformation”. Do you agree with him? If you agree, what steps would you take to restrict speech with which you disagree? If you restrict speech, how would you respond to the legal challenges that are sure to come?
- Before you dropped out of the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination you said you wanted to ban fracking. Recently a campaign spokesman said you were no longer in favor of such a ban. Which is it? Are you in favor of a ban or not? If you are no longer in favor of a ban, what prompted you to change your mind?
- Just recently, in the face of near universal disparagement by economists across the ideological spectrum, you suggested that your administration would impose price controls on groceries if prices were deemed “excessive”. What makes you think that a government agency is capable of determining the “correct” price for groceries, or anything else for that matter? How would you avoid creating shortages of basic commodities? Can you name a single country in the world where price controls have actually worked? What makes you think that they would work this time, after such a record of failure?
- Turning to foreign policy: it is now reliably reported that Al Qaede, the terrorist organization, is operating in Afghanistan. In light of that, would you still call the Biden administration’s decision to abandon our military presence there a success? The Taliban has imposed strict Sharia law in Afghanistan. It is the only country in the world where girls are forbidden to attend school after the primary grades. The U.S. is the largest donor of aid to Afghanistan, with the UN shipping about $2.6 billion from the US since the collapse of the government after the US withdrawal. Would a Harris Administration continue with this funding? If so, why?
- It has been about 2.5 years since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine. The US has resisted the Russian invasion by being the largest supplier of armaments to Kiev. But the US has never explained its strategy or its goals to the American people. Since you are Vice President my question is: Why not? What goal would the Harris Administration seek and what strategy would the Harris Administration implement to achieve the goal? How would the Harris Administration define success in achieving the goal?
- Turning to the Middle East: On October 7, Hamas launched a savage surprise attack on Israel. According to polling, something like 70% of Gazan residents are sympathetic with Hamas. Would you continue the Biden Administration’s policies with respect to Israel and Gaza? If not how would a Harris Administration differ from the Biden Administration?
- Turning toward Asia: China has become increasingly aggressive in the South China Sea and beyond, going so far as to have the Chinese military violate Japanese air space with fighter jets; China has also attacked Philippine fishing vessels with water canons. China, along with North Korea and Iran have continued to supply Russia with war materiel, in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine. What defense policy approach would a Harris Administration adopt vis-a-vis China? Would it be materially different from the Biden Administration’s approach?
- Iran, Russia, North Korea and China all appear to be cooperating to act against Western interests. Are they? If so what, if anything, does a Harris Administration intend to do about it? In 2020 then Senator Harris said “I unequivocally agree with the goal of reducing the defense budget and redirecting funding to communities in need.” In light of all the threats the US and its western allies face, do you still want to reduce the defense budget?
- (10)Depending on how you measure it, the US has accumulated about $35 trillion in debt obligations through bond sales, or about 100% of GDP. The largest drivers of the debt are Social Security and Medicare. Left alone the Social Security Trust fund will run out in the mid 2030s necessitating a drastic reduction in benefits. How would a Harris Administration address this problem?
- JFB
Please follow and like us:
