A senior adviser to South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign subtweeted Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) for walking back her position on federally mandated busing just after berating former Vice President Joe Biden on the Democratic debate stage last week over the issue.
Yawn. Harris didn’t walk back a thing. The question included the words ‘federally mandated busing’. Her answer was ‘yes’ it should be a tool in the toolbox. Her own campaign confirmed her position a few days ago. Her interview in Bloomberg a few days ago confirmed her position. Biden keeps bringing this up and he has been tying himself in knots today at all of the 4th of July parades he’s attending in IA. Buttigieg dropped post-debates. His road back is to pick up Swalwell’s ‘pass the torch’ theme and take votes from both Biden and Bernie. This is just a bad take from Lis Smith both substantively and politically for her candidate.
Yeah, just keep ignoring what she actually said, maybe it’ll all blow over.
We’re supposed to be better than this, not calling something fake news that isn’t.
I bet this comes up in the next debate, at the end of the month. I presume that she meant that she supports busing in specific instances, but she is going to have to work on a better answer. (And she needs to remember that knives, rhetorically speaking, will be out.)
I posted the whole exchange below and excerpted a key quote below. The whole conversation assumed mandated busing as an option and she unequivocally said ‘yes’. That the clueless white commentariat like David Axelrod want to find some wiggle room here and parse words doesn’t mean the rest of TPM has to buy this bullshit.
Way to go gang. How about, we remember who the enemy who the is. TRUMP lest you forget.
I made a simple observation, with no particular judgement of positions (other than to acknowledge that the answer she has provided has met with some criticism). Her performance in the debate was impressive, and was widely admired, except, of course, by supporters of Biden. They will be out to claw back some of what they may have lost in the last debate. I presume that she and her staff are aware of this situation.)
I’m sorry but she absolutely did walk it back. She said it should be a “tool” for local governments. The same answer Biden gave. Also, WTF does David Axlerod being white have to do with anything other than you race baiting.
Then it’s not in the hands of the school district, as she said elsewhere…
Using a position as a cudgel but then not advocating that position does make her appear a bit… how shall I say it… Craven, perhaps?
In the minds of many…
[It seems that Harris’ emotional rendition of busing and her personal experience with it was the fulcrum which moved her up and Biden down]
That is a bad space for Harris right now. Because any subsequent imperfection by Harris would evoke what Team-Mayor-Pete is doing right now.
With the relief and gusto of a bunch of folks still in the Fight.
Going forward, whatever the primary differences are between Biden and Harris (or between Harris and anyone) they should be on policy, not tear-jerking tales of woe. You want to get emotional? No problem…BUT FIRST lock in the policy…Policy that should be phrased concisely and accurately so that reporters doing the quoting can–THEMSELVES–be checked.
I have sensed that Liz Warren does a better job at this.
Add this to the walk-back about private insurance as well. I hope this doesn’t become a habit - hope it isn’t actually.
She’s a disaster. For it before she was against it. I can see Donald Trump opening her up like a can of rotten sardines in a debate. Why in the world would you introduce a topic like forced bussing into this debate/election? At this point I can’t help but think dems are well on the way to losing against Trump.
The current circumstances have complications (for Harris, Biden and now Buttigieg), but I think it is rather hyperbolic to say that “she is a disaster.” (And it is a curious choice of phrasing to address so strongly against her, rather than a particular set of statements, unless you were going to make a broader case. And in any case, whether or not the current circumstances turn out in some particular way has yet to be seen.)
Buttigieg has a point. The last thing we need is reckless posturing by Democratic candidates in the debates. Nobody seriously believes that federally mandated bussing is in order, and yet it’s now a millstone that will be hung around the neck of every Democrat, both to scare moderate voters and to cause division within the party. And debate moderators like Chuck Todd will only too happily throw fuel on the fire.
I know it’s asking a lot, but Democratic candidates should, as much as possible, agree to a ceasefire on inflammatory and pointless talking points. Stop accusing each other of racism. Stop trying to outdo each other on immigration receptiveness. Stop talking about the abolition of private medical insurance, which not even Canada, Germany or the UK have.
Democrats have a huge policy advantage on Republicans on the economy, healthcare, taxes, and the environment. There is so much low-hanging fruit there: increase taxes on the rich, a public option, massive job-creating investment in renewable energy, ending corporate welfare for the fossil fuel industry. This is all mainstream, no-brainer stuff that should be talked about as such. There is no need to paint a superfluous, twitter-friendly gloss of empty radicality on this. Stop sounding radical, and start acting it.
Keeping this story alive only hurts Joe Biden. The base of his support right now is older black voters! I don’t understand their thinking. Smartest thing to do is let the story die. And Buttigiege is at 0% with black voters, I don’t even know how trying to mosey in on this issue is good for him.
I think Warren’s greatest weapon against Trump is that she is a policy wonk who has learned political skills in order to achieve her goals, rather than a politician who has a set of policies that have to be continually shaded and sculpted to advance political ambitions.
Yup, nothing like dredging up something that hasn’t been on the radar for decades to try to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory…
Great Post
You too.