Trump's attacking Harris over lack of substance? Srsly?

HuffPost sent this email to their subscribers on August 22, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris has been getting plenty of scrutiny and more than little grief over the lack of specificity in her .

It’s not hard to see why, though some context might be nice too.

On the one hand, Harris hasn’t sat for interviews or held formal press conferences, or even posted a detailed agenda on her campaign website. Until late last week, when her campaign published a series of proposals to “lower costs for American families,” she hadn’t introduced or defended any major initiatives.

And while Harris had made clear in her speeches that she is mostly running on the same mainstream liberal agenda that President Joe Biden had embraced in his budget proposals, that commitment leaves plenty of room for ambiguity ― which, truth be told, her campaign has seemed in no rush to clear up. Last week, one anonymous adviser told The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein that Harris’ team wasn’t especially worried about critics demanding “five-prong policy agenda” items.

But Harris has actually gotten more specific since then, starting with that initiative on cost for American families she introduced Friday.

In addition to its (controversial) call for a federal law against price-gouging, the initiative included proposals to give the federal government more leverage over prescription drug prices, to extend extra financial assistance now available to people buying health insurance on their own, to subsidize both the construction and purchase of housing, and to reinstate a COVID-era cash stipend for families with children.

One, two, three ... hey, look at that. Five prongs.

And although the press release accompanying the announcement did not address the all-important question of how Harris intends to fund these initiatives — which, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, could require up to $2 trillion in new federal spending over the next decade — her aides subsequently made clear their intentions to raise corporate taxes to 28%. The revenue from that alone would likely cover about half the new initiative’s cost.

That’s not the same as committing openly to that tax hike, or to filling out the rest of her presumably ambitious agenda as her campaign has said she’ll do. Holding her to that vow (as HuffPost’s Jonathan Nicholson does today) seems completely fair, and downright important on topics like immigration, trade and Gaza where even modest deviations from Biden policies could make a big difference.

But (as Jonathan also notes) a little understanding about timing also seems in order.

So much has happened, so quickly, that it’s easy to forget Harris has been campaigning on her own for just a little more than four weeks — and that, during that period, she’s had to take over the Biden campaign apparatus, pick a running mate and then plan the convention she’s currently staging. Developing and presenting its policy agenda is something that typically takes a presidential campaign many months.

Of course, that raises a whole other question, mostly and oddly missing from this debate: What on earth has Donald Trump been doing this whole time?

— Jonathan Cohn (X @CitizenCohn, email [email protected])

The Barack Obama who took the stage in Chicago on Tuesday night evidently hasn’t given up on the ideals of the young man who brought the house down in Boston 20 years ago. The “skinny kid with the funny name” who addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention established himself as a national political figure and laid the groundwork for what, four years later, would be his own successful run for the presidency. Tuesday night, he was older and grayer, though still pretty skinny. And this time, his mission was to promote the presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, rather than that of 2004 Democratic nominee (and then-senator) John Kerry. But Obama’s underlying message was the very same call he issued in Boston — to find common ground with would-be adversaries, to transcend division in a time of unprecedented polarization. And if it felt somehow incompatible with the harsh realities of today’s political environment, it’s worth remembering that it seemed like a pretty audacious argument back then, too.

The Democratic National Convention on Tuesday centered on a star-powered roll call naming Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as their candidates. Then, they turned up the heat on Donald Trump. Michelle Obama brought down the house with a rousing speech with numerous high points across its nearly 22 minutes. But the former first lady got some of her biggest applause when she made a reference to one of Trump’s inflammatory comments at June’s debate when the former president claimed migrants were taking millions of “Black jobs.”

Former President Barack Obama delivered a lofty speech in support of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, hailing her as a visionary leader with the experience and values to help the country “move past some of the tired old debates that keep stifling progress.” Harnessing Democrats’ sense of excitement about Harris, Obama presented the Democratic presidential nominee as a natural heir to his optimistic first presidential bid. After explaining how the country needs a president committed to empowering workers in “this new economy,” Obama said, “Kamala will be that president.”

Former President Barack Obama slipped in a joke about Donald Trump’s exaggerations about the crowds at his rallies during a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. In his remarks at the convention in Chicago, Obama argued that Trump is more concerned with the crowds he draws than with everyday Americans’ worries. “Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” he said. “There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” he continued, making a suggestive “length” gesture with his hands.

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͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ HUFFPOST Politics YTHUFFPOSTI # Vice President Kamala Harris has been getting plenty of scrutiny and more than little grief over the lack of specificity in her . It’s not hard to see why, though some context might be nice too. On the one hand, Harris hasn’t sat for interviews or held formal press conferences, or even posted a detailed agenda on her campaign website. Until late last week, when her campaign published a series of proposals to “lower costs for American families,” she hadn’t introduced or defended any major initiatives. And while Harris had made clear in her speeches that she is mostly running on the same mainstream liberal agenda that President Joe Biden had embraced in his budget proposals, that commitment leaves plenty of room for ambiguity ― which, truth be told, her campaign has seemed in no rush to clear up. Last week, one anonymous adviser told The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein that Harris’ team wasn’t especially worried about critics demanding “five-prong policy agenda” items. But Harris has actually gotten more specific since then, starting with that initiative on cost for American families she introduced Friday. In addition to its (controversial) call for a federal law against price-gouging, the initiative included proposals to give the federal government more leverage over prescription drug prices, to extend extra financial assistance now available to people buying health insurance on their own, to subsidize both the construction and purchase of housing, and to reinstate a COVID-era cash stipend for families with children. One, two, three ... hey, look at that. Five prongs. And although the press release accompanying the announcement did not address the all-important question of how Harris intends to fund these initiatives — which, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, could require up to $2 trillion in new federal spending over the next decade — her aides subsequently made clear their intentions to raise corporate taxes to 28%. The revenue from that alone would likely cover about half the new initiative’s cost. That’s not the same as committing openly to that tax hike, or to filling out the rest of her presumably ambitious agenda as her campaign has said she’ll do. Holding her to that vow (as HuffPost’s Jonathan Nicholson does today) seems completely fair, and downright important on topics like immigration, trade and Gaza where even modest deviations from Biden policies could make a big difference. But (as Jonathan also notes) a little understanding about timing also seems in order. So much has happened, so quickly, that it’s easy to forget Harris has been campaigning on her own for just a little more than four weeks — and that, during that period, she’s had to take over the Biden campaign apparatus, pick a running mate and then plan the convention she’s currently staging. Developing and presenting its policy agenda is something that typically takes a presidential campaign many months. Of course, that raises a whole other question, mostly and oddly missing from this debate: What on earth has Donald Trump been doing this whole time? Read more — Jonathan Cohn (X @CitizenCohn, email [email protected]) Your World, Your Health * So THAT'S The Difference Between Cheap And Expensive Vitamins * 'Tossing' Could Be A Potential Sign Of ADHD. Do You Do It? * So THAT'S Why You Feel So Tired After Being Out In The Sun * This 1 Toilet Habit Makes You More Prone To Hemorrhoids — And You're Probably Doing It * Researchers Have Discovered 2 New Dementia Risk Factors. Here's What They Are. * Study Finds Gen Xers And Millennials Are At Higher Risk For These 17 Cancers # # What Else Is Happening The Barack Obama who took the stage in Chicago on Tuesday night evidently hasn’t given up on the ideals of the young man who brought the house down in Boston 20 years ago. The “skinny kid with the funny name” who addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention established himself as a national political figure and laid the groundwork for what, four years later, would be his own successful run for the presidency. Tuesday night, he was older and grayer, though still pretty skinny. And this time, his mission was to promote the presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, rather than that of 2004 Democratic nominee (and then-senator) John Kerry. But Obama’s underlying message was the very same call he issued in Boston — to find common ground with would-be adversaries, to transcend division in a time of unprecedented polarization. And if it felt somehow incompatible with the harsh realities of today’s political environment, it’s worth remembering that it seemed like a pretty audacious argument back then, too. Read more The Democratic National Convention on Tuesday centered on a star-powered roll call naming Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as their candidates. Then, they turned up the heat on Donald Trump. Michelle Obama brought down the house with a rousing speech with numerous high points across its nearly 22 minutes. But the former first lady got some of her biggest applause when she made a reference to one of Trump’s inflammatory comments at June’s debate when the former president claimed migrants were taking millions of “Black jobs.” Read more Former President Barack Obama delivered a lofty speech in support of Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday, hailing her as a visionary leader with the experience and values to help the country “move past some of the tired old debates that keep stifling progress.” Harnessing Democrats’ sense of excitement about Harris, Obama presented the Democratic presidential nominee as a natural heir to his optimistic first presidential bid. After explaining how the country needs a president committed to empowering workers in “this new economy,” Obama said, “Kamala will be that president.” Read more Former President Barack Obama slipped in a joke about Donald Trump’s exaggerations about the crowds at his rallies during a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday. In his remarks at the convention in Chicago, Obama argued that Trump is more concerned with the crowds he draws than with everyday Americans’ worries. “Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” he said. “There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” he continued, making a suggestive “length” gesture with his hands. Read more Section Header text Before You Go * DNC Hits Trump Where It Hurts With Scathing Supercut Aimed At His Newest Sore Spot * Doug Emhoff Tells The Awkward Story Of Meeting Kamala Harris * Everybody Loved The DNC's DJ-Led Roll Call Full Of Bangers * The Wildest Moments From The DNC's Completely Off-The-Hook Roll Call Celebration * Railing Against ‘Oligarchs,’ Sanders Touts Harris’ Achievements For Workers * * How Trump’s Behavior Keeps Undermining His Most Effective Message * Donald Trump Interview Goes Off The Rails During Cocaine-Focused Tangent * Trump's Latest Claim About Crime Is A Real Doozy The stakes have never been higher As the 2024 presidential race heats up, the very foundations of our democracy are at stake. A vibrant democracy is impossible without well-informed citizens. This is why HuffPost's journalism is free for everyone, not just those who can afford expensive paywalls. We cannot do this without your help. Support our newsroom by contributing as little as $1 a month. Support HuffPost HUFFPOST Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? — ! ©2024 HuffPost BuzzFeed, Inc, 229 W 43rd St, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10036 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost. Feedback | |

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