(DCNF)—CNN’s Dana Bash on Monday suggested that voters may be holding Vice President Kamala Harris to an unfair standard by demanding more policy specifics from her, claiming former President Donald Trump has also been vague.
Some undecided voters and focus groups have raised concerns about Harris’ policies as she has flip-flopped significantly since her 2020 presidential run, and has infrequently faced questions and dodged queries on the campaign trail. Bash, on “Inside Politics with Dana Bash,” asked why Harris is facing more policy scrutiny than Trump, given her assertion that “he hasn’t really super articulated his economic policies.”
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“Let’s put all of these polls in context as to what has happened in the last week or two. Obviously, was the debate a couple of weeks ago now, where Kamala Harris, by all accounts, did clean Donald Trump’s clock. And then if you look at some of the ancillary headlines that we have seen from Donald Trump and what he is putting out there, it’s not exactly policy-focused, like at all,” Bash said, showing screenshots of five negative headlines about Trump. “In fact, you could argue that they’re not positive for him in the least, if you are thinking about a traditional persuadable voter campaign trying to get people who aren’t sure to come to his side.”
“I mean, everything from falsely accusing, we know what happened with cats and dogs in Ohio, to Laura Loomer to saying he hates Taylor Swift and it goes on and on and on. And yet, David Chalian, you hear time and time again, the question from focus groups, from undecided voters, but what about her policies?” she continued. “What, what is that about? Because he, yes, he was president, but he hasn’t really super articulated his economic policies for a second term besides tax cuts.”
Harris did not add a policy page to her campaign website until over a month into her 2024 presidential campaign. Her policy platform does not address the key issues on which she has changed her stances.
“He was asked this weekend about what his plan is to bring down costs and it was sort of lacking any kind of specificity … I think what it is is she’s newer to the scene for voters. I mean, it’s just she’s a newer character playing on the main stage in American politics for voters and so they are wanting to learn more about her,” CNN political director David Chalian told Bash. “I don‘t even know that they necessarily are demanding specific policy proposals but you said yes, he’s been president. I mean, I think that is part of it though. He was president.”
“Americans observed him as president for four years. I think they have fewer questions in their mind about what does a Trump presidency look like,” he continued. “And so that is why I think there are questions still for … undecided persuadable voters who are still yearning for a bit more on her.”