Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gave a candid answer when asked about Vice President Kamala Harris flip-flopping on several of her progressive policy positions with less than two months to go until the November election.
She’s previously supported a ban on fracking, now she does not.
“I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.”
When asked to defend her shifting policy positions during her first sit-down interview as the nominee in August, Harris said her “values have not changed.”
“I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,” Harris told CNN’s Dana Bash.
On NBC, Sanders said his views were “slightly different” than Harris’, but he still considers her a “progressive” with similar goals.
Sanders reiterated that he believes Harris to be a “progressive” before listing policies they share support for.
“While Donald Trump is wedded to the extreme ideas in his Project 2025 agenda, Vice President Harris believes real leadership means bringing all sides together to build consensus,” spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said in a statement.
A Harris campaign adviser told Fox that her positions have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”
Harris and former President Trump will meet Tuesday at a debate hosted by ABC News.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. expressed a direct response when questioned about Vice President Kamala Harris’s reversal of some of her progressive policy stances with less than two months until the election in November.
“She no longer supports Medicare-for-All; she did not in the past. Though she no longer supports it, she used to support a ban on fracking. You have run on these platforms, senator. Kristen Welker, an anchor for NBC, questioned Sanders on “Meet the Press”: “Do you think she is abandoning her progressive ideals?”. “. .
He answered, “No, I don’t think she’s giving up on her ideals.”. “In my opinion, she is attempting to win the election by acting pragmatistically and fairly. “.
Under the campaign’s “pragmatic” approach, Harris shifts important positions on border and illegal immigration.
Harris has disassociated herself from her prior support of extreme left-wing policies on immigration, energy, and health care since she was announced as the Democratic nominee.
In August, during her first in-person interview as the nominee, Harris was asked to defend her shifting positions on policy. She responded, saying, “My values have not changed.”. “.”.
According to Harris, “my values have not changed,” which is the most crucial and noteworthy component of his policy perspective and decisions, as he stated to CNN’s Dana Bash. “The Green New Deal was brought up. I have consistently maintained my belief—and pursued action—that the climate crisis is genuine and urgent, requiring us to use metrics such as adhering to time constraints. That’s what the Inflation Reduction Act accomplished. “.
Harris went on, “We have set goals for when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the United States of America and, by extension, the globe.”.
“That worth is still the same. My beliefs about the measures we must take to safeguard our border remain the same. During my two terms as California’s attorney general, I prosecuted transnational criminal organizations and illegal gun, drug, and human trafficking across our border. “My principles remain the same,” she declared.
Sanders claimed on NBC that although he and Harris had “slightly different” opinions, he still saw Harris as a “progressive” with similar objectives.
48 HOURS: SINCE EMERGING AS A DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, KAMALA HARRIS HAS NOT HAD AN OFFICIAL PRESS CONFERENCE.
In reference to Harris’s withdrawal of support for Medicare-for-All, Sanders stated, “She has another approach toward moving to universal health care.”.
“But once more, I believe that if you run on those issues and raise questions with billionaires, you know what? She’s going to win, and I think she can win big,” he said. “But again, I think on issues like expanding Medicare, like expanding Social Security and lifting the cap on taxable income that the rich put so we can raise Social Security benefits—the need to raise the minimum wage from a starvation $7.25 minimum wage to a living wage.”.
Sanders listed the policies that both of them support before restating his belief that Harris is a “progressive.”.
Indeed, she and I are not at the same place, but when she mentions extending the child tax credit, which we did in the American Rescue Plan, for instance, I believe that to be an example. Our goal was a 40% reduction in childhood poverty. As the wealthiest nation on the planet, we shouldn’t have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty, Kristen. She mentions 3 million units of affordable housing, which is significant because America is currently experiencing a severe housing crisis. It is important that we grow the union movement in order to ensure that workers receive fair wages, which is why it is significant that she mentions passing the PRO Act to facilitate union membership. Thus, while her opinions differ from mine, I still regard her as progressive,” he continued.
The Harris campaign has been contacted by Fox News Digital for a statement.
Prior to this, a campaign representative verified to Fox News Digital that Harris had shifted a number of her core policy stances and was adopting a “pragmatic” strategy in an effort to “bring all sides together.”. “.”.
Spokesman Mia Ehrenberg stated in a statement, “While Donald Trump is wedded to the extreme ideas in his Project 2025 agenda, Vice President Harris believes real leadership means bringing all sides together to build consensus.”. That strategy allowed the Biden-Harris administration to accomplish bipartisan advances on a range of issues, including infrastructure and the prevention of gun violence. She will adopt the same sensible stance as president, emphasizing practical fixes for the sake of advancement. “.
The positions of Harris and her campaign adviser, according to Fox, have been “shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris administration.”. ****.
On Tuesday, ABC News will host a debate between Harris and the former president of the United States, Donald Trump.
