By Mayank Chhaya-
Vice President Kamala Harris’s first major unscripted television interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday, Aug 29, turned out to be efficient but not particularly memorable.
Contrary to Republican propaganda, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee was in command of her circumstance considering that it was her first formal conversation with a major network.
Bash, although polite, was firm in pressing Harris about various issues during a 27-minute conversation which was not particularly elaborate but adequate as the first of its kind.
Her only debate with former president and Republican rival Donald Trump scheduled for September 10, the interview offered a preview of how Harris might prosecute her case in a setting that will clearly be longer and far more detail-heavy.
It was not as if the vice president did not adequately answer all questions but that she answered just about adequately enough offered a glimpse into her circumspect personality. As was evident in her speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris avoided soaring rhetoric and instead focused on clarity without being glib. If she cogitated while answering, she concealed it rather well.
One of her challenges was to strike a delicate balance between extolling the achievements of President Joe Biden and his legacy, which did very well, even while projecting her own distinct personality separated from him. She managed that well too, especially on the vexatious issue of the Israel-Gaza war. She broadly reiterated the stand she had taken during her convention address.
On the one hand she offered steadfast support for Israel but on the other spoke up for the Palestinian people equally strongly, including their right to self-determination. She said she is “unequivocal and unwavering” in her “commitment to Israel’s defense and its ability to defend itself”. “That’s not gonna change,” she said.
At the same time, she said that “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed”, and that “we have got to get a deal done”. “This war must end, and we must get a deal that is about getting the hostages out,” Harris said.
She was asked about Trump’s familiar race-baiting about her identity. In keeping with her approach, she was dismissive saying it was the “same old tired playbook”. She did not go beyond that. It was along those lines that she kept away from at all mentioning her race and gender. It is obvious that she has decided to treat both as incidental to her life.
It was quite remarkable that even when offered what in cricketing parlance would be considered a half volley by Bash about a viral New York Times photograph of her niece watching her speak at the convention, Harris chose not to hit it over the boundary. “I am running because I believe that I am the best person to do this job at this moment for all Americans, regardless of race and gender,” she said.
One point that came across strongly is that she will use the next 68 days of campaigning to reach out to Republicans who may be exhausted with Trump. Bash asked her if she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet. She said she would, adding: “I think it’s really important. I have spent my career inviting diversity of opinion. I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences. And I think it would be to the benefit of the American public to have a member of my cabinet who was a Republican.”
The interview also raised questions about her stance on fracking, which she said she is for within the broader policy framework that is driven by the problem of climate change, as well as immigration, which she said she would be tough on within the US laws.
It was not anybody’s expectation that Harris would offer an incandescent interview. It was some detractors’ worry that she might be uncomfortable. She was neither incandescent nor uncomfortable but instead used the opportunity to project efficiency rather than élan.
