A Disappointing Interview

 I watched the interview of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on CNN last night at 9 pm. The experience was unsatisfying.

I mistakenly assumed that the interview would be broadcast live. Instead, it was recorded and edited somewhat. In particular, clips were aired earlier promoting the interview and giving grist to the Trump liar mill. Interviewer Dana Bash introduced segments of the interview over the notation LIVE. Those introductions were live, but the interview was not. Frustratingly, she was shown asking certain questions before commercial breaks, but the recording of the question and answer was broadcast much later in the hour. The interview ran for nearly 50 minutes, but it was interrupted by so many commercials that the actual interview was considerably shorter. I had not anticipated such a commercial production.

Bash asked some good questions, but the fact that there was little follow-up made the interview less useful than it might have been. Not surprisingly, nearly all the questions were directed to Harris, rather than her running mate.

Bash’s first question concerned what Harris planned to do on her first day in office. This was something of a stupid question prompted by Trump’s statements about what he would do on his first day. Whereas Trump wants immediately to reverse every Biden policy he can by executive action, Harris has no such need. She answered in general terms about instituting what she called the “opportunity economy.” Her first day in office will likely not be dramatic.

The next question referred to citizens who want to go back to prices of an earlier day. Harris pointed out that the Biden/Harris team inherited an economy in poor shape, and she cited some of the policies she has articulated intended to lower certain prices and provide subsidies for others. I was disappointed that she did not place more blame for inflation on the pandemic. Further, she should have declared that the general price level will not come down, and that such deflation would be a bad occurrence if it did. (People tend to associate inflation with higher prices rather than a higher rate of price increases. A brief economics lesson would have been helpful here, as inflation, even  coming down as it is, is viewed as a plus for the Trump campaign.)

The most notable Harris response came as Bash suggested that Harris’s policies have changed over the years. The candidate didn’t dispute the charge but insisted that her values haven’t changed. (She could have said more here, such as that policy positions held forever suggest that one can never change even in response to changed circumstances. Of course, when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020, she tried to position herself to the left of some of the other candidates. Maybe that was best left unsaid. Her suggestion that halting fracking is unnecessary at this time was less than convincing.)

Harris’s response to the inevitable Gaza question was about as good as could be expected. Were she to suggest a departure from Biden’s policy, she would be charged with failing to attempt to change it as a top member of the administration. Were she to defend Biden’s policy, she would anger those who object to that policy. In fact, she talked about “unwavering” support for Israel and the need for a deal to get hostages out. Too many innocents have been killed, she noted. (One wonders how Harris feels in her heart of hearts. Would a President Harris halt bomb shipments to Israel? Personally, I continue to be uncomfortable with statements about hostages. Can returning fewer that 200 hostages, many of whom may already be dead, justify the deaths of 30,000+ Palestinians?)

Trump suggested that Walz was present at the interview to lend support to Harris, but such joint interviews are common in presidential campaigns. In fact, Walz said little and didn’t hold Harris’s hand or pat her on the head. He was asked about Vance’s stolen valor-charge and the reaction of his son at the Democratic convention. He minimized the significance of the former and expressed pride in the latter. (Personally, I would have said that carrying a weapon “in war” actually meant “in wartime,” something Walz unquestionably did. As an Army bandsman in Atlanta and Honolulu during the Vietnam War, I believe I could truthfully say that I carried a weapon in war. I did not go to a war zone, but I could have been called to do so and was trained to respond to that eventuality.)

Harris was asked about a convention photo of her grand-niece looking up at her behind her podium. (I had not seen this beautiful picture before.) She was encouraged to comment on race and gender. She wisely avoided doing so and called the photo “humbling.”

Bash asked if Harris had any regrets about her full-throated defense of Biden prior to the president’s bowing out of the race. She answered no, enumerated desirable qualities possessed of Biden, and noted that Trump has none of them. She acknowledged no weaknesses of the president.

Harris was also asked about Biden’s telephone call to her telling of his decision to withdraw from the race. She described where she was at the time and indicated that it was clear from the beginning that he would support her candidacy.

On the whole, the interview was interesting, but just barely. It could have been longer and more probing. It could also have been less commercial. Neither Harris nor Walz made any serious mistakes.