During interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, both CBS Mornings and ABC’s Good Morning America questioned the Democrat from the left while discussing President Biden’s State of the Union address. CBS’s Gayle King worried about whether “voting rights” legislation was still a top priority for the administration while ABC’s George Stephanopoulos hoped Biden could save his party from defeat in the upcoming midterm elections.
After leading off with a couple questions about the war Ukraine on the CBS morning show, King made the “switch to some of the domestic issues that were raised last night.” The liberal host fretted that a favorite left-wing agenda item had been placed on the “back burner” by Democrats: “But there was very little mention, very little mention of voting rights. Does this mean that that issue is on the back burner for the administration at this point in time?”
That gave Harris the opportunity to hurl nasty attacks against Republican state legislatures for enacting voting reform measures across the country:
The President has said over and over again, and we have made very clear, that this is about protecting America’s democracy against those various states in particular and state legislators and governors who are in a full-on assault on the right of every American who is eligible to actually be able to vote....laws that are being passed that would make it illegal to give somebody who’s standing in line to vote food and water is outrageous. Laws that are being passed that make it more difficult for people to drop their ballot off in a drop box.
Over on ABC’s GMA, after also asking a few questions about Ukraine, Stephanopoulos took a “turn to the domestic front.” It started out promising, with the anchor playing a clip of the Republican response to the State of the Union from Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, who declared: “....it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ’70s and early ’80s. When run away inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map.”
However, rather than follow that soundbite with a pointed question to the Vice President, Stephanopoulos whiffed with a lame, “Your response?” Harris of course offered talking points: “Well, the facts are that in one year we have created over six million jobs. The fact is that we have grown the economy at a faster rate than has been grown in 40 years, I think since the Reagan era. Those are the facts.”
Stephanopoulos did note: “And the American people certainly are not feeling it right now, at least that’s what’s showing up in the polls.” Though he then made it clear that he was mainly just concerned with the political prospects of his party: “Can the President provide the kind of relief that is necessary to prevent a Democratic rout in November?”
Harris assured: “...the President made clear last night part of what we as leaders in the United States, both in the Congress and in the executive branch, need to do is we need to pay attention to the needs of American families.”
In contrast to CBS and ABC, NBC’s Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie kept the focus entirely on the war in Ukraine during her live interview with Harris on Wednesday morning.
CBS’s fretting over “voting rights” was brought to viewers by Amazon and ABC fearing a “Democratic rout” in the midterms was brought to viewers by Sleep Number. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a transcript of King’s questions to Harris on the March 2 CBS Mornings:
7:06 AM ET
GAYLE KING: We continue our State of the Union coverage with Vice President Kamala Harris. Madam Vice President, good morning. Good to see you this morning.
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: Good morning. Good morning. Good to see you, Gayle.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Vice President Harris on the State of the Union; VP Kamala Harris on the War in Ukraine, the economy, & Biden’s Message]
KING: Let’s get right into the speech. It was a tale of two speeches last night. We had to start with foreign policy for obvious reasons because of what’s going on in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelensky is asking the west for more support, and last night, President Biden said Putin has no idea what is coming. I realize you can’t share with us administration secrets, but is there another card to play here?
(...)
KING: I hear you on that, but those images are heartbreaking to watch. We see innocent civilians being killed. We see children being killed and the administration has made it clear there will be no boots on the ground. What will it take — will anything change that? Will we stand by and watch innocent people continue to be killed here?
(...)
KING: Let’s switch to some of the domestic issues that were raised last night. You know, the President made a point of saying fund the police. He got applause, it seems from both sides of the aisle on that. But there was very little mention, very little mention of voting rights. Does this mean that that issue is on the back burner for the administration at this point in time?
KAMALA HARRIS: The President has been very clear, he was clear again last night in front of the members of the United States Congress, they must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The President has said over and over again, and we have made very clear, that this is about protecting America’s democracy against those various states in particular and state legislators and governors who are in a full-on assault on the right of every American who is eligible to actually be able to vote. I’ve been traveling the country – in fact, later today I’ll be in North Carolina – and what we are saying about laws that are being passed that would make it illegal to give somebody who’s standing in line to vote food and water is outrageous. Laws that are being passed that make it more difficult for people to drop their ballot off in a drop box.
KING: Okay, let’s talk about high priorities when it comes to inflation. The new CBS News poll found 70 percent of Americans disapprove of the administration’s handling of inflation. What do you say to those people who say gas prices are just too high, I can’t get peanut butter, everything costs more. What are you gonna do?
HARRIS: Listen, people are struggling, especially working people, in terms of the price of gas and food, and the reasons include what we need to do to address what happened through the pandemic in terms of supply chain issues, which was a reduction of the availability of goods and so the prices went up. We also need to deal with one of the biggest issues, which is the cost of living. It’s too expensive for working families. And so that’s why we have been clear, the President said last night, let’s bring down the cost of childcare so that working families don’t pay more than seven percent of their income in childcare.
KING: How do you do that?
(...)
KING: Thank you very much, madam Vice President. I know you’ve got to run.
HARRIS: It’s good to be with you. Thank you.
Here is a transcript of Stephanopoulos’s questions to Harris on ABC’s GMA:
7:10 AM ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We are joined by the Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris. Madame Vice President, thank you for joining us this morning. You know, the President said last night that Vladimir Putin had badly miscalculated. But Putin shows no signs of backing down at all. His forces are putting Ukraine in a vice grip this morning. Is there anything more the U.S. can do to prevent Putin from toppling the Ukrainian government, occupying Ukraine?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Vice President Harris One-On-One; On The Ukraine Crisis, Combating Inflation & The Biden Agenda]
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: But Putin seems willing to pay that price right now there, he’s not backing down in any way, shape or form. The U.S. intelligence about what Putin is going to do has been pretty accurate so far. Does it suggest that Kyiv is going to fall?
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is the best possible outcome here? Does the United States want the Russian people and Putin’s fellow oligarches to rise up and depose him?
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me turn to the domestic front. The President laid out his agenda last night on inflation, on COVID, on crime. The Republican response was given by the Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds. Here’s what she had to say.
GOV. KIM REYNOLDS [R-IA]: We’re now one year into his presidency and instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ’70s and early ’80s. When run away inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Your response?
KAMALA HARRIS: Well, the facts are that in one year we have created over six million jobs. The fact is that we have grown the economy at a faster rate than has been grown in 40 years, I think since the Reagan era. Those are the facts. The facts are that unemployment has reached a very significant low. And people are going back to work, children are back in school. 99% of our schools are reopened. And that is the state of America today. There is certainly work to be done. We need to address the issue of inflation and we are doing that in terms of addressing the supply chain issue and also what we need to do to make living more affordable for folks, the cost of living, and that means bringing down the cost of childcare, bringing down the cost of eldercare, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs. But, you know, I think that we have seen progress but there’s certainly more work to do.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And the American people certainly are not feeling it right now, at least that’s what’s showing up in the polls. Can the President provide the kind of relief that is necessary to prevent a Democratic rout in November?
HARRIS: Well, listen, he – the President made clear last night part of what we as leaders in the United States, both in the Congress and in the executive branch, need to do is we need to pay attention to the needs of American families.
(...)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Madam Vice President, thanks for your time this morning.
HARRIS: Thank you.
