Doubling Down

In every presidential election cycle, candidates are fond of saying "from day one, I will...." to emphasize their readiness, passion, and authenticity. If nominated and elected, in at least one area Kamala Harris certainly will be ready on day one, ready to take over where President Trump left off.

She's still lying. In Episode 1, Part 2 of Democrats Debate, the California senator told Joe Biden

But, I also believe–and it’s personal. And I–I was actually very–it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on segregation of race in this country. And it was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose busing.

Biden in part responded

The fact is that in terms of busing, the busing, I never–you would’ve been able to go to school the same exact way because it was a local decision made by your city council. That’s fine. That’s one of the things I argued for that we should not be–we should be breaking down these lines.

Harris asked "But Vice President Biden, do you agree today- do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America then?" After Biden stated "no," Harris asked "do you agree?"

The former vice-president maintained

I did not oppose busing in America. What I opposed is busing ordered by the Department of Education. That’s what I opposed. I did not oppose-

After Harris reminded him that she was bused to school in Berkeley, California, Biden responded "because your city council made that decision. It was a local decision" and Harris countered with "so that's where the federal government must step in."

To summarize: Biden said that he supported busing to achieve school integration only if ordered by the local government, whereas Harris supported it even when ordered by the federal government.  Following the Senator's spontaneous, heartfelt message, by the next morning a supporter could buy for $29.99 to $32.99 a t-shirt reading "That Little Girl Was Me," which featured "a picture of a young Harris against a black backdrop." Six dayslater, however

“I think of busing as being in the toolbox of what is available and what can be used for the goal of desegregating America’s schools,” Harris said. After a reporter asked Harris to clarify whether she supports federally mandated busing, she replied, “I believe that any tool that is in the toolbox should be considered by a school district.”

In Episode 2, Part 2 of Democrats Debate, held Wednesday night, Jake Tapper asked

Senator Harris, you have also been quite critical of Vice President Biden's policies on race, specifically on the issues of busing in the 1970s, having benefited from busing when you were a young child. Vice President Biden says that your current position on busing, you're opposed to federally mandated busing, that that position is the same as his position. Is he right?

She answered

That is simply false. And let's be very clear about this. When Vice President Biden was in the United States Senate, working with segregationists to oppose busing, which was the vehicle by which we would integrate America's public schools, had I been in the United States Senate at that time, I would have been completely on the other side of the aisle.

And let's be clear about this. Had those segregationists their way, I would not be a member of the United States Senate, Cory Booker would not be a member of the United States Senate, and Barack Obama would not have been in the position to nominate him to the title he now holds.

And so, on that issue, we could not be more apart, which is that the vice president has still failed to acknowledge that it was wrong to take the position that he took at that time.

Maybe he refused to acknowledge that his position was wrong because it was the same position that Senator Harris now holds.  It is not similar; it is the same, indistinguishable from the sentiments which she had attacked at both the earlier debate and this one.

Harris then pivoted to discussing the killing of Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY, a wise decision because it enabled Tapper to change the subject rather than explore why a presidential candidate would boldly lie about a confrontation she provoked so she could raise campaign funds off it.

This episode does not put Kamala Harris in the same league, nor the same universe, for dishonesty as Donald Russia, who lies to a degree previously unknown in any politician, and possibly in any person.  But the Senator has learned that the Constitution does not specify thata president be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, a resident of the USA for at least 14 years, and honest.

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