Some fact-Checking on Kamala Harris

[Hans Blaster]

I couldn’t find the video of her explaining how Russia invaded Ukraine like she was talking to 3 year olds. Google and YouTube are protecting her

Didn't you just link to it (#78)?

 

[hedrick]

"I think Harris deals in complex issues rather than soundbites and slogans which for me is a good thing"

based on what evidence exactly? When has she ever expressed a detailed and nuanced position on anything, and didn't end up contradicting herself hours or days later?

you are just projecting competence onto this woman, and making her into some fantasy candidate

Let's look at some of the things she supported in the past, and then backtracked on, or completely changed her tune on

1. Single-payer healthcare. She said in 2020 that she wanted Medicare for all, and an elimination of private healthcare, because healthcare was a "human right". She said she was firm on this as a guiding principle. A few years later, her campaign tells us that she didn't really mean that, and intends to keep the private system in tact. So much for principles

2. Mandatory gun buybacks (basically confiscation), which she supported in 2020, but has retreated from. Good luck getting any kind of answer from her on this today

3. Defunding the police: which she expressed support for multiple times in 2020 and 2021. Now her campaign says that she didn't want to take money from police, she was just "being tough on crime". What?

4. Banning fracking and offshore drilling: which she said she would do back in 2019, "starting on public lands" --in other words, she was going to ban these things nationally. Now she says she no longer supports that

I did a bit of fact checking. This is true but lacks some details.
1. Yes, she is in favor of single-payer. At least in 2020, the proposal allowed for private plans, but as supplements to the baseline medicare for all. Since single payer is the norm for developed countries, this is leftist only by US standards.
2. The proposed buybacks were for assault weapons.
3. "Defund the police" meant different things to different people. Some wanted to get rid of or replace police. Others, like her, wanted to reexamine priorities in municipal budgets, some of which she felt allocated too much to police and thus too little to other things. (As far as I can tell, she didn't specifically advocate "defund the police," but said she agreed with the movement's demand to reexamine priorities.)
4. Yes, she has reversed her position on fracking and offshore drilling.

 

[Hank77]

I couldn’t find the video of her explaining how Russia invaded Ukraine like she was talking to 3 year olds. Google and YouTube are protecting her

If you care about what she said "in context" you will listen to the short
6:48 of the short radio interview there isn't any video. As you can see YouTube was not blocking it and I googled to find it.

...
Harris made the comments during a phone interview with "The Morning Hustle" radio program on March 1, 2022 -- less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine (archived here). ...

https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.364M9QE

 

[BPPLEE]

Didn't you just link to it (#78)?

Not the video. There was audio from Twitter and video of another conversation but not that video and I couldn't find that video on Google

 

[BPPLEE]

If you care about what she said "in context" you will listen to the short
6:48 of the short radio interview there isn't any video. As you can see YouTube was not blocking it.

...
Harris made the comments during a phone interview with "The Morning Hustle" radio program on March 1, 2022 -- less than a week after Russia invaded Ukraine (archived here). ...

https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.364M9QE

I couldn't find it on Google, maybe if I included radio interview?
Edit: no, that didn't make any difference
And you found it in a fact check.
There's no question that she's getting favorable search results

 

[Merrill]

I did a bit of fact checking. This is true but lacks some details.
1. Yes, she is in favor of single-payer. At least in 2020, the proposal allowed for private plans, but as supplements to the baseline medicare for all. Since single payer is the norm for developed countries, this is leftist only by US standards.
2. The proposed buybacks were for assault weapons.
3. "Defund the police" meant different things to different people. Some wanted to get rid of or replace police. Others, like her, wanted to reexamine priorities in municipal budgets, some of which she felt allocated too much to police and thus too little to other things. (As far as I can tell, she didn't specifically advocate "defund the police," but said she agreed with the movement's demand to reexamine priorities.)
4. Yes, she has reversed her position on fracking and offshore drilling.

This is what I see regarding her healthcare ideas:

"Harris has previously expressed support for a single-payer health care system, sometimes referred to as "Medicare for All."

Although she initially indicated during a 2019 presidential campaign debate that she would support eliminating private health insurance, Harris walked back her support and instead unveiled her own health care plan. It called for expanding Medicare access to all Americans and setting up a 10-year transition period that would automatically enroll newborns and the uninsured, allowing doctors time to enter the system and help employers choose from federally designated programs.

The plan also preserves a role for private insurance companies, allowing Americans the option to obtain health insurance through the public Medicare plan or through a Medicare plan offered by a private insurer."

and none of this really makes sense. If a private health insurance system is still operating, that isn't "single-payer"

she initially said she wanted eliminate the private insurance companies and then changed her mind

This sounds more like a hybrid system, and that is fine, but she is all-over-the-place on this issue, and I suspect that if she got into office, the big insurance companies would give her money to abandon any ideas of a public option, medicare-for-all, or hybrid setup

Likewise, her positions on energy have been all-over-the-place as well

 

[hedrick]

This is what I see regarding her healthcare ideas:

"Harris has previously expressed support for a single-payer health care system, sometimes referred to as "Medicare for All."

Although she initially indicated during a 2019 presidential campaign debate that she would support eliminating private health insurance, Harris walked back her support and instead unveiled her own health care plan. It called for expanding Medicare access to all Americans and setting up a 10-year transition period that would automatically enroll newborns and the uninsured, allowing doctors time to enter the system and help employers choose from federally designated programs.

The plan also preserves a role for private insurance companies, allowing Americans the option to obtain health insurance through the public Medicare plan or through a Medicare plan offered by a private insurer."

and none of this really makes sense. If a private health insurance system is still operating, that isn't "single-payer"

she initially said she wanted eliminate the private insurance companies and then changed her mind

This sounds more like a hybrid system, and that is fine, but she is all-over-the-place on this issue, and I suspect that if she got into office, the big insurance companies would give her money to abandon any ideas of a public option, medicare-for-all, or hybrid setup

Likewise, her positions on energy have been all-over-the-place as well

The model is Medicare Advantage. Private plans would be additions, that cover things that Medicare doesn’t. Medicare becomes a baseline, but you can go beyond it.

 

[Whyayeman]

The model is Medicare Advantage. Private plans would be additions, that cover things that Medicare doesn’t. Medicare becomes a baseline, but you can go beyond it.

The American healthcare system is not perfect now and could probably learn from European ideas. The NHS in the UK was a pioneering national system which declared that healthcare was to be free at the point of need. It was to be funded through a National Insurance system which took contributions from wages. Yes, red-blooded socialism!

Since its inception in 1948 numerous Conservative governments have tinkered with it, introduced payments for prescriptions, dentistry and opticians' services, diluting the founding principle but not abolishing it. Despite being in a financial crisis brought about by severely reduced funding from the public purse it remains extremely popular with the general public. It remains outstandingly good with acute illness and accidents,

Throughout its 86 years the private sector has continued, almost exclusively concentrating on elective medicine. Privately run hospitals, private GP practices and all doctors, even within the NHS, are self-employed or work in autonomous group practices.

 

[Merrill]

The model is Medicare Advantage. Private plans would be additions, that cover things that Medicare doesn’t. Medicare becomes a baseline, but you can go beyond it.

where does Harris give the details of this plan exactly?

 

[Whyayeman]

where does Harris give the details of this plan exactly?

How long has Harris been a candidate exactly?

 

[Merrill]

How long has Harris been a candidate exactly?

she was a candidate in 2020

but the bigger concern here is your unwavering support for a politician who has not put forth a platform, policy objectives, or any kind of agenda

shouldn't you wait and see before throwing your support behind her? Just an idea

 

[Whyayeman]

she was a candidate in 2020

but the bigger concern here is your unwavering support for a politician who has not put forth a platform, policy objectives, or any kind of agenda

shouldn't you wait and see before throwing your support behind her? Just an idea

Where have I shown support? I don't vote in America. I cannot support her.

I have pointed out that support for her is growing if the polls are any guide. I have defended her language against scornful denigration. (As a linguist and lover of the English language I feel entitled to do that.)

 

[Merrill]

Where have I shown support? I don't vote in America. I cannot support her.

I have pointed out that support for her is growing if the polls are any guide. I have defended her language against scornful denigration. (As a linguist and lover of the English language I feel entitled to do that.)

OK fair enough

but you have been shilling for her nonetheless, even if you cannot support her politically

 

[hedrick]

where does Harris give the details of this plan exactly?

here's an article by her in 2019. https://kamalaharris.medium.com/my-plan-for-medicare-for-all-7730370dd421

 

[Whyayeman]

OK fair enough

but you have been shilling for her nonetheless, even if you cannot support her politically

I have re-read all my posts on this thread. I have mainly challenged criticisms on her use of language and the unsupported assertions about her. Nowhere have I urged her on anybody. I have challenged some of your statements which I think are strongly antipathetic to her. That is just part of any political discourse.

She has been the candidate about a fortnight and the criticisms about policy are historic. Politicians frequently change their positions and sometimes that is a good thing. When the situation changes a change of mind can demonstrate intelligence - and sometimes merely trimming, chasing the vote for electoral advantage. That too is part of much political discourse.

I will wait with interest for policy statements from her and maybe comment when she has.

Who are you shilling for? Clearly not Harris!

 

[civilwarbuff]

Try checking out these facts if you can figure out the fact of which facts she is factually talking about......