Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, speaks during a news conference with fellow Democrats at the U.S. Capitol October 25, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris, Who Just Clarified Her Rejection of Real Medicare for All, to Snub Climate Forum in Favor of Big Donors
"We need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires."
Update: New York Times reporter Astead Herndon reported Tuesday afternoon that Harris will, in fact, attend the CNN climate forum, a reversal of her scheduling conflict declination.
In the space of 24 hours, Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat running for the party's 2020 presidential nomination, made clear that when forced to choose between the interests of the donor class or progressives, she'd choose the former.
On Sunday night, as Bloomberg reported, Harris attended a big money fundraiser in the Hamptons, telling the superrich attendees "I believe in capitalism" and that she wasn't "comfortable" with a comprehensive Medicare for All plan.
Bloomberg's reporters set the scene:
Teslas and Maseratis lined the street as Kamala Harris greeted guests sipping drinks from plastic cups with her name on them and eating cinnamon sugar donuts from Dreesen's at a fund-raiser hosted by movie executive Jamie Patricof and his wife Kelly as the summer of Democratic fund-raisers rolled on in East Hampton.
The next day, the Harris campaign told CNN Harris would not attend the network's September 4 climate forum, citing previous commitments--big dollar California fundraisers.
\u201cNEW: Senator @KamalaHarris\u2019 top bundlers are hosting fundraisers for her in Downtown LA and Hancock Park...\n\nThose fundraisers directly conflict with CNN\u2019s Climate Crisis Town Hall, which Harris is not attending\ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Zohreen Shah (@Zohreen Shah) 1566226391
Harris was the only candidate of the nine who reached the threshold to participate in the forum to decline the invitation, a decision that was sharply criticized by climate advocates.
"We need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires," environmental group Sunrise Movement said in a disapproving tweet reacting to the news about the forum.
\u201cYikes. @KamalaHarris is skipping out on the first ever Presidential climate forum to schmooze with big donors.\n\nDebating our generation\u2019s survival isn\u2019t optional.\n\nWe need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1566229930
The climate controversy came on the heels of sustained criticism Monday over Harris' healthcare comments.
Harris' position on the issue has changed since she first cosponsored a Medicare for All bill with her 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) two years ago and again this April.
According to comments provided to The Daily Beast by the Harris campaign, the senator told donors that Sanders' bill was one of a number of "good ideas" that she had signed onto over the years.
"I support Medicare for All," Harris told donors. "But as you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan, the Medicare for All plan."
\u201cKamala's camp sent me full transcript on M4A: "As you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan.... I've been listening to ppl, and people don't want to -- to your point -- they don't want to not have a private option."\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1566216588
As a chorus of criticism over the remarks grew louder Monday, Harris press secretary Ian Sams attempted to spin the decision to change course as a pivot from his candidate.
"She has her own healthcare plan," said Sams. "So yeah, not a secret she isn't running on Bernie's plan anymore."
As Jacobin writer Luke Savage noted, Sams' comments were a "remarkable use of the word 'anymore.'"
Sams later told The Daily Beast that Harris "was hearing from lots of voters real concerns, specifically about proactively abolishing private insurance, the four year transition, middle class tax hikes, and so she came up with her own plan to adjust for those that, frankly, is better than his."
Harris, whose polling is mired in the high single digits, briefly reached 15 percent in early July after a strong debate performance. That temporary bump has receded back to around eight and seven percent.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Update: New York Times reporter Astead Herndon reported Tuesday afternoon that Harris will, in fact, attend the CNN climate forum, a reversal of her scheduling conflict declination.
In the space of 24 hours, Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat running for the party's 2020 presidential nomination, made clear that when forced to choose between the interests of the donor class or progressives, she'd choose the former.
On Sunday night, as Bloomberg reported, Harris attended a big money fundraiser in the Hamptons, telling the superrich attendees "I believe in capitalism" and that she wasn't "comfortable" with a comprehensive Medicare for All plan.
Bloomberg's reporters set the scene:
Teslas and Maseratis lined the street as Kamala Harris greeted guests sipping drinks from plastic cups with her name on them and eating cinnamon sugar donuts from Dreesen's at a fund-raiser hosted by movie executive Jamie Patricof and his wife Kelly as the summer of Democratic fund-raisers rolled on in East Hampton.
The next day, the Harris campaign told CNN Harris would not attend the network's September 4 climate forum, citing previous commitments--big dollar California fundraisers.
\u201cNEW: Senator @KamalaHarris\u2019 top bundlers are hosting fundraisers for her in Downtown LA and Hancock Park...\n\nThose fundraisers directly conflict with CNN\u2019s Climate Crisis Town Hall, which Harris is not attending\ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Zohreen Shah (@Zohreen Shah) 1566226391
Harris was the only candidate of the nine who reached the threshold to participate in the forum to decline the invitation, a decision that was sharply criticized by climate advocates.
"We need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires," environmental group Sunrise Movement said in a disapproving tweet reacting to the news about the forum.
\u201cYikes. @KamalaHarris is skipping out on the first ever Presidential climate forum to schmooze with big donors.\n\nDebating our generation\u2019s survival isn\u2019t optional.\n\nWe need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1566229930
The climate controversy came on the heels of sustained criticism Monday over Harris' healthcare comments.
Harris' position on the issue has changed since she first cosponsored a Medicare for All bill with her 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) two years ago and again this April.
According to comments provided to The Daily Beast by the Harris campaign, the senator told donors that Sanders' bill was one of a number of "good ideas" that she had signed onto over the years.
"I support Medicare for All," Harris told donors. "But as you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan, the Medicare for All plan."
\u201cKamala's camp sent me full transcript on M4A: "As you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan.... I've been listening to ppl, and people don't want to -- to your point -- they don't want to not have a private option."\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1566216588
As a chorus of criticism over the remarks grew louder Monday, Harris press secretary Ian Sams attempted to spin the decision to change course as a pivot from his candidate.
"She has her own healthcare plan," said Sams. "So yeah, not a secret she isn't running on Bernie's plan anymore."
As Jacobin writer Luke Savage noted, Sams' comments were a "remarkable use of the word 'anymore.'"
Sams later told The Daily Beast that Harris "was hearing from lots of voters real concerns, specifically about proactively abolishing private insurance, the four year transition, middle class tax hikes, and so she came up with her own plan to adjust for those that, frankly, is better than his."
Harris, whose polling is mired in the high single digits, briefly reached 15 percent in early July after a strong debate performance. That temporary bump has receded back to around eight and seven percent.
Update: New York Times reporter Astead Herndon reported Tuesday afternoon that Harris will, in fact, attend the CNN climate forum, a reversal of her scheduling conflict declination.
In the space of 24 hours, Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat running for the party's 2020 presidential nomination, made clear that when forced to choose between the interests of the donor class or progressives, she'd choose the former.
On Sunday night, as Bloomberg reported, Harris attended a big money fundraiser in the Hamptons, telling the superrich attendees "I believe in capitalism" and that she wasn't "comfortable" with a comprehensive Medicare for All plan.
Bloomberg's reporters set the scene:
Teslas and Maseratis lined the street as Kamala Harris greeted guests sipping drinks from plastic cups with her name on them and eating cinnamon sugar donuts from Dreesen's at a fund-raiser hosted by movie executive Jamie Patricof and his wife Kelly as the summer of Democratic fund-raisers rolled on in East Hampton.
The next day, the Harris campaign told CNN Harris would not attend the network's September 4 climate forum, citing previous commitments--big dollar California fundraisers.
\u201cNEW: Senator @KamalaHarris\u2019 top bundlers are hosting fundraisers for her in Downtown LA and Hancock Park...\n\nThose fundraisers directly conflict with CNN\u2019s Climate Crisis Town Hall, which Harris is not attending\ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Zohreen Shah (@Zohreen Shah) 1566226391
Harris was the only candidate of the nine who reached the threshold to participate in the forum to decline the invitation, a decision that was sharply criticized by climate advocates.
"We need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires," environmental group Sunrise Movement said in a disapproving tweet reacting to the news about the forum.
\u201cYikes. @KamalaHarris is skipping out on the first ever Presidential climate forum to schmooze with big donors.\n\nDebating our generation\u2019s survival isn\u2019t optional.\n\nWe need a leader who prioritizes the future of humanity over rubbing elbows with millionaires and billionaires.\u201d— Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05 (@Sunrise Movement \ud83c\udf05) 1566229930
The climate controversy came on the heels of sustained criticism Monday over Harris' healthcare comments.
Harris' position on the issue has changed since she first cosponsored a Medicare for All bill with her 2020 rival Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) two years ago and again this April.
According to comments provided to The Daily Beast by the Harris campaign, the senator told donors that Sanders' bill was one of a number of "good ideas" that she had signed onto over the years.
"I support Medicare for All," Harris told donors. "But as you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan, the Medicare for All plan."
\u201cKamala's camp sent me full transcript on M4A: "As you may have noticed, over the course of the many months, I've not been comfortable with Bernie's plan.... I've been listening to ppl, and people don't want to -- to your point -- they don't want to not have a private option."\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1566216588
As a chorus of criticism over the remarks grew louder Monday, Harris press secretary Ian Sams attempted to spin the decision to change course as a pivot from his candidate.
"She has her own healthcare plan," said Sams. "So yeah, not a secret she isn't running on Bernie's plan anymore."
As Jacobin writer Luke Savage noted, Sams' comments were a "remarkable use of the word 'anymore.'"
Sams later told The Daily Beast that Harris "was hearing from lots of voters real concerns, specifically about proactively abolishing private insurance, the four year transition, middle class tax hikes, and so she came up with her own plan to adjust for those that, frankly, is better than his."
Harris, whose polling is mired in the high single digits, briefly reached 15 percent in early July after a strong debate performance. That temporary bump has receded back to around eight and seven percent.