Scoop: Kamala Harris backs “unity” and “the people”

Kamala Harris entered the presidential sweepstakes yesterday. In keeping with its kinder, gentler coverage of presidential aspirants, now that all of them are likely to be Democrats, the Washington Post (per reporters Matt Viser and Chelsea Janes) delivers a puff piece about Harris’ entry.

The Post does acknowledge that Harris’ time as California attorney general “is bound to come under scrutiny during her presidential campaign.” However, it offers no inkling as to why.

Actually, that tenure has already come under scrutiny. A left-wing lawyer attacked it in a New York Times op-ed. But all we learn from Viser and Janes is that Harris’ tenure “was marked by efforts to protect consumers and fight sexual trafficking.”

That’s not what Harris’ progressive critics think it was marked by. They cite fighting to uphold wrongful convictions, supporting the death penalty, and opposing measures to hold the police accountable, among other concerns.

Instead of mentioning any of this, the Post says that Harris’ message is “one of unity.” The core issue of her campaign is “the people,” Viser and Janes inform us, possibly with a straight face.

We also learn that Harris describes herself as “a proud American.” That’s reassuring.

Viter and Janes gush that, in the Senate Harris has “earned a reputation” for “a skeptical approach to Trump administration officials.” They do not explain how this distinguishes Harris from four dozen other Senate Democrats.

They also cite Harris’ reputation for “sharp questioning.” The acuity of Harris’ questioning is debatable; its selectivity is not.

In 2017, she declined to ask a single question of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Asra Q. Nomani when they appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to testify about the oppression and grotesque practices — e.g. forced marriages and genital mutilation — women face in many Muslim communities in the U.S. and around the world.

For Harris, identity politics and political correctness trumped any concern for women’s rights. But don’t expect to read about this in the Washington Post.

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