Very interesting exchange during yesterday’s edition of ABC News This Week, between host Jonathan Karl and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AL).
Karl – not surprisingly given his clear political lean – spent the segment defending Vice President/presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Tom Cotton – a Republican (no pretense of neutrality there) supports Donald Trump.
And things become testy when the talk turned to health insurance.
Here is the verbatim exchange:
Cotton: “President Trump is going to draw a sharp contrast with Kamala Harris, who has supported things like decriminalizing illegal immigration, or giving taxpayer funded health insurance to illegal aliens, or taking away health insurance on the job for 170 million Americans.”
Karl: “What do you mean taking away health insurance? What are you talking about?”
Cotton: “She said when she was running for President (in 2020) she wanted to eliminate private health insurance on the job for 170 million Americans, John.”
Karl: “Yeah, but that is not her position now…”
Cotton: “How do you know that’s not her position? How do you know that’s not her position?”
Karl: “I mean she says she no longer…”
Cotton: She has not said that. She has not said that. Maybe anonymous aides on a Friday night have said that. The American people are totally justified to conclude that Kamala Harris is a dangerous San Francisco liberal and when she campaigned for President in her own right she did in fact promise things like decriminalizing illegal immigration, taking away health insurance…
Karl: “But that’s a position she’s clearly changed on, and she says she has changed.”
Cotton: “No she hasn’t”
Karl “She says she has changed.” Yes, yes, yes she says she has”
Cotton: “No, no, She has not. John, she has not said that”
As you can see, the disagreement is not on whether Kamala Harris supported removing private health insurance. Karl did not dispute that.
The disagreement is on whether Kamala Harris said she had reconsidered/changed her position, or whether, as Cotton intimates, she just says the opposite now as if it were always her position…
…which eliminates any need for Harris to explain why her position was completely different last time around and what was wrong with it/what caused her to do an about-face and say the opposite this time.
Not requiring any explanation certainly would work for Ms. Harris, given that she has not explained, nor has she been asked by Jonathan Karl and his likeminded “journalists” to explain, any of her positions/any of her policy reversals.
In this regard, I have a suggestion for Jonathan Karl: either come up with the video of Kamala Harris saying her position has changed and explaining why – which would decisively put the wood to Tom Cotton…
…or, if it doesn’t exist, admit that Cotton was correct, he (Karl) was wrong in claiming she said any such thing – and then act like a real journalist by demanding that Kamala Harris explain herself.
Folks, don’t expect that segment to ever air. Not on ABC News, and not with Jonathan Karl.
