Former Democrat presidential wannabe Bernie Sanders said Kamala Harris keeps changing her positions “to win the election.”
Sanders was appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, speaking to Kristen Welker.
“You have described Vice President Kamala Harris as a progressive,” said Welker.
“She has previously supported Medicare for all, now she does not. She has previously supported a ban on fracking, now she does not. These, senator, are ideas that you have campaigned on. Do you think she is abandoning her progressive ideals?”
“No, I don’t think she’s abandoning her ideals,” Sanders replied.
“I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election. My own view is slightly different. I think that in America today there are a lot of people, rural people, working-class people who no longer believe that the United States Congress and government represents their interests, who are dominated by big-money interests. So I think that there is something wrong personally when we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all of our people, despite spending twice as much per capita. That is why I support Medicare for all.”
Welker then asked, “Do you consider Vice President Kamala Harris to be progressive, senator?”
Sanders’ response: “I do.”
Sanders’ comments were similar to those made by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on The View, on Friday. Shapiro said that the Vice President’s willingness to change her mind was “a sign of strength”; although Shapiro, unlike Sanders, appears to believe that Harris’s about-faces are not pragmatic but genuine signs of personal growth.
“Kamala Harris is running a very different campaign than she did when she ran in the 2020 cycle,” said host Alyssa Farah Griffin.
“She’s moving to the center on a number of issues, she’s walked back previously held positions like calling for banning fracking. Do you — she’s gearing up to do this must-watch debate with former President Trump on Tuesday. Do you think it’s a strategic mistake that she hasn’t explained some of these positions she’s changed on more ahead of the debate, because she’s obviously going to get challenged on some of these on a debate stage?”
“Well, first, look, I think it’s a sign of strength when you evolve on a position,” Shapiro responded.
“Clearly, Kamala Harris has been listening to the good people of Pennsylvania when it comes to natural gas, when it comes to energy and the fact that we’re producing more energy in this nation today than ever before, which strengthens our national security, strengthens our economy and Pennsylvania is a huge part of that. She understands that. She has listened, and I think that’s important. Look, I’ve changed my views on things. I ran in support of the death penalty, and after being attorney general, top prosecutor in Pennsylvania, I changed my views on that when I finally really understood some of the challenges in our system. I think that’s a sign of strength.”
Kamala Harris is due to go head to head with Donald Trump in a televised debate on ABC on Tuesday.
The Vice President is currently sequestered in a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, in deep preparation for the debate. According to AP, “she’s been working with aides since Thursday and chose a venue that allows the Democratic nominee the option of mingling with swing-state voters.”
The debate will air on Tuesday at 9pm EDT on ABC and stream on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. ABC News Live is available on Samsung TV+, the Roku Channel, Amazon Fire devices, YouTube, Tubi and other streaming platforms.