But the fact is senator harris has, like many women and men of color, done very well in america through a mixture of talent, hard work and an iron determination to seize opportunity when it comes knocking. Instead of spending time obsessing about races and identity, what we should be doing is examining senator harris for what she is. Someone who could very well be the next president of the united states. In very short order. Finish and what her selection might mean for a possible biden administration. Well, the media, of course, have have already decided, surprisingly enough, that senator harris is some kind of save your come down among us. Savior. Political warrior, screamed one of the headlines on on the front page of the New York Times. Safe but energizing was another. The leaders all said that she is a, quoteunquote, pragmatic e moderate, she will reassure voters that the Democratic Party is not hostage to all those radical extremists who are supposedly peacefully protesting. But a closer look at the senators record show otherwise. The website govtrack u. S. Finds harris was the most liberal senator last year, even more so than Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren x. She certainly poll you should ed her credentials with aggressive questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. But shes also shown a remarkable level of ideological flexibility when shes needed to. Californias top prosecutor, she enjoyed a reputation for being tough on crime, prosecuting people for Marijuana Possession and parents whose kids were truant. It was a popular stance that won her e he reelection. But as the political winds have shifted, shes become somewhat more sympathetic to youth who find themselves in trouble with the law for rioting and committing violent crimes. Now its the apparently all systemic ray ism thats to blame. Racism. During the early stages of the democrat primary last year, she was a staunch supporter of medicare for all. But as that plank came under withering attack, harris or had something of an epiphany, and she decided it wasnt a good idea overall, and she accused biden on a louvre tv debate of being a friend of raysests in the racists in the senate and of supporting policies that wouldnt support black children like her when he was a young child. You also worked with them too oppose busing, and, you know, there was a little girl in california who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bussed to school every day. And that little girl was me. Gerry now, mr. Biden is the partys nominee, out seems hes actually a passionate advocate of Racial Justice and has been all his life. The sulk rights struggle is civil rights struggle nothing new to joe. Its why he got into public service, its why he helped reauthorize the Voting Rights act and restore unemployment discrimination and employment discrimination laws, and today he takes his place in the ongoing story of americas march toward equality and justice. Gerry thats quite a transformation in just a few months. Now, to be fair, of course, all politicians change their colors as events change, but the evidence of the last year suggests senator harris has been rapidly trying to disguise what her Senate Record clearly tells us that she is, one of the most liberal candidates ever to run on a national ticket. So what actually does her selection tell us about the Democratic Party now . What is the party thinking as we enter the last crucial phase of the election in my first guest was on the show back in february and told me the most important thing about choosing a Vice President is to do no harm to the ticket. So what does he think of joe bidens pick . Lets welcome back the only democratic pollster to have played a key role in three successful president ial campaigns. He was Hillary Clintons chief strategist in her 2016 campaign, and hes the founder and ceo of the bicepson strategy benson strategy group. Thanks for joining me. Nice to be here. Thanks for having me. Gerry so senator Kamala Harris, the Vice President ial pick, earlier this year you told me the primary job of the Vice President ial pick was to do no harm. Does he do this . Absolutely. I think she has already demonstrate her value on today one. They set a oneday digital fundraising record. I think shes excited people on the young end of the party and excited people who have been in the party for a while. And i think the other thing i probably told you back then that the key thing in picking a Vice President is you want to double down on what your basic equities are, and thats what Kamala Harris shes a centerleft democrat. Gerry when you say shes centerleft, you know, there have been some theres been plenty of evidence that hes got a very liberal Senate Voting record. One web site that tracks these things actually said its the most liberal voting record. A couple of liberal commentators have noted she a may well be the most liberal candidate ever to be on a national ticket. What exactly is kind of moderate about her . Well, thats ridiculous. Anybody who says shes the most liberal candidate doesnt know the history of democratic politics. Weve had liberals like George Mcgovern, weve had liberals like john kerry, weve had and weve had progressives like barack obama and joe biden. They are progressives, but they are progressives who are also pragmatic. Bill clinton call mario cuomo call himself a progressive pragmatist. He lit up the Convention Hall with his cu note speech. Look, we are the party thats been standing up and fighting for social justice, for equity when it comes to Race Relations and common sense on climate. Gerry but she would you, look what happened with biden won the primary, i think most people would agree, by actually posing an alternative to those radicals of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, some of the others, and he came through very strong lu because he was the candidate who appealed to most prague ma trusts. Pragmatists. Has led the party, you know, the unity platform with the left of the party has put, committed to some very radical measures. And, again, by picking Kamala Harris, someone who does have a very liberal voting record, someone put it this week that you normally run to the left in the primaries, to the center in the general. He seems to be running to the left in the yen. I recorrect the notion completely. If you want to know which party is radical and out of step with america, you can is can yourself what you just heard President Trump say on your network. People all over this country want us to colleague with to deal with climate change. The Republican Party right now and donald trump in particular is out of ten with where the people are. Its why joe biden right now, or and this is horrific for an incumbent president , if you look at your own poll that came out yesterday, a majority of people say joe biden has the intelligence and the compassion to be president , expect majority of people and the majority of people say donald trump doesnt. The Republican Party has made itself an outlier party in this country. They are wrong on climate change, on fair wages for working people, they are wong on common sense gun laws. It is why right now donald trump is underwater with suburban voters by over 20 points. He won suburban voters by 4 points, and if you think one party has gone to the extreme and is out of touch with america, youre barking up the wrong tree if you think its the democrats. Donald trump has turned the Republican Party into the worst of its rightwing ideology, and the party has backed him from the beginning, and they are going to pay a price for it now like they paid in the midterms. And its why youve got suburban voters turning on them in droves. Thats what happened in 2018, and its going to happen again in 2020. Gerry you dont think on things Like Health Care and on environmental policies, on issues about police and criminal justice, you dont think the Democratic Party whatever you think of what President Trump has done, you dont think the Democratic Party has moved to the left even since barack obama was president . No, i dont. Look, on health care, look at your own poll from fox news yesterday. Approval rating of obamacare is over 50 . The American People have accepted and embraced the fact that we should be giving Health Coverage to everybody. On Race Relations right now, in your own poll yesterday who would do a better job on Race Relations, owe biden, 53 biden. Donald trump, 34 . You know, i love coming on fox news. I love having these debates. But you folks gotta read your own data. You got unbelievable data that tells you right now that on every metric joe biden and the Democratic Party is in touch with where americans are on the issues of the day, and the Republican Party led by donald trump and all the foot soldiers who are following them to their shame and disgrace, following him to their shame and disgrace are in the wrong lane on where this country is and where its going. Gerry very quickly, we obviously have examined republican policies too, were actually talking about joe biden and Kamala Harris. Just quickly, joel, does this put Kamala Harris in pole position to be the next democratic nominee after joe biden . Well, look, were a long way between here and there. Hes got to win first, and then weve got President Biden and Vice PresidentKamala Harris. I dont think anybody should accept the job of Vice President thinking that theyre going to be president one day. We dont have a long history, we dont have a lot of Vice President s who step up to that, but i think shes young, shes dynamic, she represents, i believe, were going to have this disagreement, the left of center part of the party that is the dominant force in the Democratic Party right now. And, in fact, just to close on a note to remind you the last time we nominated the more liberal candidate in our primaries was George Mcgovern in 1972. I dont think the republicans could make the same claim about the last time i they nominated the most extreme rightwing idealogue because they did it just a few years ago. Gerry you could argue that barack obama was the more liberal candidate in 2008 and won the no [inaudible conversations] barack obama and hillary clinton. He didnt survive through the primaries as long as hillary did. So if youre talking about the final two, ill say he was the i would say he was the moring progressive, but they were both centerleft democrats. Gerri love to extend that conversation, but were out of time. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Coming up, a Senate Colleague of Kamala Harris gives us her thoughts. Us her thoughts. Stay with we love our new home. Theres so much space. We have a guestroom now. But, we have aunts. Youre slouching again, ted. Expired, expired. Expired. Thanks, aunt bonnie. Its a lot of house. I hope you can keep it clean. At least geico makes bundling our home and Car Insurance easy. Which helps us save a lot of money oh, teddy. Did you get my friend request . Uh, ill have to check. doorbell ringing aunt jonis here for bundling made easy, go to geico. Com. Hello . She was not able to vote in her lifetime, but i wanted to honor all that she had done to ensure a Lasting Legacy of education and civic involvement. Im very proud to carry on her story. Muck. Gerry my next guest has worked alongside senator Kamala Harris in the senate. Theyre both members of the Judiciary Committee. Senator marsha blackburn, republican of tennessee. Senator, thank you for joining us. We just heard from a very prominent democratic pollster that the idea that Kamala Harris some kind of a liberal out on the left is completely absurd and that shes actually kind of right in the mainstream of american politics on the centerleft. Is that your experience . Oh, not at all. She is one of the most liberal, consistently one of the most liberal members of the u. S. Senate. He is for sanctuary cities, for open borders, she is not supportive of the second amendment, weve kind of joked about it and would confiscate your guns. She is for Bernie Sanders socialized medicine. Is she is for letting felons vote from prison. He is for the green new deal. And shes been out marching with the mob in washington d. C. She is solidly, squarely on the left, and she and joe biden are going to be the most leftist Party Nominees that the democrats have ever put forward. Gerry now, her defenders point to her record as attorney general of california where she seemed to be quite keen to be put all kinds of people in prison. He had she was renowned for a pretty tough approach. Doesnt that protect her a little bit from some of the criticism that shes a liberal . One of the things that the i think is important to look at when you look at her record is how she would make a decision for whatever was prettily expedient politically expedient at that point of time. Truant parents . Of course, she was tough on them. Hardened criminals, she would go easy on them. There are inconsistencies there. What suburban moms want to see, and i call them security moms, they are all about security for their communities, for their families, for their children to be able to go to college. And what they want to know from somebody is what are your principles, where do you stand, do i agree with you or not, and dont lie e to me. Tell me where you stand on this. And when they look at her record, what they see is this inconsistency. Gerry you serve on the Senate Judiciary committee with her and, of course, weve seen her in action there most notably in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings for the Supreme Court whats your exing pierce of her both there but also more generally on the Judiciary Committee . Well, let me say this, we recognize and congratulate her on the history that she has made for our country. And you cant take that away from her. But when you look at her participation, does she do significant legislation . No. Does she show up and ask questions . Yes. She does. Is she more focused on that clip expect click bait . And the click bait . You know, i think theres a lot of discussion as to where he has put her energy. Was it on improving the lives of the American People or was it on making a headline. Gerry senator, we need to take a quick break. When we come back, i want to talk more about Kamala Harris and the 2020 election. Stay with us. Gerry senator marsha black marsha blackburn, you rightly pointed out that its a historic pick, the first woman of color to be on a president ial ticket. But we are starting to see already, i think, a lot of suggestions from the a lot of the media that the media shouldnt people shouldnt criticize her, republicans shouldnt criticize her because if they do, it could be considered racist. There was a story in the New York Times this week, i think it was, lets just put that up. Yes, there we are. Her voice, her name, gops raw personal attacks on Kamala Harris, mispronouncing her first name is racist. Are you worried its going to become very difficult to creatize the senator because you criticize the senator because you will be accused of being racist or sexist for doing so . I found it interesting shah you had heads of the heftleaning female organizations that planned parenthood and others and a group of people that put out a letter of instruction to the media on how to talk about the liberal women in politics, and Kamala Harris in particular. What was amazing to me is conservative women, they will beat you up i, theyll slice and dice you, they will denigrate you, they will ridicule you. You face all of that every day. And i thought it was so instructive. They will allow you and not stand up for a woman who has a differing point of view. And as we go through this election cycle, i think that the differences are going to be stark. Do you want a government takeover type team, or do you want donald trump who is saying were trying to get government out of your way, off your back, off the factory floor. We want you to have the opportunity to be successful. Gerry thank you very much, up deed, for joining us. Just ahead, an american tradition is at risk because of the coronavirus and, unfortunately, politics. Ill explain. My husband and i have never eaten healthier. Shingles doesnt care. I logged 10,000 steps today. Shingles doesnt care. I get as much fresh air as possible. Good for you, but shingles doesnt care. Because 1 in 3 people will get shingles, you need protection. But no matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age, increasing your risk for getting shingles. So what can protect you . Shingrix protects. For the first time ever, you can protect yourself from shingles with a vaccine proven to be over 90 effective. Shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. Shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. The most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about protecting yourself with shingrix. Shingles doesnt care. Shingrix protects. But what if you could stdo better than that . K. Shingles doesnt care. Like adapt. Discover. Deliver. In new ways. To new customers. What if you could come back stronger . Faster. Better. At comcast business, we want to help you not just bounce back. But bounce forward. Thats why were helping you stay ahead and adapt with a network you can count on, 24 7 support and Flexible Solutions that work wherever you are. Call or go online today. My grandma. My cousin. My greatgreat grandmother. She was all of 411 but very tenacious. A very independent woman. Driven, passionate. Embodied grit, perseverance. She marched. She wrote. She demanded. She was proud to pass on a legacy of civic mindedness to her descendants. Im very proud to carry on her story. All her story find their stories. Make them count. At ancestry. Theyre going to be paying for this for a long time. They will, but with accident forgiveness allstate wont raise your rates just because of an accident, even if its your fault. Cut sonny. Was that good . Line the desert never lies. Isnt that what i said . No you were talking about allstate and insurance. I just. When i. Lets try again. Everybody back to one. Accident forgiveness from allstate. Click or call for a quote today. Gerry sports is supposed to bring americans together and offer a a way to escape the vicious Political Warfare in this country. If a fan of college football, you were looking forward to those saturdays when for a few hours we could forget covid and political and racial tension. Now, unfortunately, even thats been taken away for many of us. This week the pac12 and the big ten canceled their games citing health concerns, several smaller schools are also opted out. The risk of serious illness or death for College Athletes in peak fitness surrounded by some of the best medical facilities anywhere in the world is is vanishingly small. The chance these young men will get the virus possibly higher than it is from playing. But the course has divided college football. Several high profile players are leading a campaign to take the field posting the hashtag, we want to play on twitter. This reflects a larger divide in this country over the virus which which is u. S. , of course, increasingly defined by politics. Mostly blue state leaders have invested heavily in locking down their states. Those playing echo e the decisions of officials in states like florida and texas. Its tempting the think that politics actually may be at a play here, and the medias certainly suggesting they may be. Some analysts think the loss may cost trump the election read one not so subtle and are hopeful headline. Some people will stop at nothing to get the result that they want, wont they in then again, theyll be to up happy about what they see a [inaudible] that theyll defy the elites and the universities and the media and choose for themselves. Well, thats it for us this week. Be sure to physical me on twitter, facebook and instagram, and ill be back next week on the wall street journal at large. Thank you for joining us. Jack welcome to baer rons round table. Im howe in for jack otter, hell be back next week. For now, i feel drunk with power. Coming up, papa johns ceo rob lynch on why his pizza business is piping hot during the pandemic and how much room left for growth. But we begin with what we think are the three most important things investors should be thinking about right now. Apple and tesla la announce stock splits and their shares charged higher. Why investo