Review: NABJ interview with VP Kamala Harris tackles black men voting, her views on guns, Israeli victims
Harris shows Trump how to disagree with reporters but stay on message
Compared to the July 31 nightmare we saw with Donald Trump suspiciously only hearing the audio of one-third of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) interviewers, getting upset by any question challenging his “concepts” and rambling on about the other candidate's physical makeup, the better NABJ presidential interview is undeniabĺe.
In VP Kamala Harris’ interview on Tuesday, September 17, she discussed black men who are not sold on voting for her, homeownership, childcare, senior living, women’s rights, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Palestine war and gun ownership.
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There were times that she rambled on with the same talking points about Israel versus Palestine, with much less focus on how many Palestinian people have been unhoused, killed, tortured and starved. (Yes, we know Hamas started their most recent conflict in October 2023, but a lot has happened since then.)
The “we're not taking your guns” mantra deflected too much from handguns to assault weapons. And there was a bit of contention with Harris asking to finish points she has made a zillion other times, so I respected that moderator and NPR’s “Fresh Air” co-host Tonya Mosley held her feet to the fire on a new, more extensive answer.
Unlike Trump, she does not expect “my African-Americans” to vote for her this fall based off of physical appearance and made it clear that she understands we are a nuanced people. An HBCU graduate, a Divine 9 member and anyone with more than one Black friend should already know the latter though. Indirectly, Harris reminded Trump that you have to earn each vote based on policies, not devout fandom.
Were all her plans explained during the NABJ discussion? No. (Arguably, some may be safety and privacy concerns, considering she’s still the active vice president instead of someone speaking candidly from outside of the White House.)
Was there some frustrating ambiguity to a couple answers? Yes. But even through a couple of tough moments, one candidate certainly proved to be better at communicating, responding to criticism, actually following current (and proven) events and simultaneously respecting journalism.
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