Sunday, September 1, 2024

On CNN Kamala Harris Sounded Like LBJ in Praising the Biden/Harris Economic Record

When President Lyndon Johnson gave his first address to Congress following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, he uttered these three words that conveyed to the American People and the Citizens of the World how he would govern.

Those words were "Let us Continue."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKVhodv9zpE

From this address, Lyndon Johnson built on the successes and unfulfilled promises of President Kennedy's New Frontier and launched the Great Society and War on Poverty Programs that gave the American People modern civil rights, voting rights, Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, and PBS or in other words, all the progressive programs Trump Project 2025 supporters would like to purge from the national memory and fiscal ledger.

Tonight, in a joint interview with Governor Tim Walz on CNN, the Vice President did her own version of "Let Us Continue" in praising President Biden and the Biden/Harris Economic Record while asserting she would build on those successes. 

In this excerpt after Dana Bash asked the Vice President to address those voters who liked lower prices under Trump, Harris replied:

"Well, let's start with the fact that when Joe Biden and I came into office, during the height of the pandemic, we saw over ten million jobs were lost...We were all tracking the numbers. Hundreds of people a day were dying because of COVID. The economy had crashed, in large part because of mismanagement by Donald Trump of that crisis. When we came in, our highest priority was to do what we could to rescue America, and today, we know that we have inflation under three percent. A lot of our policies have led to the reality that a lot of our policies have led to America recovering faster than any wealthy nation around the world."

"But you are right. Prices, in particular for groceries are still too high. The American People know it. I know it. Which is why my agenda includes what we need to do to bring down the price of groceries. For example, dealing with an issue like price gouging. What we need to do to extend the Child Tax Credit to help young families to be able to take care of their children in their most formative years. What we need to do to bring down the cost of housing. My proposal includes what would be a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers so they can just have enough to put a down payment on a home which is part of the American Dream and their aspiration. But do it in a way that allows them to achieve that goal and that dream."

When CNN's Dana Bash challenged Harris on why the Biden/Harris Administration has not adopted her proposals already, the Vice President skillfully pushed back on the question in the below excerpt, saying:

"Well, first of all, we had to recover as an economy and we have done that. I'm very proud of the work we have done that has brought inflation down to less than three percent. The work that we have done to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors. Donald Trump said he was going to do a number of things including allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Never happened. We did it..."

When Bash followed up by asking the Vice President if she thought Bidenomics was a success, Harris responded:

"I maintain that when we do the work of bringing down prescription medication for the American People, including capping the cost of the annual cost of prescription medication for seniors at $2,000. When we do what we did in the first year of being in office to extend the Child Tax Credit so that we cut child poverty in America by over 50 percent. When we do what we have done to invest in the American People by bringing manufacturing back to the United States so that we created over 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. Bringing business back to America. What we have done to improve the supply chain so we're not relying on foreign governments to supply American Families with their basic needs. I'll say that it's good work. There's more to do but that's good work."

In this final clip below, the Vice President praises the legacy and character of President Joe Biden, saying:

"I think history is going to show a number of things about Joe Biden's Presidency. I think history is going to show that in so many ways it was transformative be it on what we have accomplished around finally being able to invest in America's infrastructure, investing in new economies, in new industries. What we have done to bring our allies back together and have confidence in who we are as America and grow that alliance. What we have done to stand true to our principles including one of the most important international rules and norms which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"And I think history is going to show that, not only has Joe Biden led an Administration that has achieved those extraordinary successes but the character of the man is one that he has been in his life and career, including as a President, quite selfless and puts the American People first."

To quote President Lyndon Johnson from November 27, 1963:

"Let us Continue

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