In town halls with Liz Cheney, Kamala Harris made no known concessions to win Cheney’s support, while Cheney opposed Dobbs solution. What’s not to like?
Vice President Kamala Harris at a town hall with former Rep. Liz Cheney in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Kamala Harris and Liz Chaney’s unlikely Blue Wall Tour on Monday in three suburban counties in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin has caused some heads to explode left and right.
“Kamala Harris Town Hall With Liz Chaney Blows Up On Launch Pad,” blared Red state title. On social media, progressives and other critics of US support for Israel’s relentless attack on Gaza were horrified to see Harris campaigning with “war hawk” Cheney.
“Michigan: Key State, Highest Concentration of Arab Americans in the Nation. Harris: Let’s campaign with Liz Cheney!’ tweeted A hillNiall Stanage.
My friend and colleague John Nichols wrote Nation: “If Harris wants to win Wisconsin, she needs to stop talking about Cheney and showing up with them, and start talking about the support she got from Barack Obama.”
I would argue that Harris can do both, has done and will continue to do so. In fact, her running mate Tim Waltz will appear with Obama in Madison on Tuesday. Harris and Obama will then appear in Detroit — reportedly introduced by Eminem. The couple will be in Georgia on Thursday. And Michelle Obama will join Harris in Michigan on Saturday. I would like Harris and both Obamas to go to Milwaukee by November 5th. Let’s see.
It is important to note that Harris did not make any known political concessions to gain Cheney’s support. Indeed, the only major news from City Hall came when Cheney, a staunch opponent of abortion, agreed with Harris that since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wadestates have gone too far with abortion bans and restrictions that harm women.
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“I think there are a lot of people in the country who are pro-life, but they’ve been watching what’s been going on in our states since then. Dobbs and watched state legislatures pass laws that lead to women not getting the care they need,” she said. “We see that this is not an issue that breaks down along party lines,” Cheney continued. “In places like Texas, for example, the attorney general is suing to get access to women’s medical records. This is intolerable for us as a country and it has to change.”
Cheney didn’t say what policy changes she would support, but her remarks were… excellent. She welcomed Dobbs decision when it was passed in June 2022, hailing him for bringing the issue back to the states. While the former Wyoming congresswoman immediately drew flak from the right for reversing her stance, Cheney doubled down on the tour’s third stop in Waukesha County: “It’s very important to us to find ways for the federal government to play its role and protect women from some of the worst damage we’re seeing.” It is clear that she no longer believes that states should control the issue.
National reviewCharles S. W. Cook was shocked: “I’m sorry, but if your preferences for/against a politician also make you change your mind about abortion, school choice, taxes, or whatever, then you’ve completely, catastrophically, flatly misunderstood why we have politicians and what their role is.”, Cook tweeted, noting her past support for bills declaring that life begins at the “moment of conception.”
Asked repeatedly whether other prominent “Never Trump” Republicans — looking at you, Mitt Romney — might jump the fence and support Harris, Cheney said yes, but added, “I certainly have a lot of Republicans who will tell me: “I can’t be public.’ They do care about a whole range of things, including violence, but they will do the right thing. And I just want to remind people that if you’re at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and never have to say a word to anybody.” She predicted that millions of Republicans would do just that.
Otherwise, the town halls were noteworthy mainly for the warmth between the two women. Cheney, who once derided Harris as a “radical liberal,” now describes her as someone with a “sincere heart,” “character” and “courage.” Harris also called Cheney brave for speaking out against Trump and supporting her. The vice president, who opposed the war in Iraq, nevertheless agrees with Cheney in supporting Ukraine and preserving the NATO alliance, which Trump opposes. “If Trump was president, Vladimir Putin would be in Kiev right now,” Harris said in Waukesha County.
The tragedy in Gaza was only discussed when someone in the audience shouted: “What about Gaza?” and was reportedly removed from the room. Critics pointed out that the participants in the town hall question were pre-screened, and while they were described as “undecided” voters, at least a couple seemed already inclined to vote for Harris.
I was not particularly bothered by the rejected questions (this happens in most presidential town halls). These developments were already risky enough for Harris, given the contempt liberals and progressives held for Cheney. Personally, I appreciated the events, especially the latest one in Waukesha County. This traditionally conservative “white flight” district gave a third of its vote to the racist Alabama governor, George Wallace, in the 1964 Democratic race. It became the launching pad for former Republican Governor Scott Walker’s political career (he started as Waukesha County Executive). But on Monday, the man widely credited with helping launch Walker, broadcaster Charlie Sykes, supported Harris and moderated the Cheney-Harris conversation there. “Welcome to production An amazing coupleSykes told the crowd.
The funniest moment of the day came in Royal Oak, Michigan, after a question from moderator Maria Shriver. “Everyone I talk to says I have to turn off the news, I can’t read anything, I mediate, I do yoga. I’m so worried… I’m eating gum. What are you doing?’ Harris quickly replied, “No chewing gum!” to loud laughter. It also led to a poignant moment when the vice president told people not to give in to despair.
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“I say don’t despair because in a democracy, as long as we can keep it, in our democracy, the people, every person has the right to make decisions about what will happen. So let’s not feel powerless. Because then we were defeated… The baton is now in our hands, to fight for, not against, but for this country that we love.” The crowd gave her a standing ovation.
Will Harris’ strategy work? All three counties voted for Nikki Haley in the GOP primary, even after she withdrew from the race. The freshest New York TimesA Siena poll taken after Cheney and many other Republicans began endorsing Harris showed 9 percent of registered Republicans said they would vote for her, up from just 5 percent in an earlier poll.
I could see people complaining that Monday’s events were a repeat of 2016, when Hillary Clinton spent too much time courting white suburban women at the end and neglected her diverse urban base. But Harris doesn’t. This past weekend she was in Detroit with the Face and in Atlanta with Usher. She spoke to the UAW in Lansing on Friday. She has many more such events ahead of her. But abortion will be a major issue on Nov. 5, with Cheney pushing even pro-life women to vote for Harris and redefine what it means to be “pro-life” as abortion bans kill women around the world. country is a big deal. I thought Monday was a good day.
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