The mainstream media has often been accused of providing a protective shield for establishment politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, it is always intriguing to witness an immediate counter-response to such attempts, as was the case on a recent episode of CNNs News Night with Abby Phillip.
During the show, Abby Phillip's attempt to mislead viewers about Vice President Kamala Harriss stance on fracking was promptly challenged by former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, CNN contributor Scott Jennings, and other panelists. The panel's unanimous and swift rebuttal was so intense that it was hard to identify who first exclaimed, Thats not true!
According to Gateway Pundit, the incident occurred during a discussion about the winner of Tuesdays presidential debate. Turner, a two-time supporter of socialist independent Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential campaigns, argued that Harris won the debate. However, she also suggested that the moderators were biased against former President Donald Trump, particularly by not probing into Harris's inconsistent policy statements.
Turner pointed out that Harris, during her 2019 run for the Democratic presidential nomination, had declared, Im done with fracking. Were gonna do away with it." Turner argued that such a stance could not be easily dismissed, and that Harris should have admitted to changing her mind.
Phillip, however, attempted to defend Harris, claiming, She reversed herself in 2020. This statement was met with a chorus of disagreement from the panel, with one male voice declaring, Thats not true! Thats a lie. Jennings and Turner also denied Phillip's claim.
Harris has indeed made concerted efforts to distance herself from her previous liberal statements. Despite this, clips of her past declarations have been widely shared on social media and used in political advertisements. In one such ad from 2019, Harris is heard saying, There is no question Im in favor of banning fracking.
This statement is particularly significant in the context of the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, a state that had the fifth-highest number of fracking wells in the nation as of 2020, according to WHTM-TV. The fracking issue is a major concern for Pennsylvania voters, who are likely interested in Harris's current stance on the matter.
While Phillip's attempt to defend Harris was not surprising, given CNN's establishment leanings, the network has recently shown a willingness to scrutinize Harris's past radicalism and question her campaign's reluctance to engage with the press. The swift correction of Phillip's misleading statement by the panelists was a refreshing change. As Turner suggested, debate moderators should indeed have pressed Harris on the fracking issue, among other topics.
This incident underscores the importance of holding politicians accountable for their past statements and policy positions, particularly when they attempt to shift their stance without acknowledging or explaining their change of heart. It also serves as a reminder of the media's role in ensuring that such accountability is upheld, even when it involves challenging their own colleagues on air.
Login