Cotton calls out media for lack of scrutiny of Harris since becoming nominee – Washington Examiner
The provided web search results primarily discuss Vice President Kamala Harris in the context of the 2024 presidential campaign, particularly focusing on the criticisms she has faced following her elevation as the Democratic nominee.
1. **Lack of Media Scrutiny**: Senator Tom Cotton criticized media outlets for not holding Vice President Harris accountable to the same degree they typically would for a presidential candidate. Since she was announced as the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal, Harris has avoided extensive press interactions, including sit-down interviews. Cotton remarked on her limited engagement with the media, highlighting that she had not answered any questions from journalists, which he believes could be a disadvantage for her in the campaign. He also referenced a CBS News-YouGov poll suggesting she is closing the gap on former President Donald Trump but expressed concern that her few unscripted moments and her communication style (referred to as “word salad“) have not been challenged.
2. **Political Perception**: The discussion around Harris’s political alignment also appears in various analyses. Some Republicans are framing her as a “dangerous liberal,” contrasting her centrist image with more progressive policies, indicating a strategic move to define her narrative as the campaign becomes more competitive.
the discourse around Kamala Harris emphasizes the urgent need for her to articulate her policy positions as she faces increasing scrutiny and attempts to establish her candidacy in what is expected to be a close race against Trump.
Cotton calls out media for lack of scrutiny of Harris since becoming nominee
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) called out media outlets for not holding Vice President Kamala Harris to the same kind of scrutiny typical of a presidential candidate since she was moved to the top of the Democratic ticket two weeks ago.
Since Harris was elevated to be the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, she has not done any sit-down interviews and has answered few questions from the press, but has also received little pushback for the lack of availability. Cotton was asked on CBS News’s Face the Nation about Harris apparently closing the gap with former President Donald Trump in a CBS News-YouGov poll released on Sunday, but said that while he expected it to be a close race, she has yet to be questioned by the media.
“She hasn’t answered a single question. Not one single question by the media. And you don’t have one single unscripted moment Thursday night at Andrews Air Force Base, welcoming this hostages back and she served up the kind of incomprehensible word salad for which she has become famous,” Cotton said.
The Arkansas senator also pointed out that Harris will have to answer for her policy positions once she is questioned in interviews and other settings by the press, which will help Trump — according to Cotton’s belief.
“So we knew this race was going to be close all along, whoever the Democrats wanted to put up against President Trump, but Kamala Harris has been the nominee for two weeks and hasn’t answered a single question. When the American people get a better look at her and her radical positions,” Cotton said. “I think you’re gonna see that they don’t want her to continue the Biden-Harris legacy.”
Cotton was then asked about Trump’s comments last week about Harris’s race, to which he pivoted to contest that the campaign should be about policy differences.
“I think it’s incumbent upon the media to hold Kamala Harris to the same standard that every other nominee who earned their nomination has ever been held to, Donald Trump in ’16, Barack Obama in ’08,” Cotton said, pointing to the town hall events and other opportunities where a presidential campaign gets questioned on their policies.
“For two weeks, she’s dodged the press. She can’t dodge the press for another 13 weeks,” Cotton said.
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