During an interview on NBC News‘ Meet the Press on Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) expressed his view that Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate, remains “a progressive” despite her shifting positions. Sanders argued that Harris is being “pragmatic” in her approach to winning the election, rather than “abandoning her ideals.”
When host Kristen Welker asked if Harris was moving away from her progressive principles, Sanders responded, “No, I don’t think she’s abandoning her ideals. I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.”
Sanders clarified his stance, noting, “My own view is slightly different. I think that in America today, there are a lot of people—rural people, working-class people—who no longer believe that the United States Congress and government represent their interests, who are dominated by big money interests.” He added, “Her views are not mine, but I do consider her a progressive.”
Sanders further elaborated, “She is not where I am, but I think, for example, when she talks about making the child tax credit permanent—and, you know, we did that in the American Rescue Plan—we lowered childhood poverty by 40 percent.”
Harris has also proposed implementing price controls that she claims target “price gouging” in the grocery industry, where profit margins typically range from 1-3 percent in a highly competitive market.
