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Kamala Harris Talks Criminal Justice Reform and How Democrats Can Start Winning Elections Again
Kamala Harris Talks Criminal Justice Reform and How Democrats Can Start Winning Elections Again
http://www.gq.com/story/kamala-harris-criminal-justice-reform
There's a lot of discussion within the Democratic Party right now about messaging. I know you're not up for reelection until 2022, but pretend you had a big election to win before then. What should Democrats be telling voters as the party makes its pitch to take back the White House?
Well, let's talk about 2018, which is what I’m focused on. I think it's extraordinarily important that we let people know that we see them and hear them—in all the complexities of their lives.
Here’s how I think about this: When someone wakes up in a cold sweat at 3 o'clock in the morning, it’s never through the lens of whether they're a Democrat or a Republican. It’s never through the lens of some demographic group that a pollster put them in. The vast majority of the time, it has to do with just a few things—their health, or the health of their children, or the health of their parents. Can they get a job? Can they keep a job? Can they pay the bills at the end of the month? Can they retire with dignity?
Whether we are talking about an African-American student in Los Angeles, a Latina mom in Texas, or an unemployed truck driver in Lansing, that is a universal truth. We need to speak to those realities in a way that’s consistent with our values. The vast majority of Americans have so much more in common with one another than things that separate them. Let's speak to that.
http://www.gq.com/story/kamala-harris-criminal-justice-reform
There's a lot of discussion within the Democratic Party right now about messaging. I know you're not up for reelection until 2022, but pretend you had a big election to win before then. What should Democrats be telling voters as the party makes its pitch to take back the White House?
Well, let's talk about 2018, which is what I’m focused on. I think it's extraordinarily important that we let people know that we see them and hear them—in all the complexities of their lives.
Here’s how I think about this: When someone wakes up in a cold sweat at 3 o'clock in the morning, it’s never through the lens of whether they're a Democrat or a Republican. It’s never through the lens of some demographic group that a pollster put them in. The vast majority of the time, it has to do with just a few things—their health, or the health of their children, or the health of their parents. Can they get a job? Can they keep a job? Can they pay the bills at the end of the month? Can they retire with dignity?
Whether we are talking about an African-American student in Los Angeles, a Latina mom in Texas, or an unemployed truck driver in Lansing, that is a universal truth. We need to speak to those realities in a way that’s consistent with our values. The vast majority of Americans have so much more in common with one another than things that separate them. Let's speak to that.
