Sen. Harris, considered one of the top-five candidates for Democratic presidential nomination, has had some difficulty in articulating a consistent policy position on health care over the course of the last few months of campaigning. Between television appearances, answering reporters' questions, and unveiling her own plan the senator from California has contradicted herself or evolved her position, depending on one's point of view. So much so, the New York Times ran an article - in their worthwhile election portion of Upshot - with the sub-title "A candidate has a history of making conflicting comments about a divisive health care plan." That was June 28, 2019.
On July 18, 2019, CBS News summarized the situation in a broad timeline "Kamala Harris continues to clarify her stance on Medicare for All" where Sen. Harris is quoted:
Sen. Kamala Harris is laughing off critics who say that she's struggled to articulate a clear health care policy. When asked about the confusion surrounding her stance on the issue in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, the 2020 presidential candidate chuckled, saying, "There's a lot that you're building into this question that's not accurate."
Today, Bloomberg catches up with the campaign with some details of an event in the Hamptons:
Teslas and Maseratis lined the street as Kamala Harris greeted guests sipping drinks from plastic cups with her name on them and eating cinnamon sugar donuts from Dreesen’s at a fund-raiser hosted by movie executive Jamie Patricof and his wife Kelly as the summer of Democratic fund-raisers rolled on in East Hampton.
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Sen. Harris took the opportunity to clarify her position vis-à-vis Sen. Sanders' proposal for health insurance.
“I believe in capitalism, but capitalism is not working for most people,” Harris said on the patio steps of the Patricof house, looking out at a peach orchard among flower and herb beds. She said she recognized people who’ve become successful by working hard and following rules, but that the middle class needs help.
Harris again tried to clarify her stance on health care, a topic that tripped her up in the early Democratic debates. “I have not been comfortable with Bernie’s plan,” she said of Sanders’ Medicare for All proposal, and explained how a Harris administration would leave room for private insurance.
It is said in politics in general and campaigning in particular that "If you're explaining, you're losing." And this campaign - the candidate herself, most of the time - is doing a lot of explaining. There's scope for improvement in messaging here.