By Chris Ryan
As Kamala Harris campaigns at the Throwback Brewery on the Seacoast today I'm reminded of Nancy Pelosi famously saying that members needed to vote for the Affordable Care Act, and then they'd find out what's in it.
That is the basic premise of Harris-Walz.
Vote for her, and then you'll find out how she'll govern.
Will she be a leftist, govern from the center, take a sudden right turn? You'll have to wait until January 20, 2025.
The dizzying rate of policy position shifts over the last six weeks from Harris (fracking, single payer healthcare, asylum seekers, etc) would make Mitt Romney blush.
The electorate was very clear, they didn't want a Trump-Biden rematch, but that's what the primary process yielded. Then President Biden stumbled in the debate and alas Pelosi told him there was a white farmhouse waiting for him upstate in 2025, and alas America had another choice: Kamala Harris.
In 2020 not being former President Donald Trump was enough for Biden to win, Democrats hope to utilize a similar playbook in 2024. The problem was that Harris and Walz are waaayyyy to the left of mainstream America so it was time to etch-a-sketch her record.
In the CNN interview when confronted-ish on these numerous changes she said, "My values haven't changed."
Back in 2007, when I was a very young man, I traipsed across this state in a beat-up Honda Civic covering the NH Primary and one of my favorite people to interview was a U.S. Senator from Delaware who would routinely tell a story that was attributed to various relatives, but usually his dad, at each senior center or living room. 'My dad used to say, Joey, don't tell me your values, show me your budget and I'll tell you your values.'
The same can be said on VP Harris's policy positions.
However, not to be outdone, former President Trump wants in on the dizzying policy shifts. He's figured out that the overturning of Roe v. Wade may have excited part of his base, but angered pretty much everyone else.
Most people don't like having their rights taken away, and are generally adverse to any type of change.
Trump has made social media posts about how great he'll be for women's reproductive freedom, has spoken out on Florida's six-week abortion ban (he also did this in the primary) and has introduced a publicly funded IVF plan where it appears taxpayer dollars would be utilized and insurance companies would be (gulp) mandated to cover costs.
That brings us to Tuesday night's debate, which I'd bet, will be on the only debate. Both candidates aren't going to really want to talk about policy because with all these shifts, that could get them into some trouble. They know what the people want and that is to be entertained, and the candidate that delivers best on that will likely be our next President.
Chris Ryan is the host of New Hampshire Today on iHeart NH's news/talk stations from 6-9a weekdays. His "Trail Bites" column drops each Wednesday afternoon.