Kind, smart, determined, and tough as hell. That's Kamala Harris.

[bigtree]

James Singer @Jemsinger 19h
Kind, smart, determined, and tough as hell.

That's @KamalaHarris

from USAToday:

Kamala Harris knows how to 'throw an elbow': How California politics shaped the 2020 hopeful

“San Francisco is a political crucible that has chewed up and destroyed a lot of fairly talented and ambitious people,” says Dan Newman, a close advisor to California Gov. Gavin Newsom who also was a strategist on various Harris campaigns.

“There’s an intense interest in politics here, robust political journalism and an engaged electorate,” he says. “Those who have the ability to survive and thrive here tend to do so at broader national level.”

Those who have worked alongside the senator during her California days caution that her big electoral milestones here were come-from-behind victories born out of a fierce love of hand-to-hand political combat – the very kind of combat that the presidential hopefuls will begin engaging in across New Hampshire and Iowa.

“Kamala Harris is all about breaking barriers and redefining what leadership looks like,” says former campaign advisor Newman. “Forever, it was considered impossible for a black woman from San Francisco to be elected statewide, especially as attorney general, a last bastion of largely Republican white men. But she did it.”

The Harris voters nationwide are getting to know as the presidential campaign ratchets up is the same woman who has startled, frustrated, delighted and captivated many Californians for the past two decades: a fearsome politician who loathes to take no for an answer...

read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/26/can-kamala-harris-beat-trump-california-career-shows-she-likes-fight/1762198001/

[DownriverDem]

1. Nice, but

The question is who can win the Electoral College and beat trump.

[bigtree]

2. she can

...with an Obama-like coalition including energized black voters, women, and disaffected, motivated independents.

[Demsrule86]

8. She won't... I don't think she can win a primary and I am convinced she won't win a general...she

does not run in the same way President Obama ran...he had an inclusive message...of course she has my vote if she makes it to the general but I would be shocked if she does...and I believe there are things in her time as DA and AG that will cause her trouble in a general.

[crazytown]

4. And unable to explain or defend her position on health care.

For example- https://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1904/22/se.04.html
Why Medicare for All? - a story about her mother.

[bigtree]

5. that's going to be a challenge for her

...but despite her early stumbles, she should be able to put together a more articulate defense, hopefully in the coming weeks.

Good area for Joe Biden to shine in the debate. Sen. Harris better be prepared for a nudge on this issue from Biden or the others.

Of course, I'm confident she will be prepared.

[crazytown]

6. When asked, Warren talks about medical bankruptcies

... the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US, with or without private insurance.

[bigtree]

7. Bankruptcies are addressed in the Medicare for all Act she co-sponsored with Bernie Sanders

...and others.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Wednesday joined Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and 13 Democratic colleagues to introduce the Medicare for All Act of 2019 to guarantee health care at far lower cost to working families and the nation as a whole.

“Health care should be a right for everyone in this country, not a privilege for the few. No family should be forced to go into debt to pay for the medical treatment of a loved one or the prescription drugs they need to stay healthy,” said Harris. “Medicare is the most popular health plan in the country because it works. Medicare for All finally makes sure every American has affordable, comprehensive health care.”

The Medicare for All Act of 2019 would ensure that Americans could go to the doctor of their choice and get the care they need, when they need it, without going into debt. It would significantly lower the price of prescription drugs by empowering the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical corporations. Furthermore, it would expand coverage to include home and community based long-term care services, ensuring people with disabilities can receive the care they need to stay in their homes and remain part of their communities.

While the United States spends more per capita on health care than any other nation, it remains the case that approximately 30 million Americans do not have health insurance, thousands of people die each year because they cannot afford medical care, and nearly half of Americans fear bankruptcy in the event of a health emergency...

...of course, universal coverage or expanding Medicare would take care of a lot of this.

Sen. Sanders:

"It is preposterous to argue that as we expand Medicare For All that people with cancer and other illnesses will not get the care that they need. In fact, under Medicare For All, the good news is that we will end the horror of millions of people going into bankruptcy and financial distress simply because they need hospital care for serious conditions," he added.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-hits-back-at-biden-over-criticism-of-medicare-for-all/ar-AAEhA7N#page=2

[Andy823]

11. I am sure she will be prepared

and no matter how many hit pieces the Biden crowd wants to post, she can be president, she is qualified, and she can win the nomination, and then the WH.

The thing that amazes me is that after one debate, when Biden complete blew it, Harris is attacked day after day here on DU, and yet very seldom do I see Harris supporters attacking Biden. I see the Harris supporters posting positive things about her instead of trying to discredit Joe. I think that say a lot.

Keep up the good work Bigtree.

[bigtree]

13. well, I am a bit hard on Joe.

...

[highplainsdem]

9. More background on Harris here:

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/24/kamala-harris-2020-history-224126

[Andy823]

12. And the "hits" just keep on coming!

[highplainsdem]

14. Did you even read the article in Politico? It goes into a lot more background on Harris's early

career, including her taking an ironing board around (to use as a desk) while campaigning.

If you object to the headline...well, the USA Today headline saying she knows how to throw an elbow isn't all that different from the Politico headline.

[Skya Rhen]

10. Thanks for the thread. All of the information is worth knowing.

[Tipperary]

15. She misfired badly when she attacked Biden.

That was wrong.