Thread by @alexburnsNYT

New: @KamalaHarris tells me in an interview she doesn’t want to “restructure society”

So, what does she want?

My story, based on interviewing Harris, her colleagues & allies, & reviewing her public writings & policy plans👇

“What Kamala Harris Believes”
nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris Harris defining herself as a candidate of urgent change, contrasting w/ rivals promising sweeping, comprehensive social reform

“Policy has to be relevant,” Ms. Harris said. “That’s my guiding principle: Is it relevant? Not, ‘Is it a beautiful sonnet?’”

nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris That approach is deeply rooted in Harris’s legal and political career, according to her friends and colleagues.

Five told me in near-identical language: “She is not ideological.”

nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris Does she have the right end of the political argument for 2020? Unclear.

“I don’t see a grand vision, policy-wise,” @MehrsaBaradaran said. “But I think there is a grand vision, to her — she’s tough, she’s a fighter.”
nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris @MehrsaBaradaran And there are clear gaps in Harris’s approach: no plans that address deep concerns w/concentrated wealth & corporate power, revenue gaps that challenge her self-description as a pragmatist.

And then there are the litmus tests she keeps struggling with...
nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris @MehrsaBaradaran Harris spoke at some length about why those charged questions have been a real challenge for her in the race, expressing unease w/abstractions and saying she’s accustomed to measuring her words as a government lawyer.

nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…

@KamalaHarris @MehrsaBaradaran In conclusion, please read the story, which says a lot about how Harris is coming at this campaign, how she envisions the powers of the presidency and where this Dem race might be headed ...
nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/…