On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Harris Campaign Surrogate Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) responded to a question on whether 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris will have a different Gaza policy than President Joe Biden by stating that “we have got to stop sending bombs and we need humanitarian aid to get in there. We have got to save lives. We need a permanent ceasefire, and she has called for that” and “she will be a committed partner for peace.”
Co-host John Berman asked, “So, what exactly do you think the Vice President will do differently than President Biden did vis-a-vis Gaza? And what do you think she should do differently?”
Pressley responded, “Well, the grief, the trauma, the loss of it all, it’s unimaginable, and it is real. And we have got to save lives. As she said in Michigan, we need a ceasefire. We have to stop the bombs. And what I have found is that Vice President Harris is — she’s not one to shy away from hard conversations. She’s a compassionate leader, and she’s also a partner. And part of partnership is accountability. John, perfection is never on the ballot, but progress is.”
She continued, “And so, I want to just make this appeal to people: You deserve to have a president where you live rent-free in their mind, and not that of their enemies, that they are staying up late at night thinking about how to lighten your load, how to make your life easier, how to make your aspirations real, how to lower the costs for housing and grocer[ies] and prescription drugs. You deserve to live in a country where you’re not under the fear of gun violence, a country where every child has a future, from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, to Haiti, to Gaza, to Israel. You deserve to live in a country where your humanity and your dignity are centered and you have autonomy over your body. So, the stakes are high, the contrast could not be clearer. Vote as if lives depend on it, because they do. Vote for yourself, your neighbor, our democracy. It is all on the line.”
Berman then followed up, “Just yes or no, do you think the Harris policy toward Gaza would be different than the Biden policy?”
Pressley responded, “Again, I have found Kamala Harris to be a moral and empathetic leader who’s not — who will sit at the table with us. This is about partnership. And, as she said, she recognizes that the destiny of Israel and Palestine, they are tied, and it’s important we center the humanity of all involved and save lives. But the real point here is that we have got to stop sending bombs and we need humanitarian aid to get in there. We have got to save lives. We need a permanent ceasefire, and she has called for that and she has been consistent. And she, again, has been consistent in centering the self-determination and the humanity of the Palestinian people. So, I know that she will be a committed partner for peace.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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