Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that Harris isn’t abandoning her progressive ideals — she’s just being “pragmatic” by changing her stance on key issues like Medicare for all and fracking. Sanders seemed to brush off the fact that Harris has pivoted away from positions she once strongly supported during her time in the Senate and her 2020 presidential run.

During the interview, host Kristen Welker confronted Sanders about Harris’ sudden policy reversals. “You have described Kamala Harris as a progressive,” Welker said. “She has previously supported Medicare for all, now she does not. She has previously supported a ban on fracking, now she does not. Senator, these are ideas that you have campaigned on. Do you think she is abandoning her progressive ideals?”

Incredibly, Sanders responded: “No, I don’t think she’s abandoning her ideals. I think she’s trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.”

So, Harris isn’t standing by her principles — she’s simply adjusting them to whatever will help her win votes? Sanders, who has built his political career on a platform of unwavering commitment to progressive ideals, seems to be giving Harris a free pass for what looks like blatant flip-flopping.

Sanders continued by reiterating his own stance: “I think that in America today there are a lot of people, rural people, working-class people who no longer believe that the United States Congress and government represents their interests, who are dominated by big-money interests. So I think that there is something wrong personally when we are the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all of our people, despite spending twice as much per capita. That is why I support Medicare for all.”

Yet, when asked point-blank if Harris still qualifies as a progressive, Sanders didn’t hesitate. “I do,” he said.

It’s a baffling defense. Sanders acknowledges that Harris has completely walked back major policy positions that she once championed, but insists she remains a progressive at heart. Apparently, for Sanders, it’s acceptable for Harris to tell voters one thing in the past and do another now, as long as it helps her win the election.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)