{"id":1868,"date":"2024-11-12T06:20:19","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T06:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/this-may-have-been-kamala-harris-most-important-debate-answer\/"},"modified":"2024-11-12T06:20:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T06:20:19","slug":"this-may-have-been-kamala-harris-most-important-debate-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/this-may-have-been-kamala-harris-most-important-debate-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"This may have been Kamala Harris&#8217; most important debate answer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2 class><strong>How Harris can use her debate momentum<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class>Vice President <strong>Kamala Harris<\/strong> wiped the floor with former President <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/kamala-harris-donald-trump-debate-win-polls-rcna170611\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tuesday night&#8217;s debate<\/a>. It started with her aggressive pursuit of a handshake and continued with the trap she set by talking about his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/who-won-debate-tonight-harris-trump-taylor-swift-rcna170550\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">obsession with crowd sizes<\/a>. He never regained control.<\/p>\n<p class>All that being said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/trump-kamala-harris-debate-might-not-have-mattered-rcna170553\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">debate performances alone<\/a> don&rsquo;t win elections. Just ask <strong>John Kerry<\/strong> or <strong>Hillary Clinton<\/strong>who both won all of their debates and did not win their elections. But debates can help differentiate candidates and motivate voters.<\/p>\n<p class>On Tuesday night, the key exchange, at least in my opinion, centered around abortion rights.<\/p>\n<p class>After Trump boldly claimed he &ldquo;did a great service&rdquo; in overturning Roe v. Wade, Harris had this to say:<\/p>\n<section>\n<blockquote>\n<p>You want to talk about this is what people wanted, pregnant women who wanted a pregnancy to term, suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail, and she&rsquo;s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn&rsquo;t want that. Her husband didn&rsquo;t want that. A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term, they don&rsquo;t want that.<\/p>\n<p><small><span><\/span><\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/section>\n<p class>She was direct, passionate and made the impact of abortion bans specific and personal.<\/p>\n<p class>Trump, meanwhile, failed to commit to vetoing an abortion ban.<\/p>\n<p class>There were a lot of spicy moments in this debate. But that exchange showed where Harris and Trump stand on an issue that could be a key motivator of turnout, if not voter behavior.<\/p>\n<p class>If I were Team Harris, I would make sure Trump doesn&rsquo;t forget it.<\/p>\n<hr class>\n<h2 class><strong>A story you should be following: Taylor Swift&#8217;s 2024 choice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class>This summer, Minnesota Gov. <strong>Tim Waltz<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/184280\/kamala-vp-contender-rips-jd-vance-cat-lady-jokes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warned Trump<\/a> and <strong>JD Vance<\/strong>: &ldquo;See what cat people do when you go after &rsquo;em.&rdquo; And Tuesday night, they found out.<\/p>\n<p class><strong>Taylor Swift&rsquo;s<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/top-stories\/latest\/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-debate-will-make-difference-rcna165541\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endorsement was one of the most highly anticipated<\/a> this election. Why? Swift&rsquo;s social media call to action drove over 400,000 visits to the federal voter registration website Vote.gov within 24 hours of her post. And for context, this website typically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/09\/12\/taylor-swift-endorsement-post-instagram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">only receives<\/a> about 40,000 visits per day. So far, the pop star&rsquo;s original Instagram post has been shared by over 1.5 million users on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claimed<\/a> that Swift will &ldquo;probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.&rdquo; But Swift&rsquo;s influence, to say nothing about her business, did just fine after she endorsed <strong>Joe Biden<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2020-election\/taylor-swift-endorses-joe-biden-president-n1242483\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">for president in October 2020.<\/a> If anything, she&rsquo;s only grown more powerful.<\/p>\n<p class>Vance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/jd-vance-childless-cat-ladies-fear-rcna164007\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">whose &ldquo;childless cat lady&rdquo; insults<\/a> got a callout in Swift&rsquo;s post, attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/1833948353949999371\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shrug off<\/a> the development, saying he doesn&rsquo;t think many Americans &ldquo;are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p class><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AdamSchiff\/status\/1833985859416105332\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">To quote<\/a> Rep. <strong>Adam Schiff<\/strong>: &ldquo;Has JD Vance met his own running mate?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<hr class>\n<h2 class><strong>Someone you should know: Karen Dunn<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class>Meet <strong>Karen Dunn<\/strong>the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/09\/06\/us\/politics\/karen-dunn-harris-debate-prep.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">powerhouse attorney leading Harris&rsquo; debate prep team<\/a>. The New York Times reports she is described by people close to her&nbsp;as a &ldquo;skilled handler of high-ego politicians.&rdquo; And Dunn also knows how to give candidates &ldquo;tough love&rdquo; when they need it, according to&nbsp;Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n<p class>Dunn got her start in politics on Clinton&rsquo;s 2000 Senate campaign. She rose to become Clinton&rsquo;s communications director and joined Clinton&rsquo;s presidential campaign after attending Yale Law School. After clerking for then-Judge <strong>Merrick Garland<\/strong> and Justice <strong>Stephen Breyer<\/strong>Dunn returned to politics to work on debate prep teams for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Clinton in 2016, and Harris (for her vice presidential debate with <strong>Mike Pence<\/strong>) in 2020.<\/p>\n<p class>In 2021, Dunn also won a landmark case holding the organizers of the Charlottesville rally accountable for injuries suffered by counterprotesters, securing over $25 million in damages.<\/p>\n<p>After Obama won re-election in 2012, Dunn took a job in the White House counsel&rsquo;s office. We don&rsquo;t know where she&rsquo;ll land next, but she&rsquo;s absolutely a player to watch in a potential Harris administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/jen-psaki-ncpn1300286\"><picture data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2024_45\/3668227\/jen_psaki-screenshot_2024-01-22_at_3-52-57_pm.png\" alt height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/source><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"byline-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/jen-psaki-ncpn1300286\">Just Psaki<\/a><\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jrpsaki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Jen Psaki is the host of &#8220;Inside with Jen Psaki&#8221;airing Sundays at 12 p.m. ET and Mondays at 8 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/inside-with-jen-psaki\/kamala-harris-trump-debate-answer-abortion-rcna171078\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Harris can use her debate momentum Vice President Kamala Harris wiped the floor with former President Donald Trump at Tuesday night&#8217;s debate. It started with her aggressive pursuit of a handshake and continued with the trap she set by talking about his obsession with crowd sizes. He never regained control. All that being said, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-trump"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}